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EICRS

Reporting for duty Electrical installation condition reports are becoming increasingly prominent in both domestic and commercial sectors. Follow the right procedures to ensure customer safety and satisfaction, says Philip Sanders

H omeowners, landlords and dutyholders are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of having an electrical installation periodically inspected and its condition reported upon.

An electrical installation condition report (EICR) identifies any damage, deterioration, defects and/or conditions that may give rise to danger, along with observations for which improvement is recommended.

Homeowners often ask for, or obtain, a condition report as part of a house sale and, similarly, landlords with an increasing awareness of their electrical safety obligations are looking at undertaking periodic inspections in relation to their rental properties.

The importance of periodic inspection and reporting in the ever-increasing private rental sector has been further recognised in Scotland where legislation changes will place statutory requirements on landlords (see page 8). Furthermore, the value of periodic inspection and reporting is increasingly being recognised by dutyholders in the workplace.

NICEIC and ELECSA contractors are often called to inspect and report on the condition of all types of electrical installations and, as such, should ensure that due consideration is given so that: only skilled persons or persons suitably competent undertake such work; they have the appropriate experience of the type of installation to be inspected; and do so under an agreement with the customer. This agreement should include the “reason for”, “extent of”, and “agreed limitations” (if any) to be placed on the inspection.

Reason, extent and limitations The reason for the inspection and extent of the installation to be covered should be discussed and recorded, and any limitations should be agreed with the person ordering the work.

For a dwelling, it is usual for the whole of the installation to be included with no expected limitations, whereas a business premises may have certain specified limitations. Nonetheless, it is important that unnecessary limitations are not subsequently placed on the inspection as the greater the limitations applied to a report the less its value.

This part of the process should not be omitted as, in addition to being required to be accurately recorded on the condition report, this information forms the basis of other considerations, including the time required to complete the inspection and the associated costs.

Inspection It is vital to ensure that suff icient inspection and testing is undertaken for an accurate report to be compiled.

Some contractors will allow for around 20-30 minutes per circuit; others may go for as long as 40 minutes. On a typical 10-way consumer unit this would equate to 200-300 minutes or 3.5-5 hours for a typical three-bed dwelling, without completing paperwork/EICR.

This, of course, will be influenced by extent and limitations, accessibility, whether it is energised and other factors.

Inspection methods should be consistent across the installation and testing appropriate in type and quantity. Particular attention should be paid to areas of the installation that are susceptible to external influences and show signs of wear and tear, corrosion, damage and deterioration, and excessive loading. Operational limitations should not be recorded without good reason and only where reasonable attempts have been made to overcome any apparent limitation.

Observations and recommendations Any observation relating to a specific defect or omission that can be supported by one or more regulations in BS 7671 should be recorded in a manner that will be understood by the customer.

The observation should detail what the situation is, and not what is considered necessary to put it right. Observations based solely on personal preference or “custom and practice” should not be included.

Each observation must be given an appropriate classification code as detailed below: • Code C1 – Danger present • Code C2 – Potentially dangerous • Code C3 – Improvement recommended • Code FI – “Further investigation required without delay”. This was introduced in the third amendment of BS 7671 and renders the condition of the electrical installation unsatisfactory.

Clear and accurate reporting is a skill all electricians need. A good report not only saves time and money later should any dispute arise, it can also be a legal document to rely on should any complaint escalate.

‘It is important that unnecessary limitations are not subsequently placed on the inspection as the greater the limitations applied to a report the less its value’