An earthing system inspection is due every five years, every two on building sites and in medical premises.
In Italy, the periodic inspection of the earthing system (also called grounding) is a duty of the employer, it's carried out by a third party, and it ends with a report. It isn't the maintenance an electrician does, and it isn't the notification to INAIL, Italy's work-injury insurance body: three different things that get mixed up all the time. Here is how often it's done, who carries it out, which date it counts from, what happens when it's overdue, and which documents to keep together.
How often the earthing system is inspected
Every five years. In Italy, DPR 462/2001, art. 4, places the regular maintenance of the system and the five-yearly periodic inspection on the employer, and separately lists the settings where the interval drops to two years: building sites, rooms used for medical purposes, and environments at greater fire risk. Electrical installations in places with an explosion hazard have their own article in the same decree, with the same two-year interval.
It's carried out by a third party — the ASL (local health authority) or ARPA (regional environmental protection agency) with jurisdiction over the site, or an authorised inspection body appointed by the Ministry, whichever the employer chooses — and it ends with a report. So it isn't the maintenance the company has its own electrician do: those measurements and checks help you get to the inspection without surprises, but they don't replace it and don't move its due date.
The decree refers to workplaces, not private homes: a shop with one employee is a workplace exactly like a warehouse, and the obligation is the same. Lightning protection systems — lightning rods — fall within the same scope too: the decree treats them together with the earthing system, on the same intervals.
Five years or two, depending on the setting
The interval doesn't depend on the type of system but on where it is. It's the line multi-site businesses miss most often: the same company can have an office on a five-year cycle and a building site on a two-year one.
| Where the system is | Periodic inspection | Who carries it out |
|---|---|---|
| Workplaces in general (offices, shops, warehouses, workshops) | every 5 years | ASL or ARPA, or an authorised inspection body |
| Building sites | every 2 years | ASL or ARPA, or an authorised inspection body |
| Rooms used for medical purposes | every 2 years | ASL or ARPA, or an authorised inspection body |
| Environments at greater fire risk | every 2 years | ASL or ARPA, or an authorised inspection body |
| Places with an explosion hazard | every 2 years, under the same decree's dedicated article | ASL or ARPA, or an authorised inspection body |
| Lightning protection (lightning rod) | the same as the site's earthing system: 5 years, or 2 in the settings above | ASL or ARPA, or an authorised inspection body |
Intervals under DPR 22 ottobre 2001 n. 462, art. 4. The inspection is chargeable and the cost falls on the employer, who chooses who to use. These are maximum intervals: the risk assessment or the condition of the system may suggest inspecting more often, never less.
From commissioning to the periodic inspection: who does what
The documentary life of an earthing system has four steps, plus ordinary maintenance. Only one of the four repeats on a fixed cycle, and it's the one that gets missed.
- 01
Declaration of conformity
at commissioning and after every modification
authorised installer (DM 37/2008)
- 02
Commissioning notification (the "denuncia")
once only, within 30 days of commissioning
employer, to INAIL and the ASL or ARPA
- 03
Periodic inspection
every 5 years, every 2 in the settings the decree lists
ASL or ARPA, or an authorised inspection body, whichever the employer chooses
- 04
Extraordinary inspection
on a negative outcome of the periodic one, a substantial change to the system, or the employer's request (art. 7)
ASL or ARPA, or an authorised inspection body
- 05
Maintenance and checks of the electrical system
under the in-house plan and good-practice standards
electrician or a competent person appointed by the employer
The installer's declaration of conformity counts as the system's approval (art. 2): there's no initial test by an authority to wait for before commissioning. If you use an authorised inspection body rather than the ASL or ARPA for the inspection, its name has to be reported to INAIL electronically: an obligation added to DPR 462/2001 by DL 162/2019, converted into legge 8/2020.
Which date it counts from
The first periodic inspection counts from the system's commissioning date, the one the installer's declaration of conformity attests and the notification to INAIL records. From then on it counts from the date of the last inspection: a report dated 12 November 2021, in an ordinary warehouse, puts the next one in November 2026. It isn't the calendar year that counts, and an inspection carried out late carries that slippage forward for the following five years.
