Periodic inspection

A guide to Periodic Inspections

Fixed Wire Testing can prevent avoidable problems with your wiring, reduce any electrical risk and ensure your business is safe and fully compliant with relevant Health & Safety regulations. Once your Periodic Inspection is complete, we’ll issue you with an Electrical Inspection Condition Report (EICR) for your records – your insurance provider may want to see this too.

What is Periodic Testing

Periodic Testing , also known as  Fixed Wire Testing or Fixed Electrical Testing, is the process of checking the safety of electrical systems or installations in a building, to make sure they are safe for you, your staff, your customers and your visitors.

What do the observation codes mean in the Periodic Inspection report?

Observation codes are items you will see on your EICR Fixed Wire Testing report, and they determine the actions that should be taken going forward. Here’s a brief overview of what each means:

• C1 – ‘Immediate action’ is required due to a dangerous fault
• C2 – Fault could be ‘potentially dangerous’ if left in its current state
• C3 – ‘Improvement recommended’
• F1 – ‘Further investigation required without delay’

During and after your inspection, we can advise on what your reported observation codes mean in more detail, and our experienced electricians can also provide support to investigate and fix any faults detailed in your report.

How we minimise operational disruption

To reduce disruption to your employees and customers, where possible, we’d recommend Fixed Wire Testing is completed outside of your business’ normal operating hours.

We provide an out-of-hours service at no extra cost from 5pm Monday to Friday and all day during Saturday, giving you the option and flexibility to choose whatever works best for you.

I’m in a serviced office – is it my responsibility?

To ensure you’re meeting all your legal obligations as an employer, if you are in a serviced office, it’s worth checking with your landlord to see if your office has had the appropriate level of Fixed Wire Testing.

What are the legal requirements for Periodic Inspection?

There are a number of Acts and Regulations that set out formal, legal requirements that must be adhered to, to ensure safety in the workplace. These include:

• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 | View
• The Management of Health and Safety Work Regulations 1999 | View
• The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 | View
• The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 | View
• BS 7671: 2008 Amendment 3* | View

*New regulations (BS 7671:2018) will come into effect in January 2019.