ABSTRACT
Having completed all the inspection checks and carried out all the relevant tests, it remains to document all this information. This is done on electrical installation certificates, inspection schedules, test schedules, test result schedules, periodic inspection and test reports, minor works certificates and any other documentation you wish to append to the foregoing. Examples of such documentation are shown in the IEE Guidance Notes 3 on inspection and testing. This documentation is vitally important. It has to be correct and
signed or authenticated by a competent person. Electrical installation certificates and periodic reports must be accompanied by a schedule of test results and an inspection schedule for them to be valid. It should be noted that three signatures are required on an electrical installation certificate, one in respect of the design, one in respect of the construction and one in respect of the inspection and test. (For larger installations there may be more than one designer, hence the certificate has space for two signatures, i.e. designer 1 and designer 2.) It could be, of course, that for a very small company, one person signs all three parts. Whatever the case, the original must be given to the person ordering the work, and a duplicate retained by the contractor. One important aspect of the electrical installation certificate
is the recommended interval between inspections. This should be evaluated by the designer and will depend on the type of
installation and its usage. In some cases the time interval is mandatory, especially where environments are subject to use by the public. Guidance Notes 3 give recommended maximum frequencies between inspections. A periodic report form is very similar in part to an electrical
installation certificate in respect of details of the installation, i.e. maximum demand, type of earthing system, Ze etc. The rest of the form deals with the extent and limitations of the inspection and test, recommendations, and a summary of the installation. The record of the extent and limitations of the inspection is very important. It must be agreed with the client or other third party exactly what parts of the installation will be covered by the report and those that will not. The interval until the next test is determined by the inspector. With regard to the schedule of test results, test values should be
recorded unadjusted, any compensation for temperature etc. being made after the testing is completed. Any alterations or additions to an installation will be subject to
the issue of an electrical installation certificate, except where the addition is, say, a single point added to an existing circuit, then the work is subject to the issue of a minor works certificate. Summarising:
(i) The addition of points to existing circuits require a Minor Works Certificate.
