Inspection, Maintenance and Electrical Safety Inspection Rules under § 7 NV 190/2022 Sb.: the document that sets inspection intervals

Under § 2 písm. d) nařízení vlády č. 190/2022 Sb., the inspection, maintenance and electrical safety inspection rules form part of the operating documentation. In this document, the operator of reserved electrical equipment defines the requirements, intervals, procedures, rules and records for safety verification, maintenance, inspections, repairs and alterations, including preventive maintenance. Under § 7 odst. 1, this document is also a prerequisite for operating the equipment: the equipment may be operated only if its condition has been verified through inspections, tests, checks and electrical safety inspections performed within the intervals set by the rules under odstavec 5—which “must be prepared for this purpose”.

A typical phone call to our office sounds rather different. A company asks how long its electrical safety inspection remains valid, but all it has is an inspection report stating a recommended date and nothing else. It does not have the document from which the intervals are derived under the wording of the regulation, and in most cases it has never even heard of it—even though it is specified directly in the provision that makes the operation of the equipment conditional upon it.

What the inspection, maintenance and electrical safety inspection rules actually are

The definition in § 2 písm. d) is lengthy, but it contains almost everything that matters: the rules mean a part of the operating documentation through which a legal entity or a self-employed individual operating reserved electrical equipment defines the requirements, intervals, procedures, rules and records for safety verification, maintenance, inspections, repairs and alterations of that equipment, including preventive maintenance.

Three points in that sentence deserve emphasis.

It is your document, not the technician’s. The operator—the person or entity operating the equipment—is the subject of the definition. The electrical safety inspection report is produced by the inspection technician; the rules are produced within your organisation.

It forms part of the operating documentation. It belongs in the same file as electrical safety inspection reports and repair records. We explain what else should be included in our article on accompanying and operating documentation for electrical equipment.

It covers more than electrical safety inspections. The definition lists safety verification, maintenance, inspections, repairs and alterations, and expressly includes preventive maintenance. A document containing only a table of electrical safety inspection dates therefore does not meet this definition of the rules. The difference becomes apparent when someone asks what happened to the equipment between two electrical safety inspections.

The terms used in the definition are not open to arbitrary interpretation. Section § 2 písm. c) explains what an inspection is: verification that the selected equipment is suitable for the operating conditions, that it has been properly installed and operated, and that the manufacturer’s requirements have been followed; it also includes a visual examination. This is not simply a walk-through with a torch, but a comparison of the equipment against the conditions in which it operates and the manufacturer’s instructions.

Four things the rules must specify under § 7 odst. 5

The regulation does not leave the required content to discretion. Under § 7 odst. 5, the rules must specify:

1. Individual inspection, testing and maintenance tasks, including preventive maintenance—taking account of the manufacturer’s requirements, occupational health and safety regulations, and operating conditions (§ 7 odst. 5 písm. a).
2. Regular intervals for these tasks (písm. b). Note the distinction: these are not electrical safety inspection intervals, but intervals for inspections, tests and maintenance. The rules must contain both—two separate sets of deadlines.
3. The method of recording the results of inspections, tests and maintenance, as well as identified and rectified defects (písm. c). The regulation does not prescribe the format; it requires the rules to define how records will be kept: who records what, where it is recorded, and how it can be verified that a defect has been rectified.
4. Electrical safety inspection intervals in accordance with příloha č. 4 (písm. d).

The first point explains why these rules cannot simply be copied from elsewhere: the tasks must be defined according to the manufacturer’s requirements and the operating conditions—in other words, according to the manuals for the specific switchboards, machines and power sources you use and the environment in which they operate. A generic template found online cannot describe this part correctly.

How the rules determine a specific electrical safety inspection interval

The mechanism has three steps, each contained in a different provision.

First comes příloha č. 4: under § 7 odst. 5 písm. d), the electrical safety inspection intervals specified in the rules must comply with it. The annex provides the framework within which the rules operate. We discuss its table of maximum intervals and the associated provisions in our article on electrical installation inspection intervals, so we will not reproduce it here.

