Electrical Installation A

│ Topic 6 │

Inspection, Testing and Certification

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1. Work Completion Certificate
2. Periodic Inspection, Testing and Certification
3. Procedures of Inspection
4. Sequence of Test

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1. Work Completion Certificate
 A fixed electrical installation shall, after
completion (including any work completed after
repair, alteration or addition) and before it is
energized for use, be inspected, tested and
certified by a registered electrical worker to
confirm that the requirements of the Ordinance
have been met.
 In the case of a repair, alteration or addition to a
fixed electrical installation, only the affected
parts of the installation need to be inspected,
tested and certified under this regulation.

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1. Work Completion Certificate

On completion of New Fixed Installation

Two types of work completion certificate:
 WR1 : issued by REW and REC to the owner of
the installation
 WR1A : issued by REW to the main electrical
contractor of the electrical installation who is
responsible for submitting a WR1 to the owner of
the installation

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2. Periodic Inspection, Testing and Certification

2. Periodic Inspection, Testing and Certification

Fixed electrical installations having any approved

loading at the following types of premises are required
to be inspected, tested and certified at least once
every year. (Code 20A)
 places of public entertainment
 premises for the manufacturing or storing
dangerous goods (Cat 1 to Cat 10)
 high voltage fixed installations

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2. Periodic Inspection, Testing and Certification

Fixed electrical installations of the following types of

premises are required to be inspected, tested and
certified at least once every five years. (Code 20B)
 factories and industrial undertakings having an
approved loading exceeding (>) 200A, single or
three phase at nominal low voltage
 hotel or guest house
 hospital or maternity home
 school, technical institutions and universities
 child care centre

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2. Periodic Inspection, Testing and Certification

Periodic inspection, testing and certification

Fixed electrical installations in premises having an

approved loading exceeding (>)100A single or three
phase at nominal low voltage are required to be
inspected, tested and certified at least once every
five years.
 Examples: rising mains, protective conductors,
earthing facilities, power supply to lifts, pumps,
public lighting and other communal services in
the common area of domestic premises and fixed
installations in offices etc.

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2. Periodic Inspection, Testing and Certification

Periodic Test certificate (Code 20C)

 WR2 : issued by REC, REW and owner of the
installation to EMSD
 WR2A : issued by REW to the main electrical
contractor who is responsible for issuing a WR2
for the whole fixed electrical installation

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3. Periodic Inspection
Inspection of low voltage installations (Code 21A)
 A visual inspection should be made to verify that the
electrical installation is correctly selected and erected.
Examples of checking items:
 Adequacy of working space, access and maintenance facilities
 Labeling of circuits, protective devices, switches and etc.
 Presence of danger and warning notices
 Presence of diagrams and instructions
 Protection against Basic (Direct Contact) and Fault (Indirect
Contact)
 Identification of conductors, and so on.
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4. Sequence of Test
Testing of low voltage installation (Code 21B)
 Safety
Precaution should be taken during testing and the
method of tests should be such that no danger to
persons or property can occur even if the circuit
being tested is defective.
 Sequence of Test
The following items, where relevant, are to be tested
preferably in the sequence indicated below:
1. Continuity of protective conductors, including
main and supplementary equipotential bonding
2. Continuity of ring final circuit conductors,
3. Insulation resistance
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4. Sequence of Test

Sequence of Test (cont’d)

4. Polarity
5. Earth electrode resistance
6. Earth fault loop impedance *
7. Functions of all protective devices *
8. Functions of all items of equipment *
* Test with supply connected
In the event of any test indicating failure to
comply, that test and those preceding, the
results of which may have been influenced by the
fault indicated, should be repeated after the fault
has been rectified

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4. Sequence of Test

Instrument for Testing – Multi-function Tester

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4. Sequence of Test
(1) Continuity of protective conductors

 Every protective conductor, including all conductors

and any extraneous conductive parts used for
equipotential bonding should be tested for
continuity.
 The test should be made by connecting together the
neutral and protective conductors at the mains
position and checking between earth and neutral at
every socket outlet by a continuity tester, which
should show a reading near zero.

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4. Sequence of Test
(1) Continuity of protective conductors(cont.)
The test current may be a.c. or d.c. but should be derived from a source
with an open circuit voltage of not less than 3 V and no greater than
20 V. The test current should be not less than 200mA.

Method 1 Method 2
Measurement at the
MCB DB with long
extended testing leads
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4. Sequence of Test

(2) Continuity of ring final circuit

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4. Sequence of Test

(2) Continuity of ring final circuit (cont.)

