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Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment in commercial facilities

kevinks

Hello everyone,

I have been looking at the relevant regulations and guidelines pertaining to the inspection and testing of electrical equipment, with a focus on the requirements for commercial installations in the UK. Based on my what I found, I have outlined below my current understanding of the applicable standards for various categories of electrical equipment and a few doubts as well:

  • BS 7671 Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR): This applies to all fixed electrical installations, which form part of the building’s infrastructure. A fixed installation would be distribution boards, socket outlets, switches, fixed wiring etc.
  • In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (PAT) (no legal requirement for PAT, but I am guessing this is a standard practice based on risk assessment): This is required for all equipment, whether movable or fixed, that is connected to the fixed electrical installation. Typical examples include kettles, heaters, desktop fans, microwave ovens, and hand dryers. My understanding of this one is currently based on information gathered from forums, including this one and the HSE Guidelines, as I have not yet received the ISITEE book I have ordered.
  • BS EN 60204-1 (Safety of Machinery – Electrical Equipment of Machines): This is applicable for inspections for control and automation cabinets, electric motors, and other types of machinery that are supplied by fixed installations. For motors fed from an MCC, it is my understanding that the EICR covers the installation up to the point where the motor terminals are wired in, whereas the motor itself is subject to the manufacturer’s instructions (IET Discussion). Similarly, the EICR will cover the supply up to the point at which it enters a control or automation cabinet, while the control wiring and components within the cabinet fall under the scope of EN 60204-1. One area of uncertainty remains regarding the inspection and testing requirements for individual components located within control and automation cabinets, such as Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). It is unclear whether these components must be tested individually, or if they are automatically covered by the testing of the panel as a whole, given that they are wired internally within the panel.

Additionally, I have not yet been able to determine the specific inspection and testing requirements applicable to server cabinets in a commercial setting. For example, in a server cabinet, I am assuming there will be PDUs and rack servers are connected to it via plugs into the PDU sockets. Is there a separate testing procedure? This article mentions about PAT testing all equipment in a server room. Is that really possible? Any help would be much appreciated. 

Thanks,
Kevin

Parents

  • Off the top of my head, the driving legislation would be the Health & Safety at Work Act, and more specifically the Electricity at Work Regulations. The basic requirement is to ensue that all systems are kept safe. How that's achieved is really up to the Duty Holder to decide - there's no simple list of dos and don'ts as what works best in one situation and what works best in another may well not be the same. There are often grey areas between fixed wiring and specific equipment that could be covered be covered by either an EICR or PAT (or something else) - just as long as something does and there are no gaps, it's up to you.

    Some places - where they have electrically qualified people doing regular maintenance - they don't even do formal EICRs - it can be acceptable to manage the risks by a controlled ongoing maintenance approach. It's all horses for courses.

       - Andy.

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  • Off the top of my head, the driving legislation would be the Health & Safety at Work Act, and more specifically the Electricity at Work Regulations. The basic requirement is to ensue that all systems are kept safe. How that's achieved is really up to the Duty Holder to decide - there's no simple list of dos and don'ts as what works best in one situation and what works best in another may well not be the same. There are often grey areas between fixed wiring and specific equipment that could be covered be covered by either an EICR or PAT (or something else) - just as long as something does and there are no gaps, it's up to you.

    Some places - where they have electrically qualified people doing regular maintenance - they don't even do formal EICRs - it can be acceptable to manage the risks by a controlled ongoing maintenance approach. It's all horses for courses.

       - Andy.

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