Team Advisory

Q18 and Q19: APSAD standards for electrical safety

Q18: visual and functional inspection of electrical installations

Q18 is not a legal obligation, it is a contractual lever: many landlords require an up-to-date one upon lease renewal, well beyond articles R4226-1 et seq. of the Labour Code. Q18 organises the annual inspection of electrical installations with a report structured around 6 mandatory elements. Q19 targets electrical panels through infrared thermography, to detect the overheating that precedes arcing. These 2 CNPP standards, often presented as technical, are in fact real estate and insurance negotiation assets for CFOs, Asset Managers and property directors.

The CNPP (Centre National de Prévention et de Protection) Q18 standard covers the annual inspection of the fire and explosion risk of electrical origin across all installations of a tertiary establishment. The Q18 report incorporates 6 mandatory elements:

identified fire or explosion hazards;
degree of novelty of each hazard;
handling of observations from the previous inspection;
assessment of the fire and explosion risk factor;
report on the evolution of the installation;
inspection conditions.

Q19 targets electrical panels through infrared thermography, to reveal abnormal overheating that precedes arcing. The 2 certificates are issued by a CNPP-approved inspection body. The Q18-Q19 framework differs from 2 obligations of the Labour Code (Title II, employer): the periodic inspection of electrical installations, focused on electric shock to personnel, and the initial inspection before commissioning provided for by article R4226-1.

Our reading differs from the profession’s usual presentation: Q18 and Q19 are not regulatory obligations in the strict sense, they are private CNPP standards. Confusing the 2 leads some operators to consider Q18 as redundant with the R4226-1 inspection, whereas the 2 frameworks have distinct purposes (electric shock to personnel for the Labour Code, fire risk for Q18). Across our recent portfolio, landlords frequently require an up-to-date Q18 at the time of lease renewal, particularly for internal data centres and floor plates larger than 500 m². This practice appears in discussions within the ARSEG facility management committee, without our having access to a published quantified statistic.

Is Q18 mandatory for a tertiary establishment?

Q18 is not a regulatory obligation within the meaning of the Labour Code: it is a private CNPP standard. The legal obligation rests on article R4226-1 (initial inspection) and the periodic inspection of electrical installations. Q18 becomes contractually mandatory as soon as the lease or the insurance contract requires it, a frequent requirement upon lease renewals.