14.2 Completing Schedules of Inspections & Schedules of Test Results

14.2 Completing Schedules of Inspections & Schedules of Test Results

Core documentation standard: Complete the appropriate certificate/report and attached schedules accurately so the recipient can understand the work, results, extent and limitations. These records support safety assessment and may provide evidence; a signature does not by itself prove that every legal duty has been discharged.

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Evidential, Contractual and Retention Considerations

Electrical records document the inspection, tests and declarations made. EAWR4 requires safe systems and work activities; it does not turn every BS 7671 form into a prescribed statutory certificate or make every clerical omission an automatic criminal offence. HSR25paragraph69 explains that records help demonstrate compliance and monitor condition.

Contracts, insurance policies and specific legislation may require particular records. Check the actual terms and setting rather than assuming all payments, warranties or indemnities depend on one certificate. England’s rental duties have their own report and investigation requirements.

Keep a duplicate of the issued record and make the installation history available for future work. Set and document retention according to applicable duties, contractual and insurance needs and a reasoned record policy. For an EAS-assessed enterprise, clause 10.1 requires copies covering at least the preceding six years, or as otherwise contractually required. In England/Wales, Limitation Act 1980 sections5 and8 set ordinary six-year simple-contract and twelve-year specialty action periods; they do not impose a universal six/twelve-year certificate archive rule or resolve every latent-defect limitation question.

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Completing the Schedule of Inspections

The Schedule of Inspections provides documented proof that every requisite physical inspection item specified under BS 7671 Section 642 has been verified by the inspector.

  INITIAL VERIFICATION                 CONDITION REPORT
  Complete applicable EIC inspection   Use the EICR schedule and legend:
  outcomes and required schedules.     acceptable, C1/C2/C3, FI, N/V, LIM, N/A.
  Use satisfactory or N/A as the       Explain extent/limitations and cross-reference
  form specifies; do not leave new     coded observations. N/V and LIM are not
  work unverified by declaring LIM.    automatic FI findings.

Complete and Explain the Record

A blank field is ambiguous. Use the current form’s defined outcome and document the reason where necessary. On an EICR, distinguish agreed and operational limitations, items not verified and a potential issue genuinely needing further investigation. A blank alone is not a judicial finding of negligence. An initial-verification certificate must accurately define and verify the work covered.

Core Inspection Categories Under BS 7671 Section 642

Inspectors must systematically verify and record:

• Methods of Protection Against Electric Shock: Verification of basic protection (insulation of live parts, barriers/enclosures) and fault protection (Automatic Disconnection of Supply, double insulation, electrical separation).
• Prevention of Fire and Thermal Effects: Check required fire barriers and seals. For consumer units and similar switchgear in domestic premises, verify the non-combustible enclosure or cabinet arrangement required by Regulation 421.1.201.
• Conductor Identification and Selection: Correct colour coding (brown, black, grey, blue, green/yellow sleeve), correct current-carrying capacity ($I_z \ge I_n$), and permissible voltage drop.
• Connection of Single-Pole Devices: Confirming switches, fuses, and circuit breakers are installed solely in the phase/line conductor.
• Notices and diagrams: Check the actual applicable requirements for supply/voltage warnings, earthing labels, circuit identification and periodic-inspection/RCD information. Six-monthly RCD user testing has replaced the old quarterly wording; current domestic-and-similar notice exceptions have conditions.

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Completing the Schedule of Test Results (BS 7671 Appendix 6)

Use the current Schedule of Circuit Details and Schedule of Test Results, attaching both where required. Circuit details include circuit identity, wiring/conductor particulars, protective devices and the maximum permitted Zs with its source. Results record the actual applicable verification.

Quantitative Results and Instrument Limits

“OK” or “Pass” does not communicate a required numerical result. Record the actual value or range indication with the correct units. For the quiz’s999 MΩ over-range instrument,>999 MΩ is appropriate; another tester may have a different limit. A successful RCD button check exercises electrical detection and tripping but supplies no measured operating time or threshold.

Instrument Calibration & Serial Number Block

Identify the instruments used as the form requires, including the relevant serial/reference details. Maintain evidence that accuracy is suitable, using the manufacturer’s procedure and an appropriate checking/calibration system. An on-site check box or annual formal calibration is not the only permitted arrangement, and neither alone proves every measurement valid.

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Completing Condition Reports (EICRs): Observation Schedules & Outcome Determinations

When carrying out periodic inspection and testing under BS 7671 Chapter 65, the inspector compiles an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) accompanied by a Schedule of Inspections and a Schedule of Observations and Recommendations for Actions Needed.

