The purpose of periodic inspection and testing is to determine whether the installation is safe for continued use. All electrical installation work in the UK is carried out to BS 7671 IEE Regulations.
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 does not specifically state that inspection and testing has to be undertaken. However, Regulations 4(1) and 4(2) do state that an electrical installation should be designed, installed, operated and maintained in a safe manner at all times.
The test is to reveal if any electrical circuits or equipment is overloaded, check for any potential shock and fire hazards in the installation, identify any defective electrical work, and highlight any lack of earthing or bonding of Gas and Water mains.
Faulty or damaged cable concealed within walls or under floors cannot be seen but the cable could have been pierced by screws or nails, chewed by mice or rats, it could be a manufacturing fault within cables, or simply ageing of the insulation of the cables.
These are a few of the test methods we use to determine safety of an installation:
- Visual inspection
- Continuity of all protective & bonding conductors
- Continuity of ring final circuit
- Insulation resistance
- Polarity
- Earth fault loop impedance
- RCD function test
- Prospective fault current
- General functional test
- Check protection by separation
