Inspecting and Testing Certificates
Wiring Regulations stipulate that on the completion of all electrical installation work carried out by electrical contractors, whether this be a complete rewire or the addition of a socket outlet or lighting point:-
Electrical Installation, Electrical Completion or Minor Work Certificate should be provided to the customer which proves that the electrical work has been carried out and inspected and tested to current installation and safety standards. Stirling Electrical Services provide full detailed certificates on all such work carried out.
Periodic Inspection and Testing Reports
Put simply, this report is based on the inspection and testing of all the electrical circuits and accessories in your electrical system.
Each circuits cable and its accessories eg sockets, light switches, light fittings etc, will be inspected for visual damage. wear and tear etc and then the wiring of each circuit will undergo a series of tests to make sure the wiring is safe and that the circuit is wired correctly. The reprot will also determine if items such as earthing, bonding and incoming supply is sufficient. All this data will be contained in a report we give to the customer.
Suggested time intervals for various electrical installations are listed at the foot of this page.
We carry out hundreds of Periodic Inspection and Testing Reports on existing electrical installations per year, please see the below information for more guidance on this subject.
No electrical installation, no matter how carefully designed and erected, can be expected to last forever. Deterioration will take place due to age as well as due to normal wear and tear. With this in mind, the Regulations require regular inspection and testing to take place so that the installation can be maintained in a good and a safe condition. It is now a requirement of the Regulations that the installation user should be informed of the need for periodic testing, and the date on which the next test is due. A notice, fixed at or near the origin of the installation, must state the required intervals between periodic inspections and tests.”
Accessories, switchgear etc should be carefully examined for signs of overheating. Structural changes may have impaired the safety of an installation, as may have changes in the use of space. The use of extension leads must be discouraged, if only because of the relatively high loop impedance they introduce.
It is important to appreciate that the regular inspection and testing of all electrical installations is a requirement of the Electricity at Work Regulations. The time interval concerned will, of course, depend on the type of installation and on the way in which it is used. The table below shows the suggested intervals between periodic tests and inspections.
Suggested intervals between periodic tests and inspections
Type of installation Maximum period between inspections
- Commercial premises 5 years
- Educational establishments 5 years
- Hospitals 5 years
- Industrial premises 3 years
- Cinemas 1 year*
- Churches 5 years
- Leisure complexes 1 year
- Places of public entertainment 1 year
- Theatres, etc. 1 year*
- Agricultural and horticultural 3 years
- Caravans 3 years
- Caravan sites 1 year*
- Emergency lighting 3 years
- Fire alarm systems 1 year
- Launderettes 1 year*
- Petrol filling stations 1 year*
- Public Houses 5 years
- Marinas 1 Year
- Highway power supplies 6 years
- Temporary installation 3 months
Where maximum periods are marked * there is a legal requirement for retests at these intervals.