electrical safety

From the 1st January 2005 a new Building Regulation Part P came into force that controls the installation of electrical wiring and associated work in connection with dwellings. This means that the majority of electrical work carried out in and around dwellings should be notified and controlled under the Building Regulations.

There are two methods of compliance.

1. Government Competent Persons Scheme

The use of an electrician who is registered under a Part P Competent Persons Scheme and is able to carry out the work without the requirement to submit a Building Regulation application.

Register of Competent Persons (This link will open in a new window)

2. Building Regulation Submission

a. By the submission of a building regulation application and the use of a qualified electrician able to issue suitable documentation to BS7671 to ensure the requirements of Part P are met or.

b. By the submission of a Building Regulation application and work carried out by an unregistered electrician or DIY process that is inspected and tested by a qualified electrician able to issue suitable documentation to BS7671 as above.

Electricians Part P Competent Persons Schemes are run by:

BRE Certification Ltd
British Standards Institution
ELECSA Ltd
NAPIT Certification Ltd
NICEIC Certification Services

These cover the full scope of electrical work. There are other schemes for specific areas of competence run by CORGI, ELECSA Ltd, NAPIT Certification Ltd, NIC Certification Ltd and OFTEC Ltd.

Please ensure that your builder or electrician is aware of this new requirement and will provide you with the information you need to comply with the Building Regulations.