Electrical compliance testing - clear coding, complete records and no invented urgency.
Our electrical compliance testing covers fixed installations, emergency lighting, fire alarms, portable equipment and thermographic surveys across individual buildings and multi-site estates. Results are explained, prioritised and stored in a form the client can act on.
- C3 observations are not failures. Remedial work can be competitively priced by another contractor.
A certificate is useful only if the coding is clear and the next action is obvious
Compliance work is often spread across different contractors, intervals and file locations. The result may be a stack of certificates without a clear view of what is dangerous, what is due and where the available budget should go first.
Risk-based intervals
Frequency follows use, condition and prior findings
C1 and C2 first
Danger and potential danger prioritised
C3 is not failure
Improvement separated from urgency
Records per site
Certificates and retest dates tracked
Intervals follow the installation and the risk
There is no responsible blanket schedule for every building or every portable appliance. The appropriate interval depends on the type of installation or equipment, its use, environment, maintenance history and previous findings.
Proper testing may require planned interruption
Some tests need circuits or equipment to be isolated. We plan those interruptions around the operation and record agreed limitations rather than claiming a complete inspection where the necessary access or isolation was not available.
The core electrical compliance regime under one contractor
The final scope and frequency are agreed for each site, but the reporting format and prioritisation remain consistent across the estate.
Electrical Installation Condition Reports
Periodic inspection and testing of the fixed installation, with agreed sampling or extent, recorded limitations and clear classification of observations.
Emergency lighting inspection and testing
Function and duration testing, defect recording and log-book updates planned around the building and its evacuation arrangements.
Fire alarm inspection and servicing
Periodic inspection, test and service of the fire alarm system, coordinated with the responsible person and site procedures.
Portable equipment inspection and testing
A risk-based regime combining user checks, formal visual inspection and electrical testing at intervals appropriate to the equipment and environment.
Thermographic electrical surveys
Thermal imaging of distribution equipment under suitable load conditions, with abnormal temperatures prioritised for investigation or remedial action.
Earthing, bonding and targeted verification
Verification of protective arrangements and focused testing where the installation, previous report or change of use requires it.
How a compliance programme actually runs
The purpose is not simply to complete tests. It is to establish the right scope, minimise disruption, classify findings correctly and keep the resulting obligations visible.
01
Review the previous records and building use
Existing certificates, known defects, changes to the installation and the way the site operates are reviewed before the scope is agreed.
02
Plan access, isolation and limitations
The programme identifies what can be tested during operation, what needs an agreed shutdown and any areas that cannot be accessed.
03
Inspect and test systematically
Competent inspectors work to the agreed scope, recording results, defects, photographic evidence and the condition encountered.
04
Classify and explain the findings
Observations are coded to the applicable standard and written so the dutyholder understands the risk and the reason for the classification.
05
Issue a prioritised remedial schedule
Immediate and potentially dangerous items are separated from improvements, with indicative sequencing and costing where requested.
06
Track records and next dates
Certificates, limitations, remedial completion and future inspection dates are stored per site and summarised across the estate.
From one occupied building to a national compliance programme
The testing method changes with the environment, but the coding, evidence and reporting discipline stay consistent.
Commercial offices
Occupied floors · Out-of-hours isolation
Warehouses and industrial sites
Shift patterns · Distribution · Thermography
Schools and colleges
Holiday programmes · Safeguarding
Care and medical settings
Occupied testing · Critical systems
Retail and hospitality
Closed periods · Trading continuity
Public and FM portfolios
Multi-site records · Risk-ranked budgets
What dutyholders and estates teams ask us
How often do we need an EICR?
The next interval should be set by a competent person based on the installation type, use, environment, maintenance and previous findings. Insurers, landlords, regulators or sector guidance may require a particular interval, so we review those obligations rather than applying one default to every building.
What makes an EICR unsatisfactory?
C1 or C2 observations result in an unsatisfactory assessment. C1 indicates danger present and requires immediate action to make safe. C2 indicates a potentially dangerous condition requiring remedial action. A C3 is an improvement recommendation and does not, on its own, make the report unsatisfactory.
Will testing disrupt our operations?
Some interruption is unavoidable where a circuit has to be isolated for a valid test. We agree the sequence in advance, work circuit by circuit and use out-of-hours access where the operation or critical systems require it.
Can you carry out the remedial work?
Yes, but the inspection and the remedial quotation remain transparent. Observations are coded independently of whether Barrow Electrical is appointed to fix them, and the client can competitively price the schedule.
Do we need annual PAT testing on everything?
Not automatically. Inspection and testing frequencies should follow the equipment type, environment, use, user checks and previous results. A low-risk office appliance and a portable tool used in a harsh environment should not be treated as the same risk.
Can you manage all records across our estate?
Yes. We can store certificates, limitations, remedial completion and next dates per site, then provide an estate-level view of risk, overdue actions and upcoming work.
Send us the last report before you book another one
We can review the existing certification, explain what is due, identify gaps or questionable coding and propose a sensible scope for the next visit or estate programme.