Technical Advice
and quality of maintenance. In addition to this it is highlighted that a good
maintenance management system should include that adequate records of the installation are retained and made available to the person undertaking the work. These may be useful when deciding on the amount of inspection and testing deemed necessary. An essential part of the process of planning a
programme of inspection and testing would therefore include consultation with the landlord to determine the extent of work required. IEE Guidance Note 3 currently recommends that the maximum interval between inspection and testing of a domestic electrical installation is ten years or on change of occupancy and is slightly different from Scottish government guidance mentioned previously that ‘wiring should be checked every five years by a qualified electrician’. SELECT recommends that the guidance contained in IEE Guidance Note 3 should generally be adopted for such inspection and tests.
Electrical Equipment
Scottish Government guidance for electrical safety checks on electrical equipment is that although the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 do not specifically state what must be done to show that the equipment is safe ‘it is recommended that appliances should be checked annually (portable electrical appliances safety test)’. The IEE Code of Practice (COP) for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment is the industry guide for undertaking this type of work, commonly referred to as PAT testing, and contains
May 2010 • CABLEtalk
procedures which can be adopted to maintain electrical equipment in safe condition. The publication does not specifically mention the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 amongst the legislation which may result in ‘PAT testing ‘being undertaken, however the procedures described within the COP will allow a competent person to establish whether equipment is safe for use or requires maintenance. A record of all equipment provided in the rented
property, including results of the inspection and testing process and maintenance carried out, should be retained by the landlord and can be used as part of a maintenance management process which will help to meet the obligation to ensure that the equipment is ‘safe to use’. The specific procedures to be implemented should be decided by the competent person and factors to consider will be the type of construction of the equipment and the environment where it is normally used.
These factors may have an effect on the frequency of inspection and testing that needs to be undertaken, however it should be noted that the COP does not provide a recommended frequency for undertaking either a ‘formal visual inspection’ or a ‘combined inspection and test’ of domestic premises, private rented property or an HMO. SELECT therefore recommend that the Scottish
Government guidance ‘that appliances should be checked annually’ is carefully considered when making an assessment of a suitable time interval for inspection and testing of equipment in this type of property.
“An essential part of the process of planning a programme of inspection and testing would
therefore include
consultation with the landlord to determine the extent of work required.”
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