0.25R1 = R2 - R3
where:
R1 = R of the phase, neutral and CPC measured in step 1
R2 = R of the phase, neutral and CPC measured in step 2
R3 = resistance of extension lead in step 3
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4. Sequence of Test
(3) Insulation resistance

 Switch off the power of the

circuit under test;
 Fuse links/MCB and all
switches should be closed;
 Lamps or loads including all
indicate neon lights of
sockets or switches should
be removed, if not
practical, local switches
can be switched off,
 Electronics equipment
should be isolated,

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4. Sequence of Test
(3) Insulation resistance(cont.)

Insulation Test of a Lighting Circuit

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4. Sequence of Test
(3) Insulation resistance(cont.)

Insulation Test of Socket Outlets Final Circuit

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4. Sequence of Test

(3) Insulation resistance(cont.)

Insulation resistance of Three Phase Circuit

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4. Sequence of Test
(3) Insulation resistance(cont.)

Test Voltage and Minimum Insulation

Resistance CoP 2009

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4. Sequence of Test

(3) Insulation resistance(cont.)

 Insulation Resistance
Test

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4. Sequence of Test
(3) Insulation resistance(cont.)
Log Sheet of Insulation test

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4. Sequence of Test
(4) Polarity Test

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4. Sequence of Test
(4) Polarity Test (cont.)

Polarity Test of Lamp circuit

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4. Sequence of Test
(5) Earth electrode resistance

Three electrodes
 An a.c. at 50 Hz is passed
between T and T1.
 Distance between T and T1
should not less than 20m
 T2 is inserted half-way
between T and T1, and the
voltage drop between T and
T2, divided by current flowing
between T and T1 gives a
measured earth electrode
resistance of electrode T.

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4. Sequence of Test

(5) Earth electrode resistance (cont.)

Four electrodes

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4. Sequence of Test
(6) Earth fault loop impedance
 The earth fault loop impedance should be measured by a
phase-earth loop tester with a scale calibrated in ohms.
 The measured value should not exceed the requirements of
Code 11
 Test should be done under the condition that all relevant
earth connections are in place, and the bonding connection
to electricity supplier’s earthing facilities is disconnected.

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4. Sequence of Test
(6) Earth fault loop impedance (cont.)
Measurement of Zs

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4. Sequence of Test
(6) Earth fault loop impedance (cont.)
Measurement of Zs
 Before the test begins, it is essential to establish,
by inspection, that the earthing conductor and all
relevant earth connections are in place, and that
the bonding connection to electricity supplier’s
earthing facilities is disconnected.
 Measures should be taken, during the impedance
tests especially when the earth leakage protective
devices are effectively removed for the duration
of the tests, to ensure that the installation is not
being used other than by person(s) carrying out
the tests.

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4. Sequence of Test
(6) Earth fault loop impedance (cont.)
Path for earth fault current

Earth fault loop impedance, Zs = Z1 + Z2 +ZE

Earth fault Current If = V/Zs

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4. Sequence of Test
(6) Earth fault loop impedance (cont.)

Maximum Earth Loop Impedance – Fuse (0.4sec)

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4. Sequence of Test
(6) Earth fault loop impedance (cont.)

Maximum Earth Loop Impedance – MCB or RCBO

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4. Sequence of Test
(6) Earth fault loop impedance (cont.)
Maximum Earth Loop Impedance – Fuse (5sec)

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4. Sequence of Test
(6) Earth fault loop impedance (cont.)
Maximum Earth Loop Impedance – MCCB, RCD

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4. Sequence of Test
(6) Earth fault loop impedance (cont.)

 Earth fault loop

impedance Test

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4. Sequence of Test

(7) Functional test of protective devices

 RCD should be checked by RCD tester. The maximum

break time of RCD (to IEC61008) or RCBO (to IEC
61009) at In is 0.3s; but at 50% x In, the RCD should
not be open. (In means the rated tripping current)
 The in-built test button of RCDs should also be tested
for proper functioning every 3 months.
 Function of other protective devices such as MCB,
MCCB, ACB, Fused switches, protective relays, and
etc. should be checked by hand operation as
appropriate.

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4. Sequence of Test

(7) Functional test of protective devices (cont.)

 Functional test of protective devices CoP 21B(9)

 RCD by RCD tester, e.g. within 0.3s at rated
residual current
 MCB and other isolators by hand operation

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4. Sequence of Test

(8) Functions of all items of equipment

 Functions of all items of equipment such as isolators,

switches and indicative devices should be checked by
hand operation as appropriate.
Note:
 REW may make use the checklists as shown in Appendix
13 of COP for carrying out the inspection and testing of
an electrical installation.
 There are five checklists. Code 22 of COP gives the
requirements on which checklists should be used.

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