Commencing and running a business smoothly is not child’s play. You are bound to encounter various kinds of problems and roadblocks along the way. Apart from daily management, you also need to deal with the pressure of maintaining the place where your business-related tasks are conducted. A business owner’s major task is to pay adequate attention to the maintenance of the buildings that accommodate their business. In fact, it is as important as the relationships you have with your customers.
The maintenance of commercial property is a field that is profuse with requirements that most business owners do not fully comprehend. The most prominent example of such a requirement is the EICR or the Electrical Installation Condition Report. Not only businesses, but the landlords also need to show proof of having organized an EICR that has been conducted by registered Electrical Services Northampton.
What Is an EICR?
Electrical Installation Condition Reports are the analysis reports of the condition of your electrical installation. There are several aims of such a report, but usually, their objective is to accomplish the following:
- Ensure that your electrical installation is not harmful and can be used safely till the time of the next inspection.
- Determine the presence of damage, defect or wear and tear that can impact your business safety.
- Figure out anything that will lead to electrical shocks and increased temperatures.
- Identify any components of the wiring installation that does not fulfill the IEE wiring regulations and report about them.
When all these parameters are checked, a report is produced and given to you. The time that it takes for writing these reports can vary significantly, according to the size of your building. In the case of a big building having several floors, the writing of a report can take more than a week. Contrarily, the report about a single unit can be written in a few hours.
Types of Condition Report
Generally, there are two main types of EICR Report Northampton. These include:
- Visual condition report – It is a short and not detailed report which does not have testing. It is cheap and is appropriate only if you have had your system tested lately.
- Periodic inspection reports – It is a highly detailed report which has all the testing that is described above.
Is EICR Report Required by Law?
Although an electrical installation condition report is not legally required in itself, a majority of property owners are legally obligated by their employees, customers, or tenants which can be met by an electrical installation condition inspection. Every year, a large number of people die or get injured at their workplace mainly because of an error-prone electric system. Regular EICR inspection, conducted by certified electricians can significantly bring down the possibility of such accidents from occurring in the first place.
It is a legal requirement for businesses to have regular EICR issued under the laws of the U.K. Businesses should have a comprehensive Electrical Installation Condition Report, which should be commissioned once every five years. If you are not able to submit this report, then you are liable to face many consequences.
EICR for Homeowners
On the other hand, homeowners do not have to submit this report. They do not have any legal binding for it, unlike businesses and landlords. However, they can still opt for it to ensure safety. Electrical Installation Inspection Reports are usually suggested as a part of the house-selling procedure. They can prove to be of much value with regards to inspecting the electrics of a place before buying it.
Who Prepares EICR?
EICRs can only be prepared and written by a qualified and accredited electrician. These electricians have to prove their ability for conducting this inspection. They need to have a Level 3 periodic qualification. It allows them to showcase their competency and knowledge to be able to write this report.
