Key takeaways

• EIT’s free compliance self-checks help facilities, estates, compliance and operations teams sense-check common building services responsibilities.
• The four areas covered are Building Services, Fixed-Wire Electrical Safety, Fire Alarm Compliance and Emergency Lighting Compliance.
• The self-checks focus on records, responsibilities, testing routines, servicing visibility and follow-up actions.
• They are useful before internal reviews, inspections, service visits, handovers and budget discussions.
• They are not formal inspections, certifications or legal advice, but they can help you identify where further action may be needed.

Quick answer

EIT’s free compliance self-checks are short, practical assessments for four common areas where uncertainty can build across commercial and public sector sites: building services, fixed-wire electrical safety, fire alarm compliance and emergency lighting. They are designed for facilities managers, estates teams, compliance leads, operations managers and business owners who want to check whether records, testing routines, servicing responsibilities and follow-up actions are clear. You can complete the most relevant self-check, identify possible weak points, then decide whether the next step is internal action, improved documentation or support from a qualified engineer.

Why has EIT created these compliance self-checks?

Many compliance issues do not start with a major failure. They often begin with smaller gaps that become harder to manage over time.

A missing certificate.
An unclear remedial action.
A service record held by the wrong person.
A testing routine that depends on one member of staff.
A contractor visit that happened, but was never properly followed up.

These are the types of gaps that can leave facilities and estates teams exposed when records are requested, systems fail, responsibilities change or an inspection is due.

EIT has created four free compliance self-checks to help site teams review their current position across:

• Building Services
• Fixed-Wire Electrical Safety
• Fire Alarm Compliance
• Emergency Lighting Compliance

These tools are not designed to replace formal inspection, testing, servicing or certification. They are a practical first step for teams that want to understand whether their current process is clear, visible and manageable.

HSE guidance is clear that electrical systems and equipment should be maintained so they do not present danger, and that inspection and testing should be considered based on the equipment, environment and previous results.

Why this matters

Compliance problems often begin with poor visibility, not obvious failure. A short self-check can help you catch uncertainty before it becomes a bigger operational or safety issue.

Who are these compliance self-checks for?

These self-checks are mainly for people who have responsibility, oversight or influence across commercial, education, hospitality, industrial, public sector or managed estate environments.

They are especially useful for:

• Facilities Managers
• Estates Managers
• Compliance and Health & Safety leads
• Operations Managers
• Building Managers
• Property Managers
• Business owners responsible for commercial premises
• Team members who manage maintenance records, testing or contractor follow-up

They are also useful where responsibility is shared across more than one person or department. In many organisations, the issue is not that nothing is being done. It is that information is spread across emails, folders, contractor reports, historic certificates and individual team members.

GOV.UK guidance on workplace fire safety explains that the responsible person for non-domestic premises may include an employer, owner, landlord, occupier or anyone with control of the premises, such as a facilities manager, building manager or managing agent.

If a particular area belongs to someone else internally, the relevant self-check can simply be forwarded to that person.

Which self-check should you use first?

Start with the area where visibility is weakest today.

Ask yourself: if someone asked for the latest records, servicing evidence, testing dates and follow-up actions now, which area would be hardest to explain clearly?

That is usually the best place to begin.

If you are responsible for more than one area, the Building Services self-check is often a sensible starting point. It gives a broader view before you move into a more specific assessment.

What does each self-check help you review?

Each self-check is designed to focus on practical compliance management rather than technical detail alone.

The aim is to help you understand whether the right information is visible, current and owned by the right people.

Building Services Compliance Risk Assessment

The Building Services Compliance Risk Assessment is useful when you need a broader view across a building, site or estate.

It is particularly relevant where several people, contractors or departments are involved in maintenance, servicing, inspection or remedial works.

It helps you review whether:

• Records are spread across emails, folders and different people
• Ownership of actions is clear
• Contractor follow-up is visible
• Planned maintenance responsibilities are understood
• You could pull together key information quickly if asked
• Current processes feel controlled rather than reactive

Related EIT page: Compliance Self-Assessments
Related EIT service page: Services

Fixed-Wire Electrical Safety Risk Assessment

The Fixed-Wire Electrical Safety Risk Assessment focuses on electrical inspection and testing responsibilities, including EICR visibility and follow-up.

Fixed-wire testing can appear under control until someone asks for the latest report, the next due date, the status of remedial action, or evidence that previous observations were closed out.

It helps you review whether:

• Fixed-wire testing is being tracked properly
• Reports are easy to access
• Remedial actions have clear ownership
• Follow-up evidence is being stored
• Testing dates are not relying on memory
• Electrical compliance responsibilities are understood

EIT’s Inspection and Testing Services page explains that inspection and testing should provide documented evidence of compliance, highlight risks and prioritise remedial action.

Related EIT page: Inspection and Testing Services

Fire Alarm Compliance Risk Assessment

The Fire Alarm Compliance Risk Assessment is for sites where the key issue is not simply whether a fire alarm system exists, but whether the servicing, testing, records and follow-up are being managed properly.

It helps you review whether:

• Fire alarm servicing is current
• Routine testing is understood
• Logbooks and records are organised
• Follow-up actions are visible
• Contractors’ recommendations have been reviewed
• The people responsible understand what needs to happen next

EIT’s Fire Alarm service page covers design, installation, testing, compliance, regular maintenance, fault finding and management of technical documentation and records.

Related EIT page: Commercial Fire Alarm Installation

Emergency Lighting Compliance Risk Assessment

The Emergency Lighting Compliance Risk Assessment is useful where emergency lighting records, testing routines or follow-up actions need a clearer review.

