INSPECTION AND TESTING

1. INTRODUCTION

The primary aim of the Regulation is to protect persons, property and livestock against
hazards arising from an electrical installation.

There is little point in setting up Regulations to control the way in which electrical installations
are designed and installed, if it is not verified that they have been followed.

For example, the protection of installation users against the danger of fatal electric shock due
to indirect contact is usually by the low impedance of the earth fault loop; unless this
impedance is correctly measured, this aspect of safety cannot be confirmed.

The Wiring Regulations stipulate test requirements but do not specify test procedures.
Suitable test methods are given in IET Guidance Note 3 which is a separate publication.

2. INFORMATION NEEDED BY THE TESTER

The installation tester, as well as the user, must be provided with clear indications as to how
the installation will carry out its intended purpose. To this end, the person carrying out the
inspection and testing must be provided with the following data:

• The assessed maximum demand

• The type of supply to be connected, i.e. single or three phase
• The earthing arrangements for the installation
• Full details of the installation design, including the number and position of mains gear and
circuits
• The method chosen to prevent electric shock in the event of an earth fault.

Without such information the tester cannot verify whether the installation is in

accordance with the design and complies with Regulations.

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3. INSPECTION

Prior to testing it is necessary and important that a thorough inspection of the complete

installation is carried out with the supply disconnected.

The main purpose of the inspection is to confirm that the equipment and materials installed;

a) Are not obviously damaged or defective which could affect the safety of the installation.
b) Have been correctly selected and properly erected.
c) Are suitable for the prevailing environmental conditions.

A detailed list of items requiring inspection is given below:

1) Identification of conductors and circuits

2) Mechanical protection for cables and routing in safe zones
3) Connection of conductors
4) Correct connection of lamp holders, socket outlets, etc.
5) Connection of single-pole switches in phase conductors only.

6) Checking of design calculations to ensure that correct live and protective conductors have
been selected in terms of their current-carrying capacity and volt drop
7) Presence of fire barriers, suitable seals and protection against fire

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8) Protection of live parts by insulation to prevent direct contact with live conductors
9) Protection against fault contact by the use of:
a) Protective conductors
b) Earthing conductors
c) Main and supplementary equipotential bonding conductors
d) Earthing for combined protective and functional purposes
e) Use of Class II equipment or equivalent insulation
f) Non-conducting location and the absence of protective conductors
g) Earth-free local equipotential bonding
h) Electrical separation
i) SELV
j) Double insulation
k) Obstacles and placing out of reach
l) Barriers and enclosures

10) Prevention of mutual detrimental influence

11) Appropriateness and siting of switches and isolators
12) Undervoltage protective devices
13) Adequacy of access to switchgear and equipment
14) Labelling of fuses, circuit breakers, circuits, switches and terminals
15) Provision of RCDs, and discrimination between them when necessary
16) Settings and ratings of devices for protection against fault contact and against overcurrent.
17) The presence of diagrams, instructions, notices, warnings, etc.
18) Selection of protective measures and equipment in the light of the external influences
involved (such as the presence of disabled people).
19) Supplies for safety services installed, e.g. fire alarms
20) Selection and installation of suitable SPDs where required
21) The presence of a re-test notice.

These should be considered as being the minimum requirements. It must be emphasized that
inspection (and testing) of an installation need not await the latter’s completion but where
necessary the exercise should be carried out even during erection. This is particularly applicable
to major projects where clearly; an effective inspection cannot be carried out unless it is made
an ongoing process from the commencement of the project.

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3. TESTING

Testing can be hazardous, both to the tester and to others who are within the installation
during the test. Electronic equipment such as dimmer switches, power controls, electronic
fluorescent starter switches, touch switches, delay timers etc. which could be damaged by
the application of high-test voltage should be disconnected for testing purposes. Further,
capacitors and indicator or pilot lamps must be disconnected or an inaccurate test reading
will result.

