EICR Codes C1, C2 and C3
Testing & Inspection · C&G 2391 · Full course section in Plus
An classifies what the inspection found. C1 means danger is present and someone could be hurt now — you tell the client immediately and make it safe before you leave. C2 means potentially dangerous: no one is in danger while nothing changes, but a foreseeable fault would put them there. C3 means improvement recommended, and is the only code that is not a failure.
FI sits alongside them: further investigation required without delay, used when something is wrong and the inspection could not establish how badly. The arithmetic of the outcome is simple — any C1, C2 or FI makes the report unsatisfactory, while C3s alone leave it satisfactory. That is why C3 is not a soft way of recording something that worries you.
The observation itself is the part that gets argued about later. Describe the defect and where it is, in words the client can act on, rather than reciting a regulation number at them. Limitations agreed before the work started belong in the report too, because an inspection that could not see the whole installation should say so.
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Common questions
- Can I try EICR Codes C1, C2 and C3 free on this page?
- This guide is free to read, but there is no public quiz specifically for this topic on this page. Browse public practice samples for other subjects, or create an account for the learning path. The full course section requires Plus.
- Where does EICR Codes C1, C2 and C3 sit in the City & Guilds scheme?
- Codes C1, C2 and C3 maps to C&G 2391. On TradeTraining it lives in the Testing & Inspection section as bite-size lessons with practice questions.
- Does a C3 make an EICR unsatisfactory?
- No. C3 records an improvement that would raise the installation toward standards, and a report whose only observations are C3s is satisfactory. Any C1, C2 or FI makes it unsatisfactory.
- What is the difference between C1 and C2?
- C1 is danger present — exposed live parts, something that can hurt whoever touches it today, requiring immediate action. C2 is potentially dangerous: safe as it stands, dangerous the moment a foreseeable fault occurs, such as a missing protective conductor.
Explore key terms
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EICRElectrical Installation Condition Report
The report produced by a periodic inspection of an existing installation, recording its condition against the current edition of BS 7671. Observations are classified by urgency — C1 for danger present, C2 for potentially dangerous, C3 for improvement recommended, and FI where further investigation is needed — and a C1 or C2 makes the report unsatisfactory.
Read the full EICR glossary entryNotifiable work
Domestic electrical work that must be notified under Part P of the Building Regulations in England and Wales. Wales covers more kinds of work than England; Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own systems. It includes a new circuit, a replacement consumer unit and some work in bathrooms. There are two lawful routes: an electrician registered with a competent-person scheme certifies and notifies it, or the householder tells local authority building control before starting and pays for it to be inspected.
Read the full Notifiable work glossary entryFault protection
Protection that operates when basic protection has failed and a live conductor has reached touchable metalwork. In UK practice it usually means automatic disconnection of supply: earthing and bonding hold the touch voltage down while the protective device removes the supply within its required time.
Read the full Fault protection glossary entryBasic protection
Protection against touching live parts during normal, fault-free service. It is delivered by insulation around conductors, barriers and enclosures around terminals, and placing live parts out of reach. It is the first layer of shock protection; fault protection is the second, and an installation needs both.
Read the full Basic protection glossary entry