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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

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  • Regarding PAT, it's worth remembering where this came from, the clue is in the "P" - e.g. (to go to the extreme) a kettle that's moved around a lot, including near a stove, is quite likely to end up with a damaged lead or case and so to create a fire or shock risk. Equipment in a server room where non-one goes near the wiring so it never moves? Provided it's correctly rated that's pretty low risk, and as Graham says potentially more damage could be done by moving it around for PAT then leaving it alone. (Although personally I'd expect some form of routine visual inspection at the very least, to make sure e.g. that no-one had moved cables to positions where they were under strain, ventilation was still ok, people hadn't been adding new higher power servers, pesky rodents hadn't nibbled the wires etc etc etc.)

    The key is getting a competent person to do the risk assessment on your specific site to work out what's sensible and proportionate, the challenge is that you need someone who properly understands the risks. It's a really good and sensible question, sadly I think without a straightforward answer other than that. The article you pointed to is absolutely reasonable, but it is from a PAT company so has an element of a particular point of view.

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  • Regarding PAT, it's worth remembering where this came from, the clue is in the "P" - e.g. (to go to the extreme) a kettle that's moved around a lot, including near a stove, is quite likely to end up with a damaged lead or case and so to create a fire or shock risk. Equipment in a server room where non-one goes near the wiring so it never moves? Provided it's correctly rated that's pretty low risk, and as Graham says potentially more damage could be done by moving it around for PAT then leaving it alone. (Although personally I'd expect some form of routine visual inspection at the very least, to make sure e.g. that no-one had moved cables to positions where they were under strain, ventilation was still ok, people hadn't been adding new higher power servers, pesky rodents hadn't nibbled the wires etc etc etc.)

    The key is getting a competent person to do the risk assessment on your specific site to work out what's sensible and proportionate, the challenge is that you need someone who properly understands the risks. It's a really good and sensible question, sadly I think without a straightforward answer other than that. The article you pointed to is absolutely reasonable, but it is from a PAT company so has an element of a particular point of view.

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