Advice on certificates please.

2674 Views 10 Replies 3 Participants Last post by great68, Feb 28, 2014

holstein

Discussion Starter · Jan 23, 2014

Could anyone help me with some advice about commercial premises please ?

There is a local social club that an elderly friend of mine frequents and it would appear to be run in a very slap-dash manner and I am concerned about whether it is a safe environment for him and others. It is a very old building and while I don't frequent the place very often it always looks as if the place is unloved. The plumbing is diabolical with leaks in toilets etc. but my main concern is that the electrical wiring may not be up to the required standard.

I should add that it is a drinking establishment. I suspect that there are standards for electrical installations in such premises which I presume have to be tested on a regular basis. And so my initial questions are what are those standards, who carries out any required testing, and who administers and monitors any such standards ?

It is a community owned establishment and I am becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of visitors to the club and to the validity of any insurance covering visitors and to the fabric of the building.

Thanks to anyone in advance who will help me with this concern that I have.

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great68

· #2 · Feb 3, 2014

There is no statutory requirement in this country for inspections, however the manager/owner has a duty of care for the patrons/premises and may not realise they would be personally legally responsible if something was to go wrong.
The local council would be involved with things like emergency lighting, fire alarms and exit signs though . I find its only when the insurance company asks for a report, an inspection gets done.

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great68

· #4 · Feb 5, 2014

If the installation is old ,the original 'Installation certificate' is probably not worth anything, that is if it even exists. A periodic test should be carried out every 5 years maximum and a 'Electrical instalation condition report' (EICR) issued. This will have only 'Satisfactory' or 'Unsatisfactory' on its front page.
Some establishments that have dancing, alcohol or entertainment licenses often need more regular checks. The insurance may only be null & void if a report has been asked for, but not done. Unfortunately in this country it seems people are not bothered about electrical safety 'Well it works, why are you telling me its no good' is the norm. I know of 2 cases in the last few years of deaths in houses due to poor electrical maintenance and the landlords walked away claiming they didn't know, wern't aware.

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great68

· #6 · Feb 5, 2014

Over the last few years with all the penny pinching from the government, the onus of fire alarms, Emergency lighting, fire routes and general health and safety has been taken away from the local council, fire brigade etc and put onto the owners/operators of buildings.

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great68

· #7 · Feb 5, 2014

Only last week there was a parliamentary debate about electrical training, safety, testing etc & regular inspections was being pushed forwards. I am not sure how far it got.

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great68

· #9 · Feb 22, 2014

PAT, Portable appliance testing.

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great68

· #11 · Feb 28, 2014

septiclecky said:
Think you will find there is otherwise the club or other premises similar would not be granted a licence by the local authority to allow the club to run sell alcohol etc

Please show me proof that it is a legal requirement to have testing carried out, as it will generate a lot of work for me.

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