Commercial Properties and their EICR Requirements

All commercial properties, from swimming pools and caravan parks to manufacturing plants and offices, are subject to requirements to ensure the safety of its workers, with inspections varying per property from every year to every three or five years.

While Fixed Wire Testing is NOT a legal requirement for duty holders, property managers, or employers, they’re still bound by legal obligations to their employees and customers. These obligations can be met by an EICR inspection.

The Electricity at Work Regulations (EAWR) 1989 sit within the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. In the UK, these regulations require that duty holders must provide a safe working environment with regard to all electrical equipment and systems, regardless of when they were manufactured, installed, or brought into use.

The Benefits of an EICR

While not being a legal requirement for duty holders and business owners, regular fixed wire testing also comes with a whole host of benefits to you, your business, and your customers, including:

• Early Detection of Faults
• Staff and Customer Safety
• Reduced Downtime
• Improved Energy Efficiency
• Overall Peace of Mind
• Early Detection of Faults

Poorly installed and inadequately maintained electrical equipment can result in a whole host of issues like overheating, faulty wiring, damaged cables, and defective equipment and appliances, plus much more!

By finding any faults early and making sure they’re dealt with promptly, you can avoid issues becoming full-blown problems that cause costly incidents and reduce the risk of downtime.

Not only this, but if an accident takes place that causes damage, not only would you be liable if someone was injured, but if you cannot prove that you took all measures to prevent an accident (such as having an EICR carried out), your insurance provider could refuse to pay out.

Staff and Customer Safety

Electrical safety can, put simply, be a matter of life and death.

Faulty electrical equipment and sockets cause approximately 30 deaths and 1,000 injuries in the workplace (Health Electrical Services 2022), with non-fatal electric shocks able to cause permanent and severe injury.

For employers, there are strict regulations in place that apply to workplace electrical accidents, like The Electricity at Work Regulations (EAWR) 1989, and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: if you’re found to be putting your people at risk you could be at risk of being heavily fined.

We’re the experts, so you don’t have to be. We’ll work with you to make sure you’re kept up to date and compliant with all of the relevant regulations, with no fuss. Call us on 0345 072 4387 to discuss your requirements.

Reduced Downtime

Downtime is something we all want to avoid, along with the expenses and wasted work hours that can quickly snowball. However, some pieces of electrical equipment are more of a risk of causing unplanned downtime than others, including:

• Equipment with exposed electrical components
• Equipment in wet conditions, such as those in swimming pools or saunas
• Incorrectly installed and maintained equipment
• Any piece of electrical equipment can malfunction, potentially causing serious injury and damage.

But some issues are more likely to cause this than others. For example, items with loose connections are the most common source of electrical equipment failure, causing over 30% of unexpected outages. But, any piece of electrical equipment can be at risk of this without a proper inspection schedule put in place.

Disappointed customers, late and unpaid deliveries, wasted hours, and even loss of customer trust are just some of the implications of unscheduled downtime in your business.

And that’s where we come in. Call 0345 072 4387 to find out how we can help you avoid any unnecessary downtime.

Improve energy efficiency

With the ongoing cost of living crisis and the skyrocketing energy bills that come with it, it’s more important than ever to make sure your electrical system is as efficient as possible.

Energy efficiency can be impacted if there are faults in your electrical system, but, with regular testing of your electrical systems, these issues can be found and quickly rectified. This means your electrical systems won’t only be safe but also operating at full capacity, saving you money while minimising your impact on the environment.

Overall peace of mind

Regular EICR tests in line with statutory requirements offers peace of mind when it comes to the safety of you and your people. You’ll know you’re doing everything in your power to keep your people safe and business compliant with all the relevant regulations.

In the BES Group, we’re really filled with excellent people who have in-depth knowledge of all the relevant regulations, decades of experience, and the right attitude.

An EICR test is so much more than a nice to have – it’s your responsibility as a Duty Holder, Project Manager or Employer to make sure your electrical system is in full working order. And, despite EICR’s not being a legal requirement, they’re the most efficient and comprehensive way to make sure you’re in line with the Electricity at Work Regulations (EAWR) 1989, and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The BES Solution

When things go wrong, they can really go wrong.

Safety is our thing, and the BES Group are proud to be here to shoulder the pressure when it comes to keeping you and your people safe. No matter your premises and requirements, BES Group have it covered.

Our team of electrical engineers have decades of training and experience in keeping electrical systems working as they should and really are the very best when it comes to maintaining electrical safety in commercial properties.

Our team of specialist electrical engineers have the qualifications and know how to make sure potential issues in your electrical system are found promptly and rectified efficiently with our remedial action team.

We’re proud to be the nation’s leading provider of Fixed Wire Testing solutions.