Perth & Kinross Council - Carry out Inspection and Testing to produce an EICR
Perth & Kinross Council - Carry out Inspection and Testing to produce an EICR
Client/Site: Perth and Kinross Council, Gleneagles Day Opportunities
Project duration: 4 weeks
Project value: £20,000
Completion date: April 2022
Main Contractor: E.W Edwardson Electrical Contractors Ltd
Trades/ Sub-Contractors involved: N/A
Brief project description:
E.W Edwardson Electrical Contractors are proud of their involvement in the recent and ongoing contract to carry out fixed wire testing and produce EICR’s and carry out remedial works for our client Perth and Kinross Council to keep their large estate electrically safe and conforming with all current regulations.
The scope of works included.
The contract covers carrying out testing and inspection throughout all buildings for PKC and is due to run for potentially 7 years. PKC issue orders at the beginning of each month to allow us to carry out the Electrical Installation Condition Report on the installations the require before their current certificate runs out of date. When they issued the order to test Gleneagles Day Opportunity Centre, we arranged through them a pre-start visit to the building.
At this pre-start the client was on site along with our supervisor of the contract and the electrician who was going to carry out the works. The building manager was also present and we discussed what the works entailed along with how the building was laid out and where all relevant switchgear was situated. We quickly came to the conclusion that the building was fully operational from the hours on 9.00am to around 15.45pm with staff and clients. The clients all require specialist care and are usually on site as respite so due to their additional needs it was decided that we should carry out of works from 16.00pm until 02.00am while the building was empty to allow works to be carried out in safe and unobtrusive manner. The building manager provided us with access fobs along with keys and showed our electrician on site the lock up procedure for the building and we provided them with a start date for the works. Due to our long running relationship with our client there is a level of trust between us which allows for smooth operations within buildings. Once the pre-start meeting was complete it allowed the supervisor to collate a site-specific set of RAMS for these works. We receive all previous documentation from the client that they have regarding the circuit charts and schematic drawings for the property allowing us to plan the job and to give our engineer on site an overview of the existing electrical installation. When our engineer and apprentice start on site, they approach the works in a safe and methodical manner using their extensive experience in carrying out these tasks. All works are carried out in conjunction with IET Guidance Note 3 and once complete the report is passed back to the client with a list of observations which carry a C1/ C2 or C3 FI code.
- C1 Danger Present Immediate Remedial Action Required
- C2 Potentially Dangerous Urgent Remedial Action Required
- C3 Improvement Recommended
- FI Further Investigation Required
Once the client instructs us of their preferred course of action and following an onsite meeting, we arranged to remedy these faults and then arranged to procure materials and equipment to allow these faults to be rectified.
Then all documentation was completed and sent to the client to allow them to keep their building safe und up to standard for the specified time period on EICR.
Project Challenges:
The primary challenge with this project was allowing the works to be done safely using safe isolation procedures and to allow minimum disruption to the building and its users. Following on from every evening shift the engineers did a site survey to make sure all equipment inspected was back to fully functioning order so when staff returned in the morning and welcomed the clients back in the building all services were back as they had been left. This allowed the staff to seamlessly carry on with their vital and sensitive works to keep all the building users happy and safe during the day.
Part of the works required access equipment in the form of a mobile tower scaffold to access high level lights. This was carried out using a site specific risk assessment and was stored in the storage room external to the building in conjunction with instructions from building staff to allow all parts of building to function as usual during the day.
Overall project risk level: Medium
Complexity Level: Medium
Top three items on the works risk assessment and how these risks were mitigated:
| Hazard(s) | Aspects of Activity | Existing Risk | Control Measures | Residual Risk |
| Slips/Trips | Persons slipping, tripping on objects | High Risk | Good standard of housekeeping to be enforced. Redundant materials to be cleared to central locations and staged removal organised by site operatives if required. On completion of works floor areas to be checked to ensure all redundant materials have been removed Waste removed by company vehicle with appropriate waste transfer licence to approved waste transfer station. Cables to be run in a safe manner and clipped at height when crossing walkways. Safety footwear (EN345) to be worn at all times. | Low Risk |
| Electricity | Working with electricity | High Risk | Electrical systems should be switched off and disconnected before work commences. Lock off kits should be used to ensure systems cannot be reconnected without authorisation. Warning notices should be posted to advise electrical work is in progress. All electrical work should be supervised, and final connections made by qualified employees. Consideration of secondary supplies should be made. | Low Risk |
| Manual Handling | Risk of injury from manual movement of objects | High Risk | Follow hierarchy of controls = Avoid – reduce – assess. Everyone should assess their own capability to lift a load and seek assistance where appropriate. Mechanical aids should be used to move objects whenever possible. PPE including safety footwear (EN345) and gloves (EN388) should be always worn on site. Large loads should be broken down into smaller manageable loads prior to manual movement. Any large load which cannot be moved by mechanical means or broken down to smaller loads should be carried by two or more persons | Low Risk |
Project Conclusion and Client Collaboration:
The project was completed within the allocated timeframe with approximately 2 electrical operatives onsite at all times. Our valuations were approved by the client following site meetings and compliance documentation handed over on time and within budget at the end of the project, this included Electrical Installation Certificate, data cable test schedules and As-Fitted drawings. We were pleased to hear that once all works were completed the staff praised our electricians for carrying out the works so professionally and with no disruption to the general working of the building.
