Industrial electrical fault finding and maintenance
In short
An electrical request should name the affected equipment or installation, describe the fault or planned work, and say when the site can be accessed. This guide is for businesses arranging work at plants and commercial buildings, with a tool that writes an editable request.
Fault finding, installation or planned maintenance?
A useful request usually starts with the work you want: finding a fault, making an addition to an installation, or arranging planned maintenance. Name the plant or commercial building and describe the part of the site involved.
- For fault finding, say what stopped or tripped, when it happens and which equipment was operating. Include the exact alarm wording if you can read it without opening equipment.
- For installation work, describe what you want added or changed, the location and any drawings or site specifications you can provide.
- For planned maintenance, name the equipment or installation, previous inspection records and the shutdown window. Say whether you want a single visit or an ongoing arrangement.
- This guide is for buying work at a business site. For household work, training, licence applications or employment, use the route that fits that need.
Name the installation and the affected equipment
The Electrical Installation Regulations define an installation's boundary in relation to the supply terminals of machinery. Work on an installation and an internal machine repair are not automatically the same scope. Describe the board, circuit or machine involved and ask the supplier to confirm the scope.[1]
Schneider Electric's molded-case breaker maintenance guidance considers the device's application, condition and operating environment. A request can usefully name the affected board or line and describe the conditions when the fault occurs.[2]
Describe the fault without guessing its cause
An electrician usually needs the observation and the operating conditions. The manufacturer guidance below is for molded-case circuit breakers, not a diagnosis of your site's fault. Use it to describe the request; leave inspections and testing to the person doing the work.[2]
| What happened | Details to include | Example wording |
|---|---|---|
| Breaker keeps tripping | Which board or circuit, what was running and when the trip occurs. | The packaging line trips when the second conveyor starts. |
| Equipment has no power | The affected equipment and whether other equipment on the site is affected. | One production line has no power; the adjacent line is operating. |
| Intermittent fault or alarm | The exact indication, when it appears and any recent change you know about. | The warning appears during the afternoon shift. We can provide the alarm text. |
| Visible damage or heat marks | What you can observe without opening the enclosure and the equipment's location. | We can see heat marks on the board enclosure. Please assess the equipment before work resumes. |
Supply details, access and shutdowns
A business usually includes the details the site already knows. Say whether the supply is single-phase or three-phase if known; otherwise say you are not sure. Add site rules, access hours and any available shutdown window.
- Mention other power sources such as a standby generator when describing the work. Schneider's breaker guidance requires qualified personnel to consider backfeeding and control power as well as the main supply during maintenance.[2]
- Use the manual for the actual equipment when asking for a maintenance scope. Schneider notes that inspection frequency depends on the application, operating conditions and environment.[2]
- Offer drawings, a nameplate photograph or earlier inspection records if your site has them. State any induction and permit requirements before the supplier arranges a visit.
Build your electrical request
Answer a few questions and this tool writes a clear request you can send to an electrician, or post on Headcore. You can change every word.
Say what the work involves and where it must be done. For a fault, describe what happened and what was operating at the time. For planned work, describe the scope, access conditions and available shutdown window.
Why each detail helps
- The fault: What trips, fails or overheats, how often, and since when.
- The installation: The board, the machine or the area, and its supply.
- Paperwork: A certificate of compliance or a test report after the work, if you need one.
- Where and when: The town, access to the site, and when the work can be done.
Need an electrician urgently.
We need electrical fault finding at our plant. Affected equipment or work: packaging line distribution board. The breaker keeps tripping. Supply: three-phase. Site details or shutdown window: Trips when the second conveyor starts. The site is in Wadeville. This is urgent; please say when you can attend.
Electrical installation work and the CoC
For installations covered by the Electrical Installation Regulations, electrical installation work must be under the general control of a registered person. Only a registered person may issue an electrical Certificate of Compliance (CoC), with its test report.[1]
- For an addition or alteration to an installation that has a CoC, the regulations require a CoC for at least that addition or alteration. Ask who will issue it and what work it will cover.[1]
- The person who undertakes electrical installation work must ensure the CoC is issued. The intended recipient can ask to see the issuing person's registration certificate.[1]
- The user or lessor has responsibility for installation safety and maintenance under the regulations, with provision for a written transfer of responsibility to a lessee. Agree the site's responsibilities before arranging work.[1]
Questions to ask before work starts
Buyers usually confirm the scope and the site's practical arrangements before work starts.
- Which equipment or part of the installation will you inspect, and what information do you need from us first?
- Who arranges the shutdown, permits and access, and how will the work fit the available window?
- What findings and test records will you provide after the visit?
- Does the proposed work involve the electrical installation, internal machine repairs, or both? Please identify any certification work separately.
How Headcore helps with this work
Keep your usual electrician in the mix. Headcore helps you find additional companies that can do this work.
- 01
Describe the fault or the work
Start in your own words. You review the request before anything is posted.
- 02
Reach companies that do this work
Companies that do industrial and commercial electrical work and serve your area see the job. Each decides for itself whether to respond.
- 03
Choose who to speak with
Compare how they would approach it, reveal your company only to the ones you choose, and deal with them directly.
Questions buyers ask
Who sees my request?
Companies that do this specific work, within reach of your site. They see the job. Whether they also see your company name is your choice: you can stay anonymous until you pick who to talk to.
What if nobody responds?
Your request reaches companies that do this work within minutes. Each decides for itself whether to respond, so we cannot promise responses. If the work cannot wait, contact your usual suppliers as well.
What does it cost to post a request?
Posting a request is free. A supplier pays one token when it decides your request is worth answering. What you agree about the work is between you and the supplier.
Can I ask for planned electrical maintenance?
Yes. Describe the site, what the maintenance should cover and how often. Suppliers respond to the work as you describe it, and you agree the terms with the one you choose.
Does Headcore do the work?
No. Headcore is a matching system: it puts your request in front of companies that do this work, and you deal with the supplier directly. Keep your usual suppliers; use Headcore when they cannot help, or when the job is outside what they do.
What if I do not know whether the supply is three-phase?
Say you are not sure. Describe the affected equipment, what happened and where it is. Ask the supplier to confirm the supply and scope before doing the work.
Start with what you know.
Answer a few questions and get a request ready to send, to your own repairer or on Headcore.
Build your requestSources
- Department of Labour, Electrical Installation Regulations, 2009 (GN R.242), 6 March 2009.
- Schneider Electric, Field Testing and Maintenance Guide, Section 2: Visual Inspection and Preventive Maintenance, accessed October 2026.
Last checked: October 6, 2026