10 Jan Is an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) a legal requirement?
Although an Electrical Installation Condition Report – or EICR – is not a legal requirement in itself, many property owners are bound by legal obligations to their staff, customers or tenants which can be met by an EICR inspection.
Each year there are still instances of people suffering death and injuries at work or home as a result of faulty electrics, but having a regular EICR report carried out by a suitably qualified electrician can minimise the risk of avoidable tragedies occurring.
For businesses: There are various laws which require business owners to take suitable measures to prevent accidents. For example, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states that employers are responsible for the health and safety of their employees in the workplace. At the same time, The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require precautions to be taken against the risk of death or personal injury from electricity used as part of work activities.
The Health and Safety Executive regularly prosecutes businesses which fail to protect employees from electrical injuries at work.
For landlords: Landlords with tenants in any residential accommodation are bound by The Landlords and Tenants Act (1985) which requires that the electrical installation in a rented property is safe at the start of any tenancy and maintained in a safe condition throughout.
An EICR offers a simple and cost effective method which landlords can use to comply with the act.
For homeowners: There are no legal requirements for homeowners to have an Electrical Installation Condition Report although it is a sensible practise to adopt in order to check the safety of your electrics and help prevent any avoidable accidents from occurring.
EICRs are often recommended as part of a house selling process and can prove invaluable in terms of checking the electrics of a property before deciding to buy it.
If you’re unsure of your legal obligations where electrical safety is concerned, the EICR Testing team of specially-qualified and highly-trained electrical testing and inspection engineers are happy to advise. Contact one of our team now to find out more.
phil billington. KSM MAINTENANCE
Posted at 08:31h, 10 Septembera building whereour compnny attend haveno current EICR in place. I have brought this to the attension of others with no satisfactory outcome. could we be held responsible if an incidet were to occure on this site if we were the last to have carried out work.
Jeff Longley
Posted at 09:05h, 01 OctoberI’m not a lawyer but I would say let them know in writing this is required, and point out any obvious breaches of regs.
Victoria Keough
Posted at 14:19h, 09 DecemberDo small businesses in Scotland have to have an EICR?
Jeff Longley
Posted at 08:45h, 11 DecemberI would put that question to your insurance company and they will advise on the likelihood of a payout after a fire if you do not have a certificate H@S will also look at the precautions you took to prevent a fire.