And that is fair enough at time of "full plans" approval and visits by the building inspector - much as that is when other departures from building regs are considered.

However, an EICR is an entirely different matter, and is intended to weigh the installation against the essential requirements of '7671 and decide if it is safe and fit for continued use (or not).  If you want a full building control style inspection of drains, fire alarms, lightening conductors. heating & ventilation and insulation   then you need a different person, quite possibly several, and a different budget.

I suggest folk failing installations on a BS7671 style EICR need to be very careful what exactly they think it is failing on - and that should link back to '7671. If we think the electrical regs need to change to make omission of  worktop isolation a serious danger, then the way  to address that is as a change in the UK regs, not in tertiary documentation.

Mike

Another advantage of having an isolator above the counter and an unswitched socket in the niche is that if the circuit is wired as a ring, the cable to the socket is separate so the ring remains accessible for fault finding should the need arise.

You might see it on 'Grand designs' on TV I suppose.
' Gloria Gobstopper has gone for the industrial chic in her kitchen, re-purposing elements salvaged from the old railway works canteen as a handy addition...  ' .

But no, not a typical domestic EICR really...

mapj1 said:

I suggest folk failing installtions on a BS7671 style EICR need to be very careful what exactly they think it is failing on - and that should link back to '7671.

Agreed - although the report might also need to include for other matters as per the scope agreed with the person ordering the report.

The last appliance repair I did at home was to replace the dishwasher on/off switch dolly, as it’s in the door I didn’t need to pull the machine out from under the counter and as it was actually the on/off switch I was repairing I made use of the DP switch over the counter.

The socket is actually inside the adjoining cabinet, because if it was behind the machine the machine would stick out too far from under the counter, so pulling the plug was an option. But the DP switch was handier.

Sparkingchip said:

so pulling the plug was an option. But the DP switch was handier.

Domestic "white goods" manufacturers often recommend a basic safety check when a repair is made. For an appliance with a plug, often an earth continuity (plug pin to accessible earthed parts of the machine) and insulation ("ccp to PE") checks at the plug.

... before I get questions on this ... often hidden away in their "service manuals" (not normally available "on-line")

Where sockets are concealed, such as to the rear of white goods in a kitchen, separate switching should be provided in an accessible position, to allow appliances to be isolated

But that doesn't ask for individual switching - an MCB or main switch (which is separate from the socket and appliance, and presumably is accessible) would seem to satisfy that requirement.

   - Andy.

AJJewsbury said:

But that doesn't ask for individual switching - an MCB or main switch (which is separate from the socket and appliance, and presumably is accessible) would seem to satisfy that requirement.

I don't disagree.

People's interpretation is what's important here (and I believe being discussed).

Hi Andy

If you were to use the MCB/Main Switch/RCBO/AFDD that would probabaly isolate more than one appliance in the kitchen at the same time.  So to service the washing machine/dishwasher or if you need to replace you would end up with no power to other appliances like a fridge/freezer. 

Indeed - similar to having to switch off an entire lighting circuit to replace a lamp. Not ideal perhaps, but in a cost-vs-benefit conscious world, not an unknown, or necessarily unsatisfactory, situation.

    - Andy.