05/06/2020
Electrical fixed wiring testing sometimes also called periodic inspection or hard wiring testing is a process that inspects a company’s electrical installation with the purpose of ensuring safe supply and use of electricity at work. All businesses are required by the Electricity and Work Act 1989 to protect staff, which should cover inspecting all hard wiring and connections, distribution boards, switchboards, fuses, circuit breakers and lighting outlets as a minimum. These inspections can take place during operational hours, but how will it affect business?
The Process
As a basic process, fixed wiring testing can be a quick visual inspection of electrical installations, spanning from source to outlet. However, most companies prefer to broaden the scope with additional methods, to help protect the company from hazards of a non-compliant installation. Fixed wiring testing can include any and all of the following: appraisal and risk assessment, survey and system testing, review of documentation, labelling, circuit identification, thermographic testing, test results and reporting.
The Frequency
How often a business requires fixed wiring testing is largely dependent on the sector they operate in and the number of staff in the workforce. The frequency of these inspections should be based on risk and should be managed by the ‘duty holder’ within the organisation. The risk level will be different from business to business and should take into account electrical safety, the age of the installation and the overall electricity usage.
The Outcome
When we provide fixed wiring testing to our customer, we always provide a report at the end detailing the findings and any areas that need to be addressed. If any areas don’t meet the required health and safety standards, we will provide feedback as to what the fault is, the risk it poses to the business and how this can be rectified.