                 EICR DEFECT CLASSIFICATION & OUTCOME ARCHITECTURE
  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │ CODE C1: DANGER PRESENT (Immediate remedial action required)          │
  │ • Risk of injury exists now (e.g. exposed live busbar, reversed supply)│
  │ ──► MANDATES OVERALL OUTCOME: UNSATISFACTORY                          │
  ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
  │ CODE C2: POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS (Urgent remedial action required)       │
  │ • Potential danger identified; assess the actual protective arrangement  │
  │ ──► MANDATES OVERALL OUTCOME: UNSATISFACTORY                          │
  ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
  │ CODE C3: IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDED                                       │
  │ • Non-compliance does not present immediate or potential danger        │
  │ ──► YIELDS OVERALL OUTCOME: SATISFACTORY (A4:2026 rule)               │
  ├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
  │ CODE FI: FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS ADVISED                              │
  │ • An identified potential issue needs further information to classify │
  │ ──► YIELDS OVERALL OUTCOME: SATISFACTORY (A4:2026 decoupling)         │
  └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 Decoupling of Code FI

A vital regulatory reform introduced in BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 and detailed in official IET guidance (July 2026) governs Section E (Summary of the Condition of the Installation):

1. Decoupled from Unsatisfactory Outcomes: Under BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, Code FI has been formally decoupled from Unsatisfactory outcomes. Only Code C1 and Code C2 observations mandate an overall assessment of "UNSATISFACTORY".
2. Satisfactory with Advisory Notes: An installation with observations classified only as Code C3 and/or Code FI (and zero C1 or C2 observations) receives an overall assessment of "SATISFACTORY". These codes do not by themselves make the technical A4 outcome Unsatisfactory. Further-investigation duties under applicable legislation must still be assessed; the form’s outcome is not an exemption from them.
3. Non-Aggregation of Code C3: Multiple Code C3 observations never accumulate or aggregate to trigger an Unsatisfactory report.
4. Code FI Alone Never Triggers Unsatisfactory: A Code FI observation on its own does not make an EICR Unsatisfactory.

Exact Terminology: "Further Investigation is Advised"

Under BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, the regulatory phrasing for Code FI is:

"Further investigation is advised"

The obsolete phrasing ("Further investigation required without delay") has been deleted.

Common Misapplications of Code FI to Avoid

The IET July 2026 guidance emphasizes that inspectors must never use Code FI as a convenience or dumping ground for known non-compliances:

• Low insulation resistance: Current BPG4 gives C2 for a circuit’s live conductors connected together to earth below 1 MΩ. Do not use FI merely because the damage location remains to be traced, or substitute C3 for that specified observation. Assess the actual circuit, test conditions and known defect; other circuit types and protective measures require their own applicable criteria.
• Unidentified Circuits: An unidentified or unlabelled circuit violates Regulation 514.8.1 (diagrams and documentation). This is a demonstrable non-compliance (coded C3, or C2 if leading to dangerous isolation confusion), NEVER an FI code.

Notation on EICR Inspection Schedules

On an EICR Schedule of Inspections, each item must be marked with:

• ✓: Satisfactory / compliant.
• C1, C2, or C3: Non-compliance identified; cross-referenced to the Schedule of Observations.
• FI: Further investigation is advised; cross-referenced to the Schedule of Observations.
• N/A: Not applicable (item does not exist).
• N/V: Not verified, using the form’s legend and appropriate explanation.
• LIM: Limitation, with agreed or operational limitations and reasons documented in Section D.

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Certification Signatures: Single vs. Multi-Signature Certificates

EIC responsibilities can be undertaken by one competent person or by different competent people. Complete the applicable declarations on the current form:

                      ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION CERTIFICATES
  ┌─────────────────────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
  │ SINGLE-SIGNATORY EIC            │     │ MULTI-SIGNATORY EIC             │
  │ • Used where one competent      │     │ • Used where different parties  │
  │   person executes all stages    │     │   handle different stages       │
  │ • One signature covers:         │     │ • Section 1: DESIGN             │
  │   - Design                      │     │ • Section 2: CONSTRUCTION       │
  │   - Construction                │     │ • Section 3: INSPECTION &       │
  │   - Inspection & Testing        │     │              TESTING            │
  │ • Declares the work/roles undertaken     │     │ • Defined role/work declarations   │
  └─────────────────────────────────┘     └─────────────────────────────────┘

Signatory Declarations & Qualifications

1. Design declaration: The competent designer declares responsibility for the described design, its compliance and any recorded departures; include relevant special installations, not merely Parts 1–5.
2. Construction Declaration: Certifies that the physical installation was constructed using approved materials and complies with BS 7671 workmanship standards and manufacturer specifications.
3. Inspection and testing declaration: The competent person declares the described inspection/testing to BS 7671 and the recorded results. The same person may cover more than one competent role; the form is not a promise that legal liability can never overlap.

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Client Handover & Document Distribution Protocol

Upon successful commissioning and verification, the electrical contractor must execute a formal handover under BS 7671 Regulations 644.3/644.4:

• Issued documents: Give the appropriate original certificate/report and required schedules and recipient guidance to the person ordering the work. An EIC/EICR requires its applicable inspection, circuit-details and test-results schedules; an MEIWC has its own integral results and does not automatically need separate full EIC schedules.
• Contractor retention: Keep an accurate duplicate and apply the documented retention policy; do not treat six years as a universal statutory certificate-retention period.
• Circuit information and notices: Supply the required circuit information and applicable safety notices under Section 514. Periodic-inspection and RCD notices have a domestic-and-similar exception when the required completed initial certificate and recipient guidance are provided. Where the RCD notice is required, use the current six-monthly instruction and manufacturer recommendations. Check alternative-supply and other actual warning requirements rather than applying a generic>230 V label or quarterly notice to every board.