Inspection of the earthing system in a condominium

Why the inspection concerns condominiums too

Presidential Decree 462/2001 requires employers to have earthing systems periodically inspected by authorised bodies. The condominium, although not a business, is considered a place where activities necessary for building management take place, such as cleaning and maintenance, and for this reason falls within the scope of the rule.

The relevant point is that the obligation exists even when the condominium has no caretakers or other employees: the inspection of the earthing system of the common parts must be carried out anyway. Many managers ignore this, convinced the topic only concerns condominiums with staff, and find themselves uncovered in case of a control or an accident.

Frequency: two or five years

The inspection frequency depends on the environment where the system is installed. It is every two years in environments at greater fire risk, on construction sites, in medical premises and in places with explosion hazard. It is every five years in all other environments, a category that includes the general run of residential condominiums.

To establish the correct cadence you must assess the use of the premises served by the system. In an ordinary residential condominium the inspection will typically be every five years, but the presence of particular premises can lead to a tighter cadence. When in doubt it is advisable to have the frequency indicated by the technician who draws up the system's documentation.

Who carries out the inspection and who cannot

The periodic inspection must be entrusted to a body authorised by the Ministry of Economic Development, or to the local health authority or the regional environmental agency where competent. The essential element is independence: the inspection cannot be carried out by the same party that built or maintains the system, to ensure a third-party judgement on safety.

At the end, the body draws up an inspection report certifying the outcome, which must be kept. This report must not be confused with the declaration of conformity issued by the installer when the system is built or modified: the declaration concerns correct execution, the periodic inspection concerns the maintenance over time of the safety requirements.

The first inspection and putting into service

Presidential Decree 462/2001 also governs the initial phase. When the earthing system is built or undergoes substantial changes, the employer, and therefore the condominium, must send the declaration of conformity to the competent body, which serves as the system's notification and as the communication of putting into service.

From that moment the obligation of periodic inspections runs at the frequency seen. Keeping together the initial declaration of conformity and the subsequent inspection reports reconstructs the system's history and demonstrates compliance with the obligations throughout its life.

Keeping and monitoring the documentation

For earthing, the manager must keep the declaration of conformity, the periodic inspection reports and a record of the applicable cadence. Given the long frequency, five years in most cases, the greatest risk is precisely forgetting the deadline, which recurs years apart.

A management tool such as AmministraPro lets you record the earthing system with its frequency, attach reports and the declaration of conformity, and receive a reminder as the inspection approaches, even five years later. The features are described on /funzioni and the plans on /prezzi.

Frequently asked questions