Ensure Your Electrical Installations Pass!!
First time, every time..
NZEIA has developed a new tool for Electrical inspectors to use that is designed and aimed to achieve Competence, Consistency, and Compliance at the inspection of Consumer Mains and Earth installations. This offering could be the most valuable tool in your toolbox as it shows you and lets your electricians know what an electrical inspector is looking for. The simple Test Sheet together with the easy to follow Explanatory Guide sheet will enable an installation to pass inspection, first time, every time.
This tool came into being because at nearly every one of our NZEIA meetings, the same grizzles, comments and frustrations would surface. We wondered why electricians weren’t getting this right and then would come the debates amongst our members – some agreeing with some of the electrician’s perceptions and others totally opposed. It made for some interesting discussions that became counterproductive at times because the discussion would often just go around in circles.
The discussion eventually became, “well if inspectors are having trouble finding common ground then this must be the same for electricians?”. Our members were asked for a ‘best way forward solution’. We challenged ourselves with identifying what the Regulations and Standards require of us and decided to develop a means of achieving this without being side-tracked by ‘nice-to-haves’.
Starting at ‘first principles’ we were able to agree that a Test Sheet or check sheet should be developed. It became apparent too that a second sheet, an Explanatory Guide, should also be produced, one that shows where each requirement could be found in the Regulations and Standards. As you know, inspectors and electricians prefer facts. This formed the basis of our approach with the first few attempts stumbling because it could be seen that electricians were often being asked to do more than the regulations and Standards called for. Several versions were developed until finally, a Test Sheet was ready for field trials.
Many months have since passed and after testing, tweaking and more consultation within NZEIA, the Test sheet and Explanatory Guide are now being made available for your use. We are confident they will provide clear direction enabling you to have both confidence and consistency as you carry out your work. They will ensure you are inspecting, testing and checking all of the mandatory requirements. We also encourage you and your electricians to look up the references identified in the Explanatory Guide.
While we all have different personal standards with pet hates or dislikes, plus little things we each think will make installations safer, our professional standards need to be much more aligned with each other and with the books we currently follow. Please feel free to share them with your electricians and send back any feedback and comments you may have.
Richard Gibbens / President / NZEIA
New Zealand Electrical Inspectors Association
Download the Checklists here: