ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION CONDITION REPORTS (EICR's)

WHETHER IT’S TO PAT TEST A SINGLE ITEM TO A FULL CONDITION REPORT OF A LARGE 3 PHASE INSTALLATION WE CAN ACCOMMODATE YOU.

ELECTRICAL TESTING

ELECTRICAL TESTING UNLOCK THE MYSTERY.

•  Landlord Periodic Inspections
•  Domestic Periodic Inspections
•  Commercial Electrical testing

Ecocert Electrical are possibly the premier Essex based company that specialise in all electrical testing and commisioning, whether it is domestic,commercial or industrial. We operate a customer service company, we try to work around your requirements. Contact us for more information or a quote.

Ecocert Electrical understands the current economic climate; we operate in an efficent way and are effective at what we do,this allows us to pass on to you directly all our savings. We complete hundreds of fixed wire tests a year and are experts in the field of electrical testing as such we can offer advice and support to you in the most cost effective way.

Full electrical testing on the supply and internal fixed wiring of your property / business to the latest regulations BS7671 2008 and IEE wiring regulations. This will include the Distribution Board all circuit breakers and associated RCBs, the complete earthing arrangement of the installation with all cables ,switches,sockets and fixtures checked for soundness and compliance.

We can usually offer a very quick service if it is required with night time working if day time access is limited due to business requirements.

All of our Electricians are BS7671 17th edition and C & G 2391 we only employ fully qualified
British Trained Electricians and Engineers.

These are the usual electrical tests performed:

• Visual inspection of the installation.
• Continuity of (cpc) & Earth conductors.
• Continuity of the ring circuits.
• Polarity.
• Insulation resistance of conductors.
• Earth loop impedance test to determine the quality of your earthing.
• Testing of RCDs to check that they do trip at the correct time and current rating.
• Functional switching and Isolation,to insure the switches actually switch the live
  conductor and not the Neutral.

Electrical Testing, why do I need it?

Quite simply it is a statutory obligation in most cases. If your premises are open to the public, i.e.
pubs,schools,cinemas,clubs,churches,dentists,doctors surgeries etc then you most likely need to be inspected yearly (Frequency of tests). If you are a private dwelling then you should be tested at least every 10 years. Electrical testing is often overlooked by ignorance, many companies now delegate the responsibility to either their own resources manager or a dedicated company.
Southern Electrical Testing keeps a data base of all tests, when they were performed and the results,this way there is no ambiguity Electrical testing is important!! As well as the electrical testing of the fixed equipment (cables,sockets,lights, etc) there is the testing of PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) simply put if it has a plug on it it has to be tested with a PAT tester. This is a requirement for all types of installation, Industrial,Commercial and Domestic. Home-owners wishing to sell their dwelling can use the same service to make the test results available to potential purchasers.

A full domestic periodic inspection (fixed wiring electrical testing) may become legislation under the new sellers pack for Home-owners. Becomes Law July 2007 Postponed! Comes into force 14th December 2007. Abandoned by new coalition government May 2010.

However see this legal catch-all.

4.—(1) All systems shall at all times be of such construction as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, danger.

(2) As may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, such danger.

The above is a kind of legal catch all, it is an extract from the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 that apply to domestic property as well. The only way to be sure if your installation is sound is to be either an electrician / engineer and have a planned maintenance schedule or have your installation inspected!

All Southern Testing personnel hold 17th Edition City & Guilds and 2391 (Electrical testing and inspection) qualifications as a minimum.

We are independent, we do not do contracting, so we have no interest in finding imaginary faults , we do electrical testing if we find something simple that is wrong we will correct it as a matter of course at no charge.

As it is a requirement that electrical systems installed in places of work comply with the The Electricity At Work Regulations 1989, More and more companies are putting in place people and policies that deal with the electrical testing and other Proactive Maintenance Programs to create a safe ,viable and profitable environment for their staff.

