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Who Can Carry Out an EICR?

Posted in
Date
14/06/2021
who can carry out an eicr?

An Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is the best way to make sure your electrical system is safe and compliant. But for complete assurance, it needs to be done by the right person or company.

In this post, we’ll discuss who can legally carry out an EICR report for your building – and what business owners and facilities managers should look for in an EICR provider.

Who can do an EICR report?

As discussed in our electrical compliance checklist, regular EICR reports are the best way to keep your electrical installation in order and stay compliant with the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974). While you’re not legally obliged as a business owner or facilities manager, it’s certainly recommended to avoid a non-compliance which could result in injury to staff or visitors and could compromise your insurance cover.

On the other hand, they are legally required for landlords at least every five years. Because of this, the government has provided extra guidance on who can carry out an EICR report.

You might be surprised to find out that there are no legal requirements when it comes to who can do an EICR report. However, the government does state that the person or company must be ‘qualified and competent’.

What is ‘qualified and competent’?

It’s fair to say ‘qualified and competent’ is quite a broad definition for your EICR report. In its advice to landlords, the government suggests checking whether they’re a member of a competent person scheme or asking them to certify their competence, experience, insurance and qualifications.

But is that really enough to check whether someone is reliable to do an EICR for the premises you own or manage? We don’t think so.

An EICR provides assurance that the electrical system underpinning your premises and day-to-day operations is safe and efficient – not to mention compliant with the relevant regulations.

In truth, you should be looking for a lot more than basic competence and qualifications to provide a thorough visual and physical inspection of your electrical components…

Finding someone to carry out an EICR

If you’re looking for someone to do an EICR you can trust, there are three main boxes electricians should tick:

Experience – A trusted electrician will have several years’ experience carrying out EICR reports for companies just like yours. Look for reviews, partnerships and how long they’ve been operating.

Knowledge – As well as knowing the BS 7671 standards like the back of their hand, your chosen electrician should have a full working knowledge of the Electricity at Work Regulations (1989) and the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974).

Accreditation – For full peace of mind, look for accreditations. The Electrical Safety Register and NICEIC are two big trust-marks for an EICR, while SafeContractor can provide more general assurance that inspectors are operating in line with the relevant health and safety legislation.

EICR carried out by the experts

At Volta Compliance, we meet all of the criteria listed above to provide EICR testing and certificates you can rely on. Operating throughout Leeds and the surrounding areas for over 20 years, we have a long list of happy clients who trust us with their electrical maintenance and compliance.

To find out more or book an EICR inspection for your site, contact us on 0113 397 1261.

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Richard Carr Volta Compliance
Richard Carr
Managing Director
Richard is the Director of Volta Compliance. He is a fully qualified approved electrician graded with the JIB. Richard has over 20 years electrical experience working on commercial and industrial installations.
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