What Is an EICR Form?
Almost all of the devices that most households, offices, and industrial worksites use are dependent on electricity. Yet, most people still tend to neglect electrical wiring safety and only seek the help of a professional electrician when a breaker has already tripped or a circuit stopped working.
For this reason, the importance of electrical safety inspections cannot be emphasized enough: Keeping your residence or commercial establishment safe requires regular inspections. This is done through an Electrical Installation Condition Report or EICR, a necessary examination of all electrical wiring installations and systems within the building or home by a professional. Once an inspection is done, an EICR form is issued as formal documentation of the findings of the inspection. This form is important because it contains the coding of the condition of the installation and recommendations for further action needed, if applicable.
One important aspect of the EICR is that it can only be done by a qualified electrician or engineer because the majority of cables and consumer units are not visible to the naked eye and are often hidden inside walls or cupboards. Furthermore, thorough training is required to be able to safely conduct the test procedures and recognize potential hazards in the internal electrical wiring systems.
Although an electrical inspection report is not a legal requirement, it provides the security of knowing that your home or establishment is safe from potential electrical hazards like fires.
This article covers the following topics:
1. What is the purpose of an electrical inspection?
2. How will you benefit from conducting regular electrical inspections?
3. How often should electrical inspections be performed?
4. Why a digital tool is the perfect companion to an electrical inspection report
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The Purpose of an Electrical Inspection
Through an electrical inspection, you will receive a summary of the condition of all the electric systems in your home and whether they are compliant with the electrical safety requirements of your city. An EICR form will outline all the notable observations of the electrician or approved contractor along with the electrical coding classification of your home.
An EICR form has five main objectives:
- To find, identify, and report any damage or wear and tear that might compromise the safety of those using the establishment.
- To pinpoint any part of the electrical installation that does not meet electrical safety regulations.
- To find any source of potential fires or electric shocks.
- To outline the results of the testing and inspection to ensure that all electrical installations and systems in place are safe to be used until the next scheduled inspection. This includes any further actions required based on the result of the inspection.
- To serve as a record of the installation condition at the time of inspection and as a reference for future electrical inspections.
The findings on an electrical inspection report are essentially categorized into three coding classifications:
- C1: This pertains to the presence of hazards in the inspected establishment and that immediate action is required. All persons using the installations are exposed to immediate dangers.
- C2: This means while an observed deficiency isn’t immediately dangerous at the time of the inspection, it has the potential to become a real risk over time. Action is required as soon as possible.
- C3: This code indicates that while a deficiency is not considered to pose any immediate dangers, the electrical installation can benefit from improvements to enhance safety. The owners of the house or establishment are not required to take any immediate action.
Recommended Frequency of Electrical Inspections
With wear and age, electrical installations eventually deteriorate. Unless properly maintained, this can result in multiple hazards. Improperly insulated wiring, for instance, is dangerous because it can result in electrical shorts, and faulty wiring can result in fires. Compared to the cost of an EICR, the potential damage to property that comes with electric hazards is incomparable.
So, regardless of what establishment or structure you own, it’s imperative that you don’t neglect electrical safety. Carrying out regular checks can make a difference in the safety of your employees, workers or family.
The IET Wiring Regulations BS 7671 set the standard for electrical installations within the United Kingdom. It recommends the following frequencies to be observed for optimal safety:
- Business owners: Every five years
- Landlords: Every five years or whenever their tenants change
- Homeowners: Every five to ten years
- Homeowners with swimming pool: Every year
What Are the Benefits of Regular Electrical Inspections?
Because electrical systems are typically out of sight, they consequently tend to be out of mind as well. But that doesn’t change the fact that the benefits of regular electrical inspections don’t just amount to a safer environment but are also of a monetary nature. Having your systems checked regularly is beneficial in more ways than one.
1. It saves you money in the long run.
When your electrical system is faulty, your cables are not working at full capacity and thus, forcing electrical outlets to work harder to provide sufficient electricity. This can cause your electricity bills to soar high.
On top of this, investing in regular electrical inspections can save you thousands of dollars worth of property damage because you can spot issues before they escalate into major problems and thus prevent severe losses of material goods and even of human lives. From frayed wires to faulty systems that can overload your electronics, the cost can add up when hazards are left unaddressed.
2. It enhances safety.
One of the biggest risks to faulty electrical systems is fires caused by sparks. Ignoring the hazards that come with electrical wirings can be detrimental and not just cause property damage but even loss of lives. In 2019 alone, 166 fatal electrical injuries were recorded, resulting from faulty electrical systems.
Conducting regular electrical inspections using an EICR form can keep the users of the establishment safe from dangers.
3. You can prevent malfunctions and avoid losing irreplaceable possessions.
Anything hooked up to damaged wires can be damaged, too, as your appliance malfunctions. Instead of being able to enjoy your computers and electronics for years, you only get to use them for a few months before they eventually break down because of electricity.
While there are some you can replace, you risk losing items that are simply harder to replace or simply irreplaceable.
4. It can lower your insurance premiums.
The higher the risks to your house or establishment are, the higher your insurance premium will be. One way to work around that is to ensure that your electricals are well-maintained and perfectly set up. This way, you already lose a few dollars off your insurance’s price tag.
5. Follow electrical standards
Even though electrical inspections are not a legal requirement, business owners and landlords are still legally responsible for the safety of their employees or tenants. The lives of individuals and families are too valuable for safety to be compromised. So, complying with safety standards is a must.
Create an Electrical Inspection Report with a Digital Software
With Lumiform’s audit and safety app you can easily perform a multitude of safety and quality inspections on the go from your smartphone or tablet - online or offline. Create checklists for electrical inspections to easily collect data in the field and reduce errors and threats and let the app do all the work for you as it automatically creates a report for you.
- Choose from 10,000 ready-made templates, so that you can quickly and safely go digital.
- Or use Lumiform’s unique and flexible form builder to create your own checklists and that helps you convert any paper based electrical inspection forms into a digital format within minutes.
- With the intuitive and easy-to-use mobile app you can effortlessly perform electrical inspections and ensure the safety of the establishment you’re inspecting.
- All electrical inspection results are automatically summarised in an EICR report that can then be sent to responsible personnel or used as documentation.
- Comprehensive and automated analyses help you uncover threats and errors in electrical wiring fast and effectively and thus allow you to concentrate on improving processes immediately.
