New industry guidance on condition reporting
The Electrical Safety Council (ESC), in collaboration with a range of industry bodies*, has updated its Best Practice Guide No 4 – Electrical installation condition reporting: Classification Codes for domestic and similar electrical installations.
The updated guide covers the use of the ‘classification codes’ for the new Electrical Installation Condition Report introduced in the recent amendment to the 17th Edition of the Wiring Regulations.The ESC initiated the development of the new report and the associated classification codes as part of a campaign to improve the general standard of reporting on the condition of domestic electrical installations. Whilst the guide focuses on domestic installations, much of the information is also relevant to other types of installation.
The new classification codes clearly indicate the seriousness of each observation made about the safety of an electrical installation, helping those responsible for the installation to take appropriate action. The new codes – listed below – are far more direct and meaningful than the ‘recommendation codes’ they replace:
· Code C1 means ‘Danger present’
· Code C2 means ‘Potentially dangerous’
· Code C3 means ‘Improvement recommended’
The updated Guide (Issue 3) will replace the previous version (Issue 2a) on 1 January 2012, when the first amendment to the 17th Edition comes into full effect. Until then, either version can be used. Both are available on the ESC website.
Copies of all the Best Practice Guides can be downloaded free of charge from the industry section of the ESC website, www.esc.org.uk
*The Guide has been fully revised and updated in collaboration with representatives from British Gas, BSI, City & Guilds, EAL, ECA, ELECSA, IET, NAPIT, NICEIC, SCEME and SELECT.