For safe testing, correct sequence as listed below should be observed.

BEFORE CONNECTION OF THE SUPPLY OR WITH THE SUPPLY DISCONNECTED.

(a) Continuity of conductors

(i) Protective conductors including main and supplementary bonding conductors
(ii) Ring final circuit conductors including protective conductors

(b) Insulation resistance (between live conductors and between each live conductor and
earth). Where appropriate during this measurement, line and neutral conductors may be
connected together, for example, where many lighting transformers are installed on a
lighting circuit
(c) Polarity: this includes checks that single-pole control and protective devices, for example,
switches, circuit-breakers and fuses, are connected in the line conductor only,

(d) that bayonet and Edison screw lamp-holders have their outer contacts connected to the
neutral conductor and that wiring has been correctly connected to socket-outlets and
other accessories
(e) Protection by separation
(f) Protection by barriers and enclosures
(g) Earth electrode resistance (TT systems).

WITH THE SUPPLY CONNECTED

1. Confirm correct polarity (re-check polarity before further testing)

2. Earth fault loop impedance
3. Correct operation of residual current devices
4. Correct operation of switches and isolators
5. Phase sequence
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6. Verification of voltage drop

If at any point in the sequence there is a failure in the test being carried out then, not only does
that the test have to be repeated after the fault is corrected, but all the previous tests that may
have been affected by the fault must be repeated. It is important to use reputable and reliable
test equipment to carry out the tests. They should be checked and recalibrated regularly to
ensure accuracy.

5. COMPLETION AND INSPECTION CERTIFICATE

Following completion of inspection and testing, a completion of inspection certificate must be

provided. It must be signed by the designer, the installer and the tester to certify that the
installation has been designed, constructed, inspected and tested in accordance with BS 7671 :
2018 (18th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations).

6. PERIODIC INSPECTION AND TESTING

The importance of regular inspection and testing of electrical installations cannot be overstated,
but unfortunately it is an aspect of electrical safety which is very often overlooked.

It is now a requirement of the Regulations that the installer of an installation must tell the user
of the need for periodic test and inspection and when such attention is necessary.

The following table gives suggested intervals between periodic tests and inspection.

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TABLE FOR PERIODIC TESTS AND INSPECTION

Type of Installation Routine check Inspection

Domestic - Change of Occupancy or 10 years

Commercial 1 year Change of Occupancy or 5 years

Educational 4 months 5 years

Hospitals 1 year 5 years

Industrial 1 year 5 years

Offices 1 year 5 years

Shops 1 year 5 years

Laboratories 1 year 5 years

Cinemas 1 year 3 years

Churches 1 year 5 years

Leisure Complexes 1 year 3 years

Places of Public Entertainment 1 year 3 years

Restaurants & Hotels 1 year 5 years

Theatres 1 year 3 years

Public Houses 1 year 5 years

Village Halls & similar 1 year 5 years

Agricultural/Horticultural 1 year 3 years

Swimming Pools 4 months 1 year

Emergency Lighting Daily or Monthly 3 years

Fire Alarms Daily or Weekly 1 year

Launderettes 1 year 1 year

Petrol Filling Stations 1 year 1 year

Construction sites 3 months 3 months

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APPENDIX A

RING CIRCUITS AND ASSOCIATED TESTS

A Basic Ring Circuit

BASIC FEATURES

• [ 2X2.5 mm2XCu/PVC/PVC+2.5mm2(E)] cable used. It originates from the

MCB/Fuse, Neutral Bar and the Earth Bar of the Distribution Board and return to
MCB/Fuse, Neutral and Earth Bars as shown in the Diagram above
• A 32A/30A MCB/Fuse is used as the over-current protective devise at the
Distribution Board
• Locating socket-outlets in an Area of 100 m2 to provide reasonable sharing of
the load around the ring
• Ensure that there are no “Breaks” in the Ring
• Ensure that there are no “Bridges” in the Ring
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