PART P - NICEIC

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ANNOUNCEMENTS T ECHNICAL MANUA L: OCTOBER SUPPLEMENT updated list of contents. The paper version is being maintained by the NICEIC primarily for the benefit of the smaller Approved Contractor businesses that may not have ready access to the necessary computer equipment to use the CD-ROM. The tenth quarterly supplement to the NICEIC Technical Manual is due to be distributed to Approved Contractors and subscribers in October, on a new CD-ROM and as a paper version. The supplement is expected to include the following topics: CABLES: Size to be used, determination of, general CABLES: Size to be used, determination of, from considerations of normal load and overload CABLES: Size to be used, determination of, from considerations of protection against fault current CURRENT-CARRYING CAPACITY: Conditions on which it depends DISCRIMINATION: Between circuitbreakers DISCRIMINATION: Between a circuitbreaker and an HBC fuse DISCRIMINATION: Between HBC fuses EMERGENCY LIGHTING: ICEL: 1006: 1999 Emergency lighting design guide. Third edition. May 1999 FREQUENCY (Hz): General FREQUENCY (Hz): Effect upon impedance GROUPING: Of cables NATIONAL JOINT UTILITIES GROUP: Guidelines on positioning and colour coding of utilities’ apparatus SPECIAL INSTALLATIONS OR LOCATIONS: Highway power supplies and street furniture STANDARD CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS: Radial final circuits, cooking VOLTAGE DROP: In ring circuits with distributed loads VOLTAGE: Range All of the topics in the October supplement will be included on the new issue of the fully searchable copy of the Technical Manual on CD-ROM, which also includes a printable version of the Manual. The paper version of the supplement, which is provided for incorporation into the two-volume paper version of the Manual, will include only about four of the sixteen new topics, together with an The Technical Manual can be purchased from NICEIC Sales - see enclosed order form for details, or visit the NICEIC website www.niceic.org.uk (which also shows a few sample topics). If you have a problem getting your CD- ROM to work which cannot be resolved by consulting the User’s Guide, please contact SomCom, our software provider, preferably by email at tmhelp@somcom.co.uk. Alternatively, if you do not have an email facility, please telephone Somcom on 01608 643302. If you do not receive a quarterly issue of the CD-ROM and/or printed supplement, please contact the Technical Manual distribution centre on 020 8319 7601. Any complaint concerning damaged or missing items should be faxed to the distribution centre 020 8319 7609, quoting your registered trading title, address (including postcode) and enrolment number (where applicable). Please note that the NICEIC is unable to respond to queries relating to the functioning of the CD-ROM on particular PCs, or to non-delivery of items. If you have a technical query about any of the topics published in the Technical Manual, please contact the NICEIC Technical Helpline via the call centre on: 0870 013 0431 (Approved Contractors) or 0870 013 0391 (specifiers and others). CO R R ECTION: TECHNICAL MANUAL TOPIC S225-2 5 In NICEIC Technical Manual Topic S225-25, dated April 2004, a correction is required concerning notes d, e and g of Table 2, relating to ring final circuits in household premises. The notes relate to the installation of non-fused spurs (cable branches) where the alternative method of Regulation 413-02-12 is applied. Given in the notes is a value of earth fault loop impedance which must not be exceeded at the furthest point of the spur. However, the notes do not point out that it must be ensured that the impedance of the circuit protective conductor does not exceed the applicable maximum value given in Table 41C of BS 7671. A revised issue of Topic S225-25, corrected to take account of the above, will be included in the October quarterly supplement of the NICEIC Technical Manual, which is due to be distributed to Approved Contractors and subscribers in October (see the article above). In the meantime, a printable version of the revised topic is available for downloading on the NICEIC website www.niceic.org.uk. 2 9 NICEIC CO N N ECTIONS AUTUMN 20 04
ANNOUNCEMENTS NEW VISUAL INSPECTION REPORT FORM FOR DOM E STIC INSTA L L A- The NICEIC is occasionally contacted by Approved Contractors concerned that other Approved Contractors are offering to carry out ‘free visual inspections’ for householders. Although there is inevitably a commercial motive behind such speculative schemes, visual inspection can serve the electrical safety interests of domestic consumers, if conducted in a professional, objective manner by competent persons. Until an obvious fault develops, most householders appear to assume that their electrical installations are safe, and will remain so forever. Even those who appreciate that electrical installations eventually need to be checked appear reluctant to pay for a full BS 7671-style periodic inspection, except perhaps when they are buying or selling a property. Therefore, even given the significant limitations of ‘visual inspection only’, such inspection by a competent person can usefully serve to identify damage, deterioration and, to some extent, defects, which might otherwise go unnoticed by those using the installations. The NICEIC accepts that, in principle, visual inspection of the electrical installation in a dwelling by a competent person is an important part of the assessment of the condition of that installation. Visual inspection can identify damage, deterioration and some defects in installations. Given the potential benefits, the NICEIC does not consider the practice of ‘visual inspection only’ to be non-compliant with the requirements of BS 7671, provided that: • The visual inspection is carried out by an electrically competent person with good knowledge and experience of the electrical installation practices existing at the time the installation was first constructed • The inspection is carried out in accordance with all the requirements of BS 7671that are applicable to visual inspection • The limitations of ‘visual inspection only’ are made clear in writing to the person ordering the work • No claim is made that ‘visual inspection only’ can or will fully determine whether an installation is safe for continued use • An objective report of the findings of the visual inspection is given to the person ordering the work, whether or not specifically requested by that person • The scope of the condition report includes all the aspects of the model periodic inspection report given in BS 7671 which are relevant to visual inspection • Visual condition reports do not include items that can only be checked with test instruments (such as the adequacy of earthing arrangements) • Any quotation for proposed remedial work is given separately from the visual condition report • A full periodic inspection is recommended to the customer if it is suspected that the installation is in an unsafe condition. The NICEIC has therefore produced a customized report form for the ‘visual inspection only’ of domestic premises by Approved Contractors, to help ensure that consumers are fully informed of the limitations, as well as the benefits, of such inspections. In providing the overall assessment of the condition of an installation, it may well be reasonable for a competent person to come to the conclusion that it is in an ‘unsatisfactory’ condition, solely on the basis of visual inspection. However, it would not be appropriate to report that an installation is in a ‘satisfactory’ condition solely on the basis of a visual inspection because, amongst many other things, the intended means of earthing and/or the protective conductor arrangements could be unsatisfactory. Therefore, where a visual inspection does not reveal any damage, deterioration or defects that would reasonably result in the overall condition being reported as ‘unsatisfactory’, the alternative would be to report the condition as ‘visually not unsatisfactory’. This summary reflects the significant limitations of ‘visual inspection only’. Any complaints about the standard of visual inspections carried out by Approved Contractors will be investigated under the NICEIC Complaints Procedure. Visual only inspections are not considered appropriate for places of work, where duty holders and others have legal obligations under the Electricity at Work Regulations. AUTUMN 20 04                            NICEIC CO N N EC T I O N S 3 0
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PART P - NICEIC

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