Electrical distribution board quarterly inspection checklist

Method — Inspection done with covers closed — no live work

Access — At least 1 m clear in front of the board, nothing stored against it

Room — Room or cupboard dry, no water ingress, not used for storage

Door — Door closes and locks; key held by authorised staff only

Enclosure — Enclosure undamaged; no missing blanking plate or opening giving access to live parts

Cable entries — Cable entries sealed, glands intact, no damaged cable sheath

Warning sign — Electrical hazard warning sign on the door

Circuit chart — Circuit chart present inside the door and up to date

Labels — Every protective device labelled legibly with the circuit it feeds

Smell and noise — Any burning smell, buzzing or crackling from the board?

Discoloration — Any discoloration, scorch mark or melted plastic visible on the board?

Protective devices — Any breaker or RCD tripped without a known reason?

Indicators — Indicator lamps and meters, if fitted, show normal values

RCD test — Warn the users of the affected circuits, press each RCD test button, then reset

RCD test — Every RCD tripped when its test button was pressed

Thermography — Check the date of the last infrared survey under load and request one if overdue or a hot spot is suspected

Remarks — Defects for the electrician; RCDs that failed to trip