Estil Electrical Contractors and Control Panel Manufacturers, Dudley, West Midlands Tel 01384 243643

  

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Charlotte Street,

Dudley,

West Midlands

DY1 1TD

England.

 

( +44(0)1384 243643

For The Total Electrical Solution


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FAQ - Fixed Wiring Inspection & Testing

Please read the following and consider these points before selecting your electrical inspection and testing contractor. 

Why do I need to carry it out?

The Electricity at Work Regulations of 1989 places a “duty of care” on employers and landlords to maintain electrical systems to prevent danger where otherwise it may exist. The most efficient and comprehensive way of ensuring your duties are performed and adequate records are kept is by performing Periodic Electrical Test and Inspection in accordance with BS7671 (The IEE Wiring Regulations). By following this practice, you can be sure that your obligations have been met under the Health and Safety at Work Act so far as electrical safety is concerned and more importantly that your staffs, visitors, patients, buildings and possessions are safe.

Who is responsible?

Realistically, everybody has a duty to ensure the safety of others whilst at work; however, the Duty Holder will have ultimate responsibility for electrical safety. If nobody at your place of work is clear on who that is, then the responsibility falls on the most senior person. It is important to know who has the responsibility for safety and welfare of staff in order to establish that compliance is achieved.

What does it involve?

Periodic test and inspection requires a series of visual inspections and electronic tests to be performed to establish the safety and suitability of your electrical system. If performed correctly, you can expect that each electrical circuit within your workplace will have to be de-energised for a period of 15 minutes whilst the Engineer injects test signals into the cables and protective devices to ensure their integrity and carries out a thorough visual inspection of the Installation. This type of work will require the main supply to be isolated and with careful planning can be done with little disruption to your business. Alternatively, this work can be carried out whilst your workplace is empty, such as nights, weekends or holiday periods.

Who should do the work?

It is vital that this type of work is carried by a qualified and experienced test Engineer. Such Engineers are generally fully qualified electricians who have experience of test and inspection and have been trained and qualified in electrical inspection work specifically. When selecting your contractor you should ask to see evidence of their qualifications and experience in this type of work.

Will it impact on my workplace?

There will be some impact such as short periods of downtime on circuits; however, with careful planning and strong liaison between you and your contractor, this can be conducted at a time that best suits your business. Be wary of contractors that tell you this work can be fully carried out without isolating circuits – it is impossible.

What will I receive?

Upon completion of periodic electrical test and inspection you should receive a report that details the following:

Installation details and characteristics
Circuit information and test results
Schedule of items tested and inspected
A list of defects or deviations from the British Standard (these will require attention)

If you are not a technical person, then your contractor should be pleased to talk through your report with you and advise you of any further action required.

How much will it cost?

There are many factors that can affect the cost of electrical inspection work such as location, type of installation, size of building(s), access and availability of previous records. As a rule of thumb, your contractor should attend site prior to quoting to survey the building(s) in order to establish all of the necessary details, you should be wary of accepting a quotation unless a full survey has been conducted or you are sure you have provided enough information.

What could happen if I don’t do it?

There are many reasons not to do periodic electrical test and inspection such as cost, inconvenience, or lack of knowledge. However none of these reasons will be accepted as a defence in the event that an accident or fire occurs. Aside from the threat of prosecution in the event of injury or death, surely the safety of your colleagues, employees, patients or belongings are reason enough to test and inspect electrical systems at work.

Who will carry out any remedial work?

Estil will be happy to submit a quotation for any remedial work that is found.

Are you accredited?

Estil are a fully accredited member of the NICEIC.

Do you have any testimonials?

We can provide testimonials and references from many satisfied customers across all sectors and regions, please request these from our sales department.

 

 

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Last modified: May 10, 2010