Five years is enough time to change maintenance manager, consultant, or even premises: write the due date down the day the report arrives, together with the name of whoever carried out the inspection. It's also worth moving a few weeks ahead of the date, because response times from the ASL, the ARPA or the authorised inspection body vary a lot from area to area.
A substantial change to the system isn't just a site-work matter: it triggers a new declaration of conformity from the installer and is one of the cases in which art. 7 of DPR 462/2001 calls for an extraordinary inspection. It's worth treating it as an event that reopens the paperwork, not as just another job to note down at year-end.
"The electrician came round last year" is not a periodic inspection
The check an electrician you trust carries out on the electrical system and the periodic inspection under DPR 462/2001 are two different things, with two different documents and two different calendars: having the electrician's report doesn't mean having the inspection's. The second most common mix-up concerns the notification: sending the declaration of conformity to INAIL happens once only, at commissioning, and doesn't cover anything that comes after. The third is a belief common among small businesses — "it only applies to industry" — whereas the decree talks about workplaces, and an office with one employee is one.
What happens if the inspection is overdue
You carry out the periodic inspection late: there's no separate catch-up procedure. The extraordinary inspection under art. 7 is for something else — a negative outcome of the periodic one, a substantial change to the system, the employer's request — and isn't the way to get back up to date. Anyone who notices a few months late simply asks for the periodic inspection, and the count restarts from that date.
The duty to carry out periodic checks on electrical installations and lightning protection systems is restated in art. 86 of D.Lgs 81/2008, which also requires the outcome to be recorded in a report and kept available to the supervisory authority; the penalties for breaching it are in art. 87 of the same decree. No rule cuts the power the day after the deadline, but in an inspection — or after an accident — the first document asked for is the last report, and not having one is hard to explain.
If the report carries requirements, the due date isn't the only thing to watch: the requirements have to be carried out and documented, because they're the part of the report a supervisory body reads first. Closing them out means having it in writing what was done, when, and by whom — not just having done it.
What to keep, and where
The inspection takes half a day, the paperwork lasts five years. These are the documents the inspector asks for on the day of the visit, and that a supervisory body asks for in a check.
- The installer's declaration of conformity (DM 37/2008), with its compulsory attachments
- The receipt for the notification to INAIL and the ASL or ARPA, sent within 30 days of commissioning
- The reports of every inspection, periodic and extraordinary: not just the last one, but the system's whole history
- The requirements received and proof they were closed out, with the date and the name of whoever did the work
- The name of the authorised inspection body reported to INAIL, if you don't use the ASL or ARPA
- The system's drawings and the electrician's test reports: the inspector needs them on the day of the visit
- The date of the next inspection, worked out from the last report and written somewhere the next person will see it too
The report is the document, the date is the problem
Art. 4 of DPR 462/2001 requires the inspection outcome to be kept and produced on request, and art. 86 of D.Lgs 81/2008 requires the outcome of checks to be recorded in a report and kept available to the supervisory authority. Neither one says where: a folder is perfectly fine, as long as someone knows which one. Keeping the report in one place and the due date in another — a folder and a diary — is the simplest way to end up with only one of them when you need both.
This guide is informational material: it does not replace the standards cited, the manufacturer's manual or the judgement of a qualified technician. ToriSet organises deadlines and documents; it does not certify compliance.
Five years pass between one inspection and the next: the hard part isn't doing it, it's remembering it.
The report from the last inspection almost always exists. What's usually missing is the date of the next one, and the name of whoever needs to call it in.
The last inspection is a date on a report in a folder, to be dug up to find out when it's due
The system's record, with the report attached and the next inspection worked out from the last one
Five years is remembered by whoever was there: change the person in charge and the date goes with them
A shared log: whoever opens the record sees the last inspection, its outcome and who carried it out
The reminder is a note in a diary, or the inspection that turns up first
An email 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before, to you and to whoever needs to call the inspection body
Declaration of conformity, INAIL receipt and reports in three different folders
All attached to the system's record, where whoever has to show them can find them
What changes from one country to the next.
