BS 7671 Amendment 4: EICR Competence Requirements

Inspection and testing practitioners face a dual challenge with Amendment 4: understanding the new technical requirements to correctly inspect installations built to the new standard, and navigating the updated condition report process described in Chapter 65.

Chapter 65 receives clarification in Amendment 4 regarding the condition report process. The most notable change is the signature requirement — Amendment 4 specifies that the condition report must be signed by the person who carried out the inspection and by the person who carried out the testing, where these are different individuals. The previous practice of a single supervising signatory covering work done by others is tightened. Each signatory must hold appropriate qualifications (City & Guilds 2391-52 or equivalent) and must have been directly involved in the work they are signing for.

New observation coding guidance is provided for Amendment 4-specific items. Battery storage installations inspected for the first time should be checked against Chapter 57 requirements. Non-compliances — such as batteries in prohibited locations (lofts, escape routes), missing DC isolation, or inadequate labelling — should be coded as C2 (potentially dangerous) or C3 (improvement recommended) depending on the severity of the departure.

Functional earthing inspection is a new area. Where installations include Section 545 functional earthing for ICT equipment, the inspector must test both the protective and functional earthing systems. Section 545 functional earth impedance measurements require a high-frequency earth tester (not the standard 50 Hz instrument), which is a new equipment requirement for inspection contractors working in commercial and data centre environments.

PoE derating verification during inspection requires the inspector to identify PoE installations and assess whether cable sizing accounts for the heating effect. For existing installations built before Amendment 4, PoE heating non-compliance is coded as FI (Further Investigation) rather than C2/C3, because the installation was compliant at the time of installation. For new installations claiming Amendment 4 compliance, PoE derating non-compliance would be C2 or C3.

The inspection interval recommendations in Amendment 4 are updated to reflect new installation types. Battery storage installations are recommended for inspection at 3-year intervals (previously not specified). EV charging installations retain the 3-year interval. Medical locations retain existing intervals but must now verify the tighter supplementary bonding impedance limits.

ECalPro's Earthing Calculator and documentation tools support the enhanced inspection requirements of Amendment 4, including functional earth impedance calculations and observation coding guidance.