Part P Electrical Installation

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According to Government statistics, each year on average 10 people die and about 750 are seriously injured in accidents involving unsafe electrical installations in the home.

To help address this issue, the government has decided that electrical safety requirements should be included in the Building Regulations.

Electrial Safety Requirements

• Since 1 January 2005 all electrical work in dwellings have to comply with Building Regulation ‘Part P’ requirements and be carried out by persons who are competent to do the work.
• Small jobs such as replacing a socket-outlet or a light switch on an existing circuit will not need to be notified to a building control body (although there will be some exceptions for high risk areas such as kitchens and bathrooms).
• All work that involves adding a new circuit to a dwelling will need to be either notified to building control, who will then inspect the work, or carried out by a competent person who is registered with a Part P Self-Certification Scheme.
• Persons registered with Part P Self-Certification Schemes will be fully qualified electrical contractors with the ability to thoroughly check a circuit for safety and be aware of other Building Regulation requirements that may impact on any particular installation. They will be able to issue Building Regulations Certificates of compliance and will have to give those details to the relevant Local Authority.
• Most jobs carried out by DIYers will be small jobs that do not need to be notified to building control, but they should still be checked by a competent electrician.

Self-Certification Schemes

The Government has approved schemes to be operated by:

• BRE Certification Limited
• British Standards Institution
• ELECSA Limited
• NICEIC Certification Services Limited
• Zurich Certification Ltd

These schemes are aimed at those carrying out electrical installation work as the primary activity of their business.