THE LAW

At Ecocert Electrical our engineers work according to the IEE code of practice for In-Service Inspection and testing of Electrical Equipment (PAT testing) and fixed wiring inspection & testing. The purpose of PAT testing is to ensure electrical equipment is maintained and inspected regularly so as to prevent electrical failure and the danger which may result from this. Fixed wiring testing is to ensure your electrical installation is safe and fit for purpose. It is an employers responsibility to maintain and check electrical items / systems in the work place.

This in effect requires the implementation of a systematic and regular program of maintenance, inspection and testing.

The Health and safety at work Act 1974 puts a duty of care upon both employer and employee to ensure the safety of all persons using the work premises. This includes the self-employed. The Health & Safety at Work Act (1974) places such an obligation in the following circumstances:

• Where appliances are used by employees.
• Where the public may use appliances in establishments such as hospitals, schools, hotels,
  shops etc.
• Where appliances are supplied or hired.
• Where appliances are repaired or serviced.

The level of inspection and testing required is dependant upon the risk of the appliance becoming faulty, which is in turn dependant upon the type of appliance, the nature of its use and the environment in which it is used.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 state:
“Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of:

• The risks to health and safety of his employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work
• The risks to health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking”.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 state:
“Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is so constructed or adapted as top be
suitable for the purpose for which it is used or provided”

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 state:
“As may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent, so far
as is reasonably practicably, such danger”

DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL RENTED PROPERTY, ELECTRICAL TESTING.

Approximately 20% of UK housing is rented.
Landlords electrical testing

As the complexity of the testing varies greatly with rented properties we can usually configure a
test to suit the budget.

Why do landlords need to complete an electrical inspection?

There are two main Acts of Parliament that impose a statutory duty on landlords with respect to the safety of electrical equipment:

1. The Consumer Protection Act 1987 landlords electrical testing obligations.
2. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

The Consumer Protection Act affects all persons who let property in the course of their business because it defines them as “suppliers”, i.e. they are supplying goods to the tenant. There are several items of secondary legislation under the umbrella of
the Consumer protection Act which are directly relevant to the supply of electrical goods, including:

1. The Low Voltage Electrical Equipment Regulations 1989
2. The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994
3. The General Product Safety Regulations 1994
4. The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994

In essence, these regulations impose a duty on landlords to ensure that all electrical equipment supplied by them is safe for use by the tenant. The Consumer Protection Act provides a defence of ‘due diligence’, i.e. a landlord can defend a contravention of the Act if he can demonstrate that he took reasonable steps to avoid committing the offence.

Landlords electrical testing.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act places a duty of care upon both employer and employee to ensure the safety of all persons using the work premises.

This general requirement has been galvanised by several recent regulations, some of which explicitly extended their requirements to cover “self employed persons” and “all persons affected by their operations”. In the Electricity at Work Regulations, a
self-employed person is defined as follows:

electrical testing for landlords
“A self-employed person is an individual who works for gain or reward otherwise than under a contract of employment whether or not he employs others.”
This definition would appear to apply to landlords and agents; similarly, tenants would appear to be a group of persons affected by the landlord’s operations. This tends to suggest that electrical regulations, which are ostensibly directed at employers and the work place, are equally applicable to landlords, their premises and their tenants.

Some of the specific regulations that are applicable to electrical installations include:

Regulation 3(1b) of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 states:

“Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of: the risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him or his undertaking”

Regulation 3 of the Electricity at Work Regulations states:
“It shall be the duty of every employer and self-employed person to comply with the provisions of these Regulations in so
far as they relate to matters within his control.”

Regulation 4(2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations states:

“As may be necessary to prevent danger, all [electrical] systems shall be maintained so as to prevent, so far as is
practicable, such danger.”

In summary, a landlord has duties both as a ‘supplier of goods’ and as the ‘person responsible’ for an electrical installation. As a ‘supplier of goods’ he must ensure that goods are checked before the tenant takes them over and as a ‘person responsible’
he must ensure an adequate system of maintenance. A regular inspection programme is an essential part of any maintenance system. For this reason, and to provide a demonstration of due diligence, 3-Step Safety Check recommends an annual safety inspection of all residential lets.

