Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

Formally Fixed Wire Testing

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), is a procedure that that carries out physical testing and visual inspections of the electrical installations and systems in a building to determine their condition and ensure that they are safe and are compliant with the current regulations, legal requirements and that they are fit for purpose. This falls under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Electricity at Work Regulations Act 1989 and BS7671:2018 IET Wiring Regulations. It is your legal responsibility as a duty holder (or person(s) responsible) to ensure that your electrical installations are in a safe condition and do not compromise the health and safety of your employees or cause a detrimental risk to your premises. All employers have to provide a safe working environment with regards to all electrical equipment and systems, regardless of when they were manufactured, installed or brought into use. This applies to all places of work, with no exemptions. In the unfortunate event of an incident relating to an electrical fault person(s) deemed responsible and their employer are at a severe risk of personal heavy fines, prosecution, and in some cases imprisonment. Section 4 (1) of the Electricity at Work Regulations Act 1989 states; ‘All systems shall at all times be of such construction as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, danger.’

Electrical Equipment Testing (EET)

Formally Portable appliance testing – (PATs) 

Electrical Equipment Testing (EET) is a physical test and visual inspection of any equipment that has an electrical plug that is connected to the main electrical wiring system. These can range from small to large items and can either be portable or stationary. Damage to cables and equipment, incorrect sized fuses and poor electrical connections, can cause serious fire, personal injury and safety hazards. It is recommended that your portable appliances are tested regularly to meet your compliance requirements. As with Fixed Wire Testing, this falls under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Electricity at Work Regulations Act 1989 and BS7671:2018 IET Wiring Regulations. It is your legal responsibility as a duty holder to ensure that your electrical installations are in a safe condition and do not compromise the health and safety of your employees or cause a detrimental risk to your premises.

Thermal Imaging

Thermal Imaging of your electrical network detects ‘hot spots’ before they can become a serious problem, which if not addressed immediately, may cause a fire, system failure and obvious health and safety risks. Temperature is one of the most fundamental indicators to possible faults, defects or inefficiencies. An abnormal temperature distribution which is invisible to the naked eye can indicate serious faults such as: faulty electrical connections, overloaded circuits, potential system failures and much more. Regular thermal imaging is non-intrusive and measures temperature in a real-time normal working environment and at a safe distance by capturing heat-generated images. The data captured from these images can then be interpreted by maintenance personnel to ensure key assets operate at maximum efficiency and are safely maintained. This falls under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Electricity at Work Regulations Act 1989 and BS7671:2018 IET Wiring Regulations.

Emergency Lighting

Emergency lighting provides visibility in an emergency where the main power supply has been lost and normal illumination within the premises fails. Emergency lighting then operates automatically via the battery supply to provide sufficient illumination to enable occupants to evacuate the premises safely. It is a legal mandatory requirement for emergency lighting systems to be periodically tested and inspected to ensure that in the event of an evacuation due to a loss of the mains power, the system can operate correctly and sufficiently. This falls under BS EN 50172:2004 and BS 5266-8:2004 (emergency escape lighting systems) and this outlines the minimum requirements for inspection and testing of emergency lighting systems. Monthly purge tests should be carried out alongside a full annual ‘drain down’ visual inspection and test. Duty holders have a legal obligation to ensure that their emergency lighting system has been installed correctly and maintained in accordance with the latest regulations.

Remedial Works

Once the Fixed Wire Testing (EICR) has been carried out the resultant electrical remedial works must be completed to ensure legal compliance. Any damage, deterioration, defects and dangerous conditions within the EICR report must be addressed in a timely manner. The remedial defects fall into four codes, with the first two requiring essential remedial action: Code One (C1), ‘requires urgent immediate attention as danger is present’, meaning that persons using the installation are at risk of personal injury or fire. Code Two (C2), ‘requires improvement – potentially dangerous’, indicating that the observed deficiency requires action to remove potential danger. Code Three (C3) means ‘improvement recommended’, you will be advised that less urgent remedial repair is required in this situation. FI means ‘further investigation’ and you should take immediate advice from a qualified electrical engineer. Remedial defects involving C1, C2 or FI codes require the responsible person or the duty holder to take immediate action. You must do this to ensure that your workplace is safe, fit for purpose, and compliant following the electrical testing.

Electrical Installation and Projects

At Project Solver we have an internal Electrical Projects Division who specialise in all manner of electrical projects from installation, refurbs, upgrades, remedial works, surveys, verification, safety assessments etc. We have many years of experience in partnering with clients for project works in both the public and private sectors and across many industries. Our range of expertise covers the most simple of small electrical works through to large complicated turnkey projects. Project Solver also offers a 3rd party electrical independent verification and assessment service. As with all our services, we offer clients friendly professional advice and direct operational / account management.

Rail

We have been supporting Hollywell Building Services Ltd since 2018 with all of our Electrical engineers and 7 electrical apprentices all holding PTS certification

Hollywell Building Services are construction contractors who provide planned and reactive maintenance in the Rail, Education, Health, Local Authority and Church sectors as well-performing small civil engineering works across the South and East of England.

Project solver has supported Hollywell building services with its electrical Compliance across its C2C, Greater Anglia, Southeastern and GTR Train Depots, completing EICRs on over 50 stations, EET testing, LED lighting project works installing new lighting across several train stations and new installation to a depots main shutter and safety systems

Sonic Testing

Sonic and Thermal technologies are a perfect match when conducting inspections of electrical equipment. At any voltage, thermal anomalies and sources of Sonic such as arcing can occur. Corona can also occur at 1000 volts and greater. Any of these conditions threaten the reliability of the equipment being inspected. 

When it comes to electrical inspection, Sonic instrumentation can be used on almost any energised electrical equipment including metal-clad switchgear, transformers, substations, relays, and motor control centres just to name a few. Sonic test instruments can be used to inspect energised electrical components that are on low, medium, and high voltage systems.