The notification to INAIL and the five-yearly report are an Italian form: elsewhere they don't exist under the same name. The underlying duty exists everywhere, though — a workplace's electrical installation has to be inspected periodically by someone competent to do it — and what changes is the source, the interval and who sets it. Below is the country-by-country picture; the source that counts remains the standard cited.
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Italy
References
DPR 462/2001, art. 2
At commissioning, the installer's declaration of conformity counts as the system's approval; within thirty days the employer sends it to INAIL and the ASL or ARPA with jurisdiction over the site.
DPR 462/2001, art. 4
Sets the periodic inspection every five years, every two for building sites, rooms used for medical purposes and environments at greater fire risk. It's carried out by the ASL or ARPA, or an authorised inspection body, at the employer's expense; the employer keeps the report and produces it on request.
DPR 462/2001, art. 7
Provides for an extraordinary inspection on a negative outcome of the periodic one, a substantial change to the system, or at the employer's request.
D.Lgs 81/2008, art. 86
Places the periodic check of electrical and lightning-protection installations on the employer, under good-practice standards, and requires the outcome to be recorded in a report and kept available to the supervisory authority. The penalties for breaching it are in art. 87.
Intervals
Commissioning notification
once only, within 30 days of commissioning
employer, to INAIL and the ASL or ARPA
Periodic inspection
every 5 years
ASL or ARPA, or an authorised inspection body
Periodic inspection in the settings the decree lists
every 2 years: building sites, rooms used for medical purposes, environments at greater fire risk, places with an explosion hazard
ASL or ARPA, or an authorised inspection body
Maintenance and checks of the electrical system
under the in-house plan and good-practice standards
electrician or a competent person appointed by the employer
NoteItaly is the only one of the four countries with an initial notification to an authority and a fixed interval written into the decree. If you use an authorised inspection body rather than the ASL or ARPA for the inspection, its name has to be reported to INAIL electronically.
France
References
Code du travail, art. R4226-14
Provides for an initial check of electrical installations at commissioning and after a structural change, carried out by an accredited body.
Code du travail, art. R4226-16
Requires the employer to have electrical installations periodically checked, to confirm they still meet the applicable safety rules.
Arrêté du 26 décembre 2011
Sets out the content, interval and competencies for checks on workplace electrical installations: the reference interval between two periodic checks is one year.
Intervals
Periodic check of the electrical installation
annual, under the arrêté of 26 December 2011
accredited body or qualified person, on the terms the arrêté sets
Initial check
at commissioning and after a structural change
accredited body
Maintenance and checks of the installation
under the company's in-house plan
qualified personnel
NoteFrance has no initial notification like the Italian one: the duty comes from the Code du travail and the interval from the arrêté of 26 December 2011, which also sets out the cases where the gap between two checks can be extended — the conditions are in the text of the arrêté, not in common practice. The check report has to be kept and made available, and any observations it contains have to be resolved without waiting for the next check.
Germany
References
DGUV Vorschrift 3
The accident-prevention regulation on electrical installations and equipment: it calls for a check before first commissioning, after modifications and repairs, and at recurring intervals, carried out by a qualified electrician (Elektrofachkraft). The Durchführungsanweisung (implementation guidance) sets out the reference intervals.
BetrSichV
The industrial safety ordinance: the interval between two checks is set by the employer's risk assessment, which has to be documented. It also governs checks in explosion-risk environments.
Intervals
Recurring check of fixed installations (ortsfeste Anlagen)
at intervals set by the risk assessment; the Durchführungsanweisung to DGUV Vorschrift 3 gives four years as the reference figure for fixed installations
qualified electrician (Elektrofachkraft)
Check before commissioning and after modifications or repairs
at every commissioning, modification or repair
qualified electrician (Elektrofachkraft)
Installations in explosion-risk areas
under the BetrSichV and the risk assessment
person qualified under the BetrSichV
NoteGermany has no single statutory interval for the earthing system: the interval comes from the risk assessment the employer documents, and the Durchführungsanweisung figures are reference points you can only tighten, never relax. Measuring the earthing is part of the electrical installation check, not a separate duty with its own dedicated authority.
