Why Have a Periodic Inspection Report?

Property degrade due to general wear and tear and age or what was safe working practice many years ago is not today, therefore it is advisable to have a PIR completed on a property to check to make sure it's "SAFE''. There are many things that are either are not seen or known about the general state of an electrical installation and these should not be overlooked, Just because a light comes on when a switch is flicked does not mean that it is 100% safe. A wire may be loose, a fuse or MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker) may be over rated and not protect the cable which may overheat (this especially happens when too many adaptors are used in one socket) or it could be a DIY attempt gone wrong, all of these could start a fire.

What is involved in a Periodic Inspection?

Firstly and most importantly an inspection of the electrics is carried out. Are there signs of damage, wear and tear or ageing components? The consumer unit or fuse board, main supply, earthing, sockets, switches and light fittings are checked to make sure the cables supplying them are installed properly and are suitable for the intended purpose and continued use. Cables that are concealed in walls under floors or in conduit or trunking however are not inspected, as this would not be practical. Any observations that are made during the inspection are noted and given a code, listed below:

Code 1 Requires urgent attention
Code 2 Requires improvement
Code 3 Requires further investigation
Code 4 Does not comply with British Standard 7671 this does not mean it is dangerous

When Should I have a Periodic Inspection Report?
If you don't have a PIR for your property then it would be advisable to have one done sooner rather than later. But generally a Domestic property should have a PIR every 10 years or change of occupancy. The frequency that a PIR should be carried out on other types of properties varies dependant on use and can be anything from 1-5 years.

Just because it WORKS, It doesn't mean it's SAFE