When do landlords need to complete an electrical inspection?

Unlike the gas regulations there is not a statutory period for completing electrical safety inspections or maintenance. There are several authoritative documents that suggest suitable intervals including:

1. The Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE / MIET) – Code of Practice for in-service
   inspection and testing of electrical equipment.
2. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – Maintaining portable and transportable
   electrical equipment.
3. HSE – Maintaining portable electrical equipment in hotels and tourist
   accommodation.
4. HSE – Maintaining portable electrical equipment in offices and other low risk
   environments.
5. IEE – Inspection & Testing Guidance Note 3.

Landlords electrical testing.

Again the landlord/tenant scenario is not explicitly covered in any of the above documents. However, the Code of Practice for in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment, states:

“The relevant requirement of the Electricity at Work Regulations is that equipment shall be maintained so as to prevent danger. Inspection and testing are means of determining whether maintenance is required. The frequency of inspecting and testing will depend upon the likelihood of maintenance being required and the consequence of the lack of maintenance. No rigid guidelines can be laid down, but the factors influencing the decision will include the following:

(a) The environment – equipment installed in an undisturbed, controlled environment such as an office will suffer less damage than equipment in an arduous environment.
(b) The users – if the users of equipment report damage as and when it becomes evident, hazards will be avoided. Conversely, if equipment is likely to receive unreported abuse, more frequent inspection and testing is required.
(c) The equipment construction – the safety of a Class I appliance is dependent upon a connection with the earth of a fixed installation. If the flexible cable is damaged the connection with earth can be lost.
(d) The equipment type – hand-held appliances are more likely to be damaged than fixed appliances. If they are also Class I the risk of danger is increased. The same document also provides guidance on the frequency of inspection for various situations ranging from construction sites to offices and shops. An examination of this guidance would suggest that the landlord/tenant situation falls between what the IEE describe as a “hotel” situation and a situation where “equipment is used by
the public”.

Clearly the landlord/tenant situation is slightly more onerous than a hotel situation because there is no daily inspection of premises by hotels staff (which would uncover electrical problems) and it is slightly less arduous than the public use situation
(because the tenant has some knowledge and control over the electrical equipment).

Therefore 3-Step Safety Check recommends an inspection and testing frequency of 12 months, which falls between the IEE guidance for the two situations outlined. The guidance contained in the “IEE Code of Practice for in-service inspection and testing
of electrical equipment” refers to electrical appliances rather than fixed installations although the document does state: “Similar procedures must be followed for the fixed installation”. IEE Guidance Note 3, Inspection and Testing provides guidance on the inspection, testing and maintenance required for fixed installations. This document places a general requirement for a “routine check” on commercial properties of 1 year with a more thorough examination including inspection and testing every 5 years, or at change of tenancy. 3-Step Safety Check recommends an annual inspection that is more rigorous than the “routine check” but should obviate the need for a more thorough 5 yearly inspection.

What do landlords need to check?

Once a landlord has established the need to test the decision on the level of testing required is a technical matter adequately covered by IEE documentation. There is also an array of specialist equipment designed specifically to complete IEE test
regimes for portable and fixed electrical equipment.
3-Step Safety Check adhere to the guidance on portable appliance testing and
expand on the annual “routine check” for fixed installations by carrying out electrical tests to confirm correct wiring, correct earthing and the correct operation of safety devices.

Whom should landlords employ to carry out electrical testing?

As with almost all safety legislation, the person required to carry out electrical checks must be a competent person. Competency is judged on a combination of training, knowledge and experience. All of 3-Step Safety Check’s inspection engineers are qualified electricians with several years experience of electrical installation and testing work.All Southern Testing Operatives are either MIET / MIEE or 17th edition + C & G 2391. Only British Trained personnel are employed for Landlords electrical testing services.

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