FIXED WIRE TESTING (EICR)

An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is as the name implies, a report into the condition of the electrical installation and to highlight any safety shortcomings & defects or deviations from the current revision of the electrical regulations BS7671.

Who should perform an EICR?

An electrical installation condition report should be performed by a competent electrician with the necessary experience and extensive knowledge of the type of installation that he or she is testing.

Are there any considerations that you need to be aware of when you commission an electrician to conduct an EICR?

When an EICR is performed on the property the electrician will need to disconnect the installation from the mains electrical power supply; depending on the size of the property this can be anywhere from an hour or two to a whole day, some larger installations especially commercial or industrial installations can take days or even weeks.

The electrician needs to switch off and disconnect the power for reasons of safety and also for the purpose of being able to apply the correct test to the relevant electrical circuit. The disconnection of the power supply is of course going to be an inconvenience for those that are using the building at the time, especially if the disconnection of the power impacts on the running of a business or other critical operation.

Who needs an EICR?

Although for privately owned domestic properties it is not a statutory requirement to have an EICR performed on the electrical installation, it is advisable that the electrical installation of all properties are tested and inspected at regular intervals and no longer than once every ten years.

For privately rented properties it might not be a statutory requirement, although that is dependent on the area that you live in. It is important to ensure that all electrical appliances and fittings within the property are safe and in good working order, as you can still be held liable if there is an injury caused by an unsafe electrical installation.

For a House of Multiple Occupancy or an HMO, it has been a statutory requirement for over five years; it states that the building management should;

‘ensure that every fixed electrical installation is inspected and tested at intervals not exceeding five years by a person qualified to undertake such inspection and testing’

It is a statutory requirement that commercial properties and properties where the public have access; are regularly checked and that an EICR is perform on the electrical services. The period between inspections is determined by the function and the use of the building.