BS 7671 Appendix 6 test schedule
Inspection Testing · Lesson 4 · Advanced
Purpose
Use the applicable Appendix 6 schedule as a recording framework while selecting every test from the actual installation.
Learning objectives
- Plan a defensible sequence
- Verify instrument and test boundary
- Interpret topology from patterns
- Record evidence without invented limits
Model forms help produce consistent evidence but do not replace engineering judgment. The design, protective measures and installation extent determine which inspections/tests apply and what values are expected.
Core theory
Record client/installation details, extent, design/construction/inspection responsibility, supply and earthing characteristics, protective devices, departures, limitations and schedules using the correct edition.
For each circuit record identifiers, conductor/protection data and actual results with units. Use N/A only when genuinely not applicable and state reasons where clarity is needed; never copy adjacent results.
Link instrument serials and test methods, resolve anomalies, sign only within competence/responsibility and retain controlled records/as-builts. The form's presence is not proof tests occurred.
| Term | Meaning | Symbol | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appendix 6 | BS 7671 model certification/reporting forms and schedules | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Departure | Intentional variation assessed to provide no lesser safety | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| N/A | Not applicable, not shorthand for untested | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Assumptions: Values are supplied test data; The installation is safely isolated for dead testing.
- RCD: Mark RCD fields N/A if legitimately not applicable.
- IR: A blank IR cell does not justify omission.
- Record: Test IR or document an agreed limitation/valid reason; never imply satisfactory evidence.
RCD can be N/A; missing IR needs test evidence or explicit defensible limitation.
Reasonableness check: The conclusion uses expected topology and comparative patterns; no single convenient reading overrides inspection or missing evidence.
- Starting live tests before dead-test defects are resolved
- Calling a calibration label a pre-use functional check
- Declaring a universal maximum continuity value without design context
Where this appears in practice
Initial verification combines inspection and ordered tests to prove protective measures before energisation; periodic work records the extent, limitations and observed condition.
Knowledge check
May N/A be used for a test that was simply inconvenient?
No. It means the test does not apply to that circuit/protective measure.
Answer: No. It means the test does not apply to that circuit/protective measure.
Practical exercise
Audit a partly completed schedule for units, applicability, copied values, missing evidence and edition mismatch.
Summary
- Inspect and dead-test before avoidable live testing
- Instrument validity has several independent checks
- Continuity patterns prove topology and support later calculations
Sources and review
- BS 7671 and Guidance Note 3: Inspection & Testing: IET; BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 / GN3 10th edition; transition rules apply; United Kingdom
- Model forms for BS 7671: IET; A4:2026 and earlier applicable editions; United Kingdom
- GS38: Electrical test equipment for low-voltage systems: HSE; Fourth edition; Great Britain
- Ring-final continuity Step 3 resistance readings: IET Wiring Matters; 2022; United Kingdom
Editorial review date: 2026-08-22. Professional electrical review is pending.