Next come the rules themselves: this is where the interval is recorded for your specific equipment and premises. Without this step, the annex remains merely a framework into which anyone could insert whatever suits them.

Finally, there is the accompanying documentation. Under § 7 odst. 2, if it specifies a regular electrical safety inspection or check interval shorter than the one stated in the rules, the interval in the accompanying documentation must be followed. A shorter interval set by the manufacturer therefore takes precedence over the rules—and this only works in one direction. This is why the manuals must be located before anyone begins drafting the rules. We demonstrated the same mechanism for photovoltaic systems in our article on periodic electrical safety inspections of photovoltaic systems.

The same odstavec 2 also addresses the relationship with another document: the rules may form part of the preventive maintenance rules, if such rules have been issued. A company may or may not have such a document; if it does, it does not need to maintain two separate documents. The consequences for the length of the intervals are part of the rules in příloha č. 4 and are explained in the article on inspection intervals mentioned above.

Who prepares the rules

The definition in § 2 písm. d) assigns responsibility for the document to the operator: it is the document through which the operator “defines” the requirements and intervals. These are the operator’s decisions and responsibility, not merely a supplier’s deliverable.

In practice, however, the operator needs two inputs it cannot produce alone: the manufacturer’s requirements from the accompanying documentation, to which § 7 odst. 5 písm. a) refers, and sufficient knowledge of the installation to decide what should constitute a separate task and how frequently it should be performed. The rules are therefore created jointly: the operator issues them, while the electrical inspection technician supplies the technical content.

The regulation mentions one other role in connection with the rules: under § 7 odst. 7, the decision on whether temporary reserved electrical equipment needs to remain in operation is made by the person responsible for the electrical equipment. The appointment of responsible persons is a separate topic that we will cover elsewhere; for the purposes of the rules, the important point is that your organisation should clearly identify who makes these decisions.

What happens if the rules are missing

The answer lies in the structure of § 7 odst. 1. Operation is conditional on the equipment’s condition having been verified within the intervals specified by the rules under odstavec 5, and the regulation adds that the rules “must be prepared for this purpose”. If the rules are missing, so is the basis from which the intervals are derived:

• A recommended date in an electrical safety inspection report does not replace the rules. Under § 7 odst. 4, the electrical inspection technician prepares the report after completing the inspection, in accordance with § 10. It documents the condition of the equipment and provides a basis for planning, but it is not the document to which § 7 odst. 1 ties the intervals.
• There is no defined system for recording defects. Under § 7 odst. 5 písm. c), the rules must establish records of identified and rectified defects. Without such a system, defects listed in an electrical safety inspection report are often “resolved” by simply filing the report away.
• Inspection and maintenance intervals are not documented anywhere. Companies remember electrical safety inspection dates because they receive an invoice. There is no equivalent reminder for inspections, tests and preventive maintenance between formal electrical safety inspections.

The penalties that may apply when equipment is operated without these rules are governed by legislation other than the provisions cited here, so we will not offer a blanket answer.

How to maintain and update the rules

The rules form part of the operating documentation, so they evolve with the equipment rather than the calendar year. They should be updated when:

• New equipment is installed or the scope of the installation changes. The definition in § 2 písm. d) includes both repairs and alterations, so an alteration to the electrical distribution system should trigger an immediate update.
• Operating conditions change. Under § 7 odst. 5 písm. a), tasks and intervals must be set with those conditions in mind. If an office becomes a warehouse or a workshop becomes a paint shop, the conditions have changed and the rules must be revised.
• Accompanying documentation specifying a shorter interval is found. Under § 7 odst. 2, the manufacturer’s interval then applies, and the rules should reflect the actual requirements.
• It becomes clear that nobody follows the rules. A document prescribing tasks that are never performed is worse than having no document at all.

There is also one item that § 7 odst. 5 does not list among the required contents but which should nevertheless be included: the procedure under § 7 odst. 8. If equipment is found to be in a condition that poses an immediate threat to occupational or operational safety, the regulation requires it to be disconnected from the power supply immediately and secured against unintended reconnection; if that is not possible, repairs must be arranged without undue delay. The questions of who is authorised to do this in your organisation and whom they must notify should not be left to be worked out during an incident.

