It is a legal requirement of an appointed person(s) within a business, commonly known as a Duty Holder, to ensure that, amongst other things, all their records are kept up to date for such things as fire safety assessments, insurance evaluations and Electrical Installations Condition Reports (EICR).
They must be able to demonstrate evidence of the EICR test certificates which would show …
C1 – this is the most severe and immediate remedial work is required straight away.
C2 – while users may not be in immediate risk remedial action is required to correct the issue.
C3 – testing had revealed that something is non-compliant with current regulations but is not an immediate or potential danger.
FI – indicates further investigation is required which due to time constraints may not have been possible at the time of the EICR taking place.
Increasingly the insurance industry is insisting that regular EICR testing, and inspections are carried out and that up to date evidence of it demonstrates that companies are taking the appropriate steps to maintain the electrical safety of their installation.
In the event of an electrical incident evidence of EICRs having been carried out within the industry recommended timescales can greatly help in the event of an insurance claim which otherwise can leave a business to cover all related costs.
By not complying with these standards a Duty Holder can potentially leave themselves open to prosecution by their own employees or others in the event of an avoidable accident which was caused by an electrical defect.
In extreme cases this can even result in hefty fines and criminal prosecution with the subsequent result that the person/company in question having difficulty obtaining insurance cover in the future.
If you need to discuss your testing needs then please call us on 01143 627 123 or fill in one of the forms below and we’ll call you back.