Why You Need An Electrical Safety Inspection?

The purpose of an electrical safety inspection is to ensure that the electrical systems, appliances and equipment of the home are safe to live amongst and use. The electrician will perform numerous different electrical tests on various parts of the home. These electrical tests are made for the purpose of:

• Guanrteeting people are safe to work and live inside a building with electrical systems
• Ensuring people are protected from appliances and systems that may cause people to receive an electric shock
• Making certain systems and appliances will not overload and potentially create an electrical fire
• Ensuring that broken wires and systems do not create toxic gases
• Saving money long term to prevent major and expensive electrical repairs from happening
• Making sure that the electrical systems work efficiently for longer periods of time as they are checked and maintenance occurs
• Keeping all the systems within the electrical standards and making sure that they function as they should

The main reason why the safety tests are carried out is to protect people and electrical systems from being harmed. Inspecting the appliances, cabling networks and electrical systems, electricians will be able to see potential or existing faults. These electrical issues can be dealt with before major concerns develop. Regular inspections will ensure that people and electrical systems are safe and that the electrical components of the home are working correctly.

There are numerous tests and inspections that are performed during the electrical testing process, such as:

• Smoke alarm tests – regular smoke alarms tests are important to make sure that these devices will alter people of a fire. Testing the smoke detectors, checking the battery and looking over the general condition of the device are carried out. 
• Earthing testing – these tests involve checking the condition of the ground or earth systems of the home. These systems are crucial in protecting people from being shocked by power spikes. Testing them involves either an injection test, three-point resistance test, loop impedance test, soil resistance test or a continuity test. 
• Insulation test – this involves looking over the insulation of cables within the home. This is to ensure they will not heat up and open to expose the wires underneath.
• Short circuit and overload tests – these electrical dangers can pose a risk to people and appliances. This is why testing the systems for if they will experience an overload or short circuit is important in preventing this issue.

For more in-depth details on the different types of electrical testing, we highly recommend reading our blog for further details.

How often an electrical safety inspection will need to occur will depend on the type of building. For residential homes, it is encouraged that electrical testing occurs every 3-5 years. It is still strongly recommended that homes should organise a licensed electrician to perform the safety test every year to be extra safe. Commercial buildings should have an inspection at least once a year. For industrial sites, every 3-6 months the electrical testing work should occur as well.

For more information about how often to get an electrical safety inspection, our blog provides further details on the topic.

This type of electrical inspection involves a Level 2 Electrician performing certain tests which regular electricians cannot do. Some of the systems that a level 2 electrician might look over during the inspection are:

• Private power pole – the condition of the power pole will be checked, such as looking for rust on steel poles and termites in wooden poles.
• Service lines – inspecting the underground or overhead service line will be needed to make sure they safely bring power to the building.

Consumer mains – making sure the mains are all in working order and that potential or existing issues are addressed.