Suggested outline: what the rules should contain and what you must add yourself

The following is an outline, not a template. It deliberately contains no figures: the deadlines and intervals must be derived from příloha č. 4, the accompanying documentation for your equipment and the operating conditions. A pre-filled template would therefore describe someone else’s operation.

1. Who issues the rules and what they cover. The operator and an inventory of the equipment and premises covered by the rules (§ 2 písm. d).
2. Supporting documents. Accompanying documentation for individual items of equipment, as-built documentation and a description of operating conditions—the inputs needed for everything that follows.
3. Inspection, testing and maintenance tasks for individual items or groups of equipment, including preventive maintenance, with references to the manufacturer’s requirements (§ 7 odst. 5 písm. a). Remember that under § 2 písm. c), an inspection also includes verifying whether the selected equipment is suitable for the operating conditions.
4. Intervals for these tasks (§ 7 odst. 5 písm. b)—separate from electrical safety inspection intervals.
5. Electrical safety inspection intervals in accordance with příloha č. 4, with a note that a shorter interval in the accompanying documentation takes precedence under § 7 odst. 2 (odst. 5 písm. d).
6. The method of recording the results of inspections, tests and maintenance, and records of identified and rectified defects: who makes each entry, where it is recorded and who verifies that the defect has been closed (§ 7 odst. 5 písm. c).
7. Procedure upon discovering a condition that poses an immediate safety threat under § 7 odst. 8: who disconnects the equipment and whom they notify.
8. Temporary equipment—who in your organisation is the person responsible for the electrical equipment and, under § 7 odst. 7, decides whether it may remain in operation.
9. Relationship with the preventive maintenance rules, if such rules have been issued, and the possible consolidation of the two documents under § 7 odst. 2.
10. Validity and updates. The date of issue, who approved the rules and which changes require them to be revised.

The rules do not need to define the scope of the electrical safety inspection itself. Under § 7 odst. 3, an inspection and test must be performed during the electrical safety inspection to the extent specified in příloha č. 1, unless the manufacturer has specified different or additional requirements; an item is not required if it is technically impracticable or not relevant to verifying safety.

Once the rules are complete, turn them into a schedule for the year ahead together with all other deadlines. The procedure is explained in our article on the 2027 electrical safety inspection plan.

Sources for this article

• Electrical installation inspections – a service provided by SOHE.
• Electrical installation inspection intervals under ČSN 33 1500 – the table of maximum intervals from příloha č. 4 and the accompanying rules specified in the annex.
• Accompanying and operating documentation for electrical equipment – where the rules belong and what else should be kept with them.
• 2027 electrical safety inspection plan – how to turn the rules into a schedule for the entire year.
• Nařízení vlády č. 190/2022 Sb. – on reserved technical electrical equipment and requirements for ensuring its safety. The cited provisions are § 2 písm. c) and d) (inspection and the definition of the rules), § 7 odst. 1 (condition for operation), odst. 2 (combining the document with the preventive maintenance rules and the precedence of a shorter interval in the accompanying documentation), odst. 3 (scope of the electrical safety inspection), odst. 4 (electrical safety inspection report under § 10), odst. 5 (contents of the rules), odst. 7 and 8, and příloha č. 4. Version effective from 1 July 2024.

This article is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. The specific inspection, maintenance and electrical safety inspection arrangements must be established according to the actual operation, the manufacturer’s documentation, the operating environment and the risk assessment.

Do you lack inspection, maintenance and electrical safety inspection rules, or do you only have a document containing a table of electrical safety inspection dates? We will review your equipment and manufacturers’ documents with you, prepare rules containing the points required by § 7 odst. 5 nařízení vlády č. 190/2022 Sb., and link them to your electrical installation inspections and defect records. Request a no-obligation quotation or email info@sohe.cz—all we need to begin is an approximate list of your premises and equipment.