Switzerland
References
NIV (Niederspannungs-Installationsverordnung, SR 734.27)
The low-voltage installations ordinance: it calls for a periodic check of the installation and the submission of a safety report, with control periods that depend on the type of installation.
OPI / VUV
The accident prevention ordinance: it places the duty to keep installations in working order on the employer, without itself setting an interval for the electrical installation.
Intervals
Periodic check of the installation
at intervals the NIV sets by type of installation; the request comes from the network operator when the control period is due
independent inspection body or authorised company
Safety report (Sicherheitsnachweis)
at the end of every control period and after work on the installation
owner of the installation, through the inspector
In-house checks
under the company's plan
qualified personnel
NoteIn Switzerland you don't keep the calendar yourself: when the control period is due, it's the network operator who asks for the safety report. Before settling on a plan, check which control period applies to your installation and what your network operator asks for.
What we get asked most.
How often is the earthing system inspection carried out?
Every five years in workplaces generally, every two years in building sites, rooms used for medical purposes and environments at greater fire risk; the same two-year interval applies to electrical installations in places with an explosion hazard, which DPR 462/2001 covers in its own article. The interval counts from the previous inspection, or from commissioning if it's the first one. Outside Italy the figure changes: in France the reference interval is annual, in Germany it's set by the risk assessment.
Who carries out the earthing system inspection?
The ASL or ARPA with jurisdiction over the site, or an authorised inspection body appointed by the Ministry: the choice is the employer's, who also covers the cost (DPR 462/2001, art. 4). Your own electrician can measure the system and keep it in working order, but the periodic inspection the decree requires is carried out by one of the bodies above and ends with a report. If you use an authorised inspection body, its name has to be reported to INAIL electronically.
When is the earthing system notification to INAIL made?
Once only, within thirty days of commissioning: the employer sends INAIL and the competent ASL or ARPA the declaration of conformity issued by the installer (DPR 462/2001, art. 2). That declaration counts as the system's approval, so there's no initial test by the authority to wait for. Today the notification to INAIL is sent electronically, through the online service dedicated to system inspections. The notification doesn't replace the periodic inspections: it's the point they count from.
What happens if the earthing system inspection is overdue?
You carry out the periodic inspection late: there's no separate procedure for catching up, and the extraordinary inspection under DPR 462/2001 is for something else — a negative outcome, a substantial change to the system, the employer's request. The duty to have electrical and lightning-protection installations periodically checked is set out in art. 86 of D.Lgs 81/2008, which also requires the outcome to be recorded in a report and kept available to the supervisory authority; the penalties for breaching it are in art. 87 of the same decree. In a check, the first document asked for is the last report.
Does the electrician's check replace the periodic inspection?
No, they're two different things with two different documents. The employer organises the electrical system's checks and maintenance under good-practice standards, and an electrician or a competent person can carry them out: they keep the system working properly and help you arrive at the inspection without surprises. The periodic inspection under DPR 462/2001 is carried out by the ASL, the ARPA or an authorised inspection body, ends with a report, and has its own due date, which in-house checks don't move.
Does ToriSet keep track of the inspection deadline for me?
ToriSet helps you keep to it. You record the system like any other asset — site, date of the last inspection, report attached — and the next due date works itself out from that date, five years or two depending on the setting, with reminders that arrive 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before, to you and to whoever needs to call the inspection body. The inspection itself remains the responsibility of the ASL, the ARPA or the authorised inspection body, and requesting it remains a duty of the employer.
Related guides
See them allFive years on, who's holding that report?
Put the earthing system in the record together with your machines and safety equipment: the next inspection is worked out from the last report, the reminder arrives in time, and the declaration of conformity stays attached to the right system. The inspection is carried out by whoever is authorised to do it; the date is yours to keep, without having to remember it.
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