The EICR is a legal document under BS 7671. An observation coded C1 — Danger present, risk of injury — requires immediate action. A C2 — Potentially dangerous, urgent remedial action required — means the installation should be investigated and rectified without delay. If those observations are recorded on-site but don't make it into the Pirform report with the correct circuit number, location, and code, the landlord, duty holder, or building owner hasn't received the information they're legally required to act on. The on-site data capture is the start of that obligation, not the end of it.
Test Results and Installation Parameters
Volts, Phase Rotation, Ze, and PFC are the installation-level measurements that set the context for every circuit test result. Ze (external earth fault loop impedance) measured at the origin establishes the maximum Zs values achievable on any circuit in the installation — a Ze of 0.20Ω at the origin means circuits with long cable runs to distant points will have Zs values that approach the BS 7671 maximum permitted values for the fuse or MCB type protecting them. Recording Ze at the outset makes the individual circuit Zs results interpretable.
PFC (prospective fault current) at the origin determines whether the distribution board's rated fault current — typically 6kA for domestic installations, 10kA or 25kA for commercial — is adequate for the supply characteristics. A PFC above the board's rated interrupting capacity is a C1 observation. Without PFC recorded at the origin, you can't make that assessment.
Phase Rotation matters in three-phase installations where motor loads are connected — reversed phase rotation causes three-phase motors to run backwards, which is a C2 or C1 observation depending on what the motor is driving.
Circuit Schedule Data
Circuit Number, Circuit Description, Zs, Points, Cable Type, and Reference Method are the per-circuit fields that constitute the Schedule of Circuit Details and Schedule of Test Results. Zs (earth fault loop impedance at the circuit's furthest point) is the measurement that confirms the protective device will disconnect within the required time under fault conditions. A Zs value that exceeds the BS 7671 maximum for the overcurrent device protecting that circuit is a non-compliance finding — the protective device may not operate fast enough to prevent a dangerous shock voltage appearing on accessible metalwork.
Cable Type and Reference Method document the conductor and installation method — 2.5mm² twin and earth in conduit is a different current carrying capacity than the same cable clipped to surface. The reference method determines what the cable's current rating is under BS 7671 Table 4D2A or equivalent, and therefore whether it's correctly sized for the circuit's design current.
Observation and Defect Recording
Observation with Code and Circuit No is the finding record. Code C1, C2, C3, or FI (Further Investigation) associated with a specific observation and a specific circuit number creates the actionable defect list. Location and Floor add the physical address within the building. Photos and Image(s) with Images provide the photographic evidence for each finding.
Entered into Pirform is the workflow flag — the confirmation that the on-site Memento data has been transferred into the Pirform reporting software that generates the formal EICR certificate. This field closes the accountability gap between field capture and formal report delivery.
DB Name, DB External, DB Internal, and Circuit Layout are the distribution board documentation fields — the external photographs showing the board's condition, the internal photographs showing cable routing and labelling, and the circuit layout record that maps physical positions to circuit designations. For a tenant dispute or a subsequent inspection, these photographs are the baseline record of the installation's condition at the time of the EICR.