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Electrical installations include all electrical equipment used for the production, conversion, distribution or use of electrical energy. The French Labor Code [1] stipulates that employers must check these installations.
We'd like to take you through these obligations: initial inspection, periodic inspections and emergency lighting inspections.
1. Initial inspection of electrical installations
Permanent electrical installations must be checked when they are commissioned and after any structural modification (*).
This initial verification must be carried out by an accredited organization. Its content is specified in Appendix I of the Order of December 26, 2011 [2]. The report must be sent to the facility manager within 5 weeks of the verification.
(*) Structural modifications include :
- modification of the earth connection diagram;
- modification of the source's short-circuit power ;
- modification or addition of distribution circuits ;
- the creation or redevelopment of part of a plant.
2. Periodic inspections of electrical installations
Permanent electrical installations must be inspected every year, starting from the date of the initial inspection. Verification may be carried out every two years if the previous report contains no observations, or under more specific conditions (compliance work carried out with information sent to the labor inspectorate by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt, and the opinion of the CSE).
Periodic checks are carried out :
- or by an accredited organization,
- or by a qualified person belonging to the company. This person's competence is assessed by the employer in relation to the criteria set out in the order of December 22, 2011 [3]: technical and legal knowledge, experience, regular practice, ....
The head of the facility must provide the person carrying out the checks with the information listed in Appendix III of the Order of December 26, 2011.
He must also ensure that the personnel required to carry out the checks are present.
The content of the verification is specified in Appendix I of the Decree of December 26, 2011. If the verification is carried out by an accredited body, the report must be sent to the plant manager within 5 weeks of the verification.
The results of the checks, together with details of any work or modifications carried out to remedy any defects found, are recorded in a register. When inspections are carried out by an accredited body, the inspection reports are appended to the register.
Note: Specific provisions apply to initial and periodic inspections of temporary electrical installations, such as those at construction sites, shipbuilding and boat repair yards, exhibition stands, shows, .....
3. Checks on emergency lighting systems
As part of the maintenance of electrical installations, the employer must check emergency lighting installations:
PeriodicityTest objectOnce a month- Switching to operating position in the event of failure of normal power supply and switching on of all lamps - Effectiveness of remote switch-off and automatic switch-back to standby position on return of normal power supplyOnce every 6 monthsAutonomy of at least one hour.
In establishments with closed periods, these checks must be carried out in such a way that at the start of each opening period, the lighting system has regained the prescribed autonomy.
When emergency lighting is provided by self-contained units (BAES), these checks can be carried out automatically by using self-contained units with an integrated automatic test system (in compliance with standard NF C 71-820). The Integrated Automatic Test System (SATI) automatically performs the tests required to verify the operation of the BAES.
Note: in this case, remember to check the SATI light signals regularly (e.g. during the guard's rounds, or by including it in your maintenance plan) to detect faulty blocks.
The results of these checks should be recorded in the electrical inspection logbook.
In conclusion, we recommend that you :
- check the inspection/monitoring plans for your electrical installations to ensure that checks are carried out at the right intervals;
- properly process the observations and non-conformities resulting from these inspections and record the work carried out to resolve discrepancies
[1] French Labor Code - Articles R. 4226-1 to R. 4226-21 Electrical installations (employer's obligations for use of workplaces) (Regulatory Part, Part Four, Book II, Title II, Chapter VI)
2] Arrêté du 26 décembre 2011 relatif aux vérifications ou processus de vérification des installations électriques ainsi que au contenu des rapports correspondants [Decree of December 26, 2011 on electrical installation inspections or verification processes and the content of the corresponding reports
[3] Arrêté du 22 décembre 2011 relatif aux critères de compétence des personnes chargées d'effectuer les vérifications périodiques des installations électriques et de mettre en œuvre les processus de vérification des installations électriques temporaires (Decree of December 22, 2011 on the competence criteria for persons responsible for carrying out periodic inspections of electrical installations and for implementing verification processes for temporary electrical installations)