Understanding your Electrical Installation Condition Report ( EICR ) The EICR is a legal document and is a report about the condition of a buildings electrical installation. In the event of any injury or damage to property caused by the electrical installation a court, inquest or insurance company will want this report and will use it to establish the condition of the electrical installation at a precise point in time. The document also demonstrates to the authorities your commitment to electrical safety as a responsible person. The EICR should be completed by a competent electrical contractor, preferably one registered with the NICEIC, ECA, or NAPIT. It measures the electrical installations compliance with BS7671 which is the British Standard for all electrical installations within the UK. The format for the report is prescribed in the 17th edition of the IEE (institute of electrical engineers) wiring regulations which should mean that whichever contractor completes the report they should all have generally the same overall appearance. To a non-electrician the report can appear technical and confusing. This document and our video of the same name (available free at our website www.nccompliance.com) is intended to help clients to understand the report. The EICR consists of 12 sections referenced A to L followed by the inspection schedule for distribution boards and circuits and the circuit details and test results pages each of which is explained to varying degrees in the following paragraphs. Section A This section contains the client details. If the client has multiple sites then this would be the head office. Section B This section explains the purpose of the report. It could be that an insurance company wants it or more commonly that the “responsible person” and risk assessment calls for a safety assessment of a buildings electrical services. Section C This section provides the details of the installation such as the site address, type of premises, age of the installation and details of any previous inspections if there are any available. Section D This section explains the extent of the installation and any limitations to the testing. This is important as it will detail any tests or parts of the building that the electrical contractor has been unable to complete. It may be that it is impractical to fully test all circuits for instance those circuits powering critical IT systems. It may be agreed that such critical circuits are subjected to detailed inspection but that full testing is not done. It is important that all limitations are agreed in advance between the client and the electrical contractor. Section E This section is a summary of the report. The installation will be categorised as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory. If there are no C1 or C2 deviations noted in section F then the installation will be satisfactory. If however there are any C1 or C2 deviations noted within section F the installation will be categorised as unsatisfactory. This method of overall categorisation is prescribed within the regulations to ensure consistency of categorisation amongst all competent electrical contractors. Section F This section provides a list of observations and recommendations and is more commonly referred to as a list of defects. It lists where any part of the installation deviates from the standard set out in BS7671 and provides a brief description of the deviation. In the right hand column of the report you will see that every deviation is coded as C1, C2 or C3. These codes are explained in greater detail in our pdf paper and video “BS7671 Electrical Defect Codes Explained” which is available at our website www.nccompliance.com You will need to have any C1 and C2 coded deviations rectified as soon as possible and consider any C3’s as improvements that could be made. Section G This is a declaration by the electrician and the verifying person that the inspection and testing has been completed to the agreed standard. You should never accept a report that is not signed and dated. Section H This section shows how many pages follow after section L that detail the circuit details and test results. Section I This section details the contractor recommendations. Usually it is a recommendation that all C1 and C2 coded deviations are rectified urgently and that all C3’s are considered with a view to improving the installation. It also recommends the date for the next EICR. Section J This section provides the details of the contractor including their NICEIC, ECA or NAPIT registration number if they have one. Section K This section provides the building supply characteristics and earthing arrangements. Section L This section provides information about the supply at origin. This is the point at which responsibility for the supply changes from the provider to the building owner/occupier. Inspection Schedule for Distribution Boards and Circuits This section is not alphabetically referenced. It is divided into 10 numbered sections which detail the findings of the visual inspection. Circuit Details This is where you will find each circuit listed along with its characteristics for example cable size, fuse size etc. It may be help full for you to know that this section lists all of your fuse boards and all of the circuits. If you pay for your EICR on a cost per circuit basis then this is where you can find out how many circuits you have. Test Results This section lists the actual results of the electrical tests carried out on each circuit listed in the Circuit Details Section. It contains technical information which speaks volumes to electrical contractors but is generally of little interest to clients. Further Information I hope that this paper and related video has improved your understanding of what can at first appear to be quite a complicated document. If you require additional information or clarification on any points then please do get in touch. Tel: 0845 259 0416 email: sales@nccompliance.com web: www.nccompliance.com
Engineering Vacancies We need to fill the following technical vacancies to keep pace with the programmed expansion of our business. 2 x fully qualified (with 2391 inspection & test) and experienced industrial / commercial electricians. 4 x electrical apprentices. (Must already have some electrical qualifications) 1 x industrial / commercial heating engineer with gas catering equipment experience. 1 x heating engineer apprentice. 1 x refrigeration / air conditioning working supervisor – from walk in fridges to air conditioning maintenance and fault finding. Interested applicants should first watch the video, Vacancies at NC Ltd which provides an insight into our expectations when recruiting. If after watching the video you consider yourself suitable forward your full cv quoting the reference provided within the video. Candidates who have not viewed the video will not be considered.
Operations Manager Appointed We are pleased to welcome John Lowell as operations manager. This is a new position created because of the accelerated growth of our engineering work force. As a fully qualified electrician Johns technical knowledge and experience will enhance our ability to provide super efficient administrative support to both our mobile engineers and clients.
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