Emergency lighting is easy to overlook until an inspection, fire risk assessment review or service visit highlights missing information.

It helps you review whether:

• Testing routines are clear
• Records are easy to find
• Responsibilities are understood
• Faults are being followed up
• Annual testing and servicing evidence is visible
• Emergency lighting is being managed as part of wider life safety responsibilities

BAFE guidance explains that premises may be required to install and maintain suitable emergency lighting under fire safety legislation, with BS 5266 providing recommendations for emergency lighting systems.

Related EIT page: Emergency Lighting Installation

Why this matters

The real test is not whether work happened at some point. It is whether dates, records, actions and responsibilities are clear and easy to evidence when needed.

A quick checklist before you begin

Use this checklist before completing any of the four self-checks:

• Choose the self-check most relevant to your current responsibility
• Make sure the right internal person is completing it
• Have a rough idea of where records, certificates or service information are stored
• Think about who owns follow-up actions if issues are identified
• Be honest about uncertainty, this is usually where the value sits
• Decide what you will do if the self-check highlights possible gaps
• Share the result internally if another person owns the next step
• Use the relevant EIT service page if you need more context
• Speak to EIT if you need site-specific support

This should only take a few minutes, but it will make the result more useful.

When should you use a self-check for compliance?

A self-check is useful whenever you need a clearer view of whether a compliance process is under control.

Common trigger points include:

• Preparing for an internal review
• Getting ready for a service visit
• Checking records before an inspection
• Reviewing responsibilities after a staff change
• Taking over a new site or building
• Preparing for a landlord, tenant, insurer or auditor query
• Reviewing remedial actions after previous testing
• Planning budgets for maintenance or compliance works
• Sense-checking whether a contractor process is working properly

A self-check is also useful when you are not ready for a full conversation yet. Sometimes the first step is simply to understand whether the current approach feels robust or uncertain.

Why this matters

A practical self-check can create the clarity needed for action. It helps turn vague concern into something specific enough to review, prioritise and fix.

What should you do after completing a self-check?

Your next step depends on what the self-check shows.

In some cases, it may confirm that your current approach is clear and well-managed. In others, it may show that the main issue is not the system itself, but visibility around records, responsibilities, dates or follow-up.

A sensible next step may be to:

• Tidy up internal records
• Clarify ownership across teams
• Check whether service or testing dates are overdue
• Review previous remedial actions
• Gather missing certificates or reports
• Book the relevant inspection, servicing or maintenance support
• Ask EIT to review the position with you
• Use the result as a discussion point in a compliance, estates or budget meeting

Specific requirements depend on your building type, system design, maintenance responsibilities and risk assessment. Contact EIT for site-specific advice.

Find out more

Use the free compliance self-check most relevant to your site:

• Building Services Compliance Risk Assessment
• Fixed-Wire Electrical Safety Risk Assessment
• Fire Alarm Compliance Risk Assessment
• Emergency Lighting Compliance Risk Assessment

Visit the EIT website for further information

Explore the relevant EIT service pages, review your options and speak to EIT if you need practical support with inspection, testing, servicing or remedial follow-up.

FAQs

1. What are EIT’s compliance self-checks for?
   They are free, short assessments designed to help facilities, estates, compliance and operations teams sense-check whether key compliance areas are being managed clearly. They focus on practical issues such as records, responsibilities, testing visibility and follow-up actions.
2. Are the compliance self-checks free to complete?
   Yes. All four self-checks are free to use. They are intended as practical tools for teams that want a clearer view of their current position before deciding what to do next.
3. Are these self-checks only for Facilities Managers?
   No. They are also useful for Estates Managers, Compliance and Health & Safety leads, Operations Managers, Building Managers, property owners, business owners and anyone responsible for maintenance records, testing or follow-up.
4. Do I need technical documents in front of me before starting?
   Not necessarily. The self-checks are designed to help you review your current visibility, even if you only have partial information. Having access to records, certificates or service history will make the result more useful.
5. Should I complete all four self-checks?
   Only if all four areas are relevant to your site or responsibilities. If you are unsure, start with the area where records, dates or follow-up actions are least clear today.
6. Are these self-checks a substitute for formal inspection, testing or servicing?
   No. They are general internal sense-checks, not formal audits, certifications, inspections or legal advice. They help you identify whether further review or practical support may be needed.
7. What if a self-check highlights possible gaps?
   That can be a useful result. It may show where records need organising, responsibilities need clarifying or follow-up actions need reviewing. From there, you can decide whether the next step is internal action or external support.
8. Can I send a self-check to someone else in my organisation?
   Yes. If the area sits with another colleague, contractor manager or compliance lead, you can send them the relevant self-check directly.
9. Which self-check should I start with if I am unsure?
   Start with the area that has the least visibility today. If responsibility is broad or shared, the Building Services Compliance Risk Assessment is usually a sensible first step.
10. Can EIT help after I complete a self-check?
    Yes. You can review the relevant EIT service information, ask a compliance question or speak to EIT about inspection, testing, servicing, maintenance or remedial follow-up.

Sources and further reading

• HSE, Electrical inspection and testing guidance
• HSE, Introduction to electrical safety
• GOV.UK, Fire safety in the workplace, who is responsible
• GOV.UK, Guide for persons with duties under fire safety legislation
• BAFE, Emergency lighting system guidance
• BS 5266 – Emergency Lighting – Code of Practice | BSI
• EIT, Choose a Compliance Self-Assessment
• EIT, Inspection and Testing Services
• EIT, Commercial Fire Alarm Installation
• EIT, Emergency Lighting Installation