Regulations
All new electrical work within a domestic setting must comply with Part P of the Building Regulations in England and Wales introduced on 1 January 2005, which are legally enforceable. One way of achieving this is to apply British Standard BS7671 (the "Wiring Regulations"), including carrying out adequate inspection and testing to this standard of the completed works. British Standard BS 7671 (the "Wiring Regulations") is not statutory, thus someone doing electrical work is allowed to deviate from the wiring regulations to some degree, but it is generally accepted that it is best to follow the wiring regulations to the highest standard possible. Put simply, any electrical work that is installed may not have to be compliant with BS7671,but it if a casualty or fatality may occur due to said electrical work, then one must explain why one has deviated from BS7671.
Some of the restrictions introduced with Part P were controversial, especially the rules surrounding work carried out by unregistered people such as DIYers. Under the new regulations, commencement of any work other than simple changes becomes notifiable to the local building control authority; "other than simple" in this context means any work in a kitchen or bathroom other than like-for-like replacement, work in other areas more than just adding extra lights or sockets to an existing circuit or meeting certain other criteria, such as outdoor wiring.
To coincide with the new regulations, the Government approved several professional bodies to award "competent persons" status to enterprises which meet the minimum agreed criteria for Scheme entry:
(The minimum criteria for Scheme entry is set by the EAS Committee, on which all of the commercial enterprises running Competent Persons Schemes are actively represented).
Scheme membership allows an enterprise to "self-certify" work that they carry out without the requirement to have undergone any formal installation training or to hold relevant qualifications in electrical installation practices - since practical competence can be assessment-based only.
The building control authority must be informed of any notifiable work carried out by someone not registered under this scheme before it is started (unless it is an emergency) and must subsequently be approved by them. Originally, it was widely understood that inspection by a qualified person (leading to authority approval) must be organised and paid for by the home-owner or person responsible for the site and this caused some considerable criticism.
On 6 April 2006, Part P was amended to clarify the actual requirements around certification of DIY work (or work completed by someone otherwise unable to self-certify) and to "make enforcement more proportionate to the risk".
The 2006 amendment makes it clear that it is the responsibility of the building control authority to issue the necessary certificate (a Building Regulations Completion Certificate) once work has been completed. Any inspection required to safely issue that certificate must be determined by, and paid for by, the building control authority. This can be done "in house" or they may contract the work out to specialist body. Note that although any inspections are at the expense of the building authority, notification of building work is a formal process and a building control fee is payable.
In some cases the installation of 12V downlighters is notifiable whereas the installation of 230V mains downlighters is not. This is because 12V downlighters draw high currents, in comparison with a mains voltage lamp with the same power rating, and that combined with the wrong choice of cable could lead to a fire.
Additionally, whilst the Building Regulations apply equally to anyone carrying out electrical work in dwellings, without adequate knowledge and test equipment it is not possible to ensure that the work carried out is safe. Registered Scheme members must issue appropriate certification, yet the householder will almost certainly be unable to.
Another element of confusion is that the term "Special Locations" has different meanings in Part P of the Building Regulations and BS7671 (the "Wiring Regulations").
Read more about this topic: Electrical Wiring In The United Kingdom
Famous quotes containing the word regulations:
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—Karl Wilhelm Von Humboldt (1767–1835)
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—Lydia Jane Pierson, U.S. women’s rights activist and corresponding editor of The Woman’s Advocate. The Woman’s Advocate, represented in The Lily, pp. 117-8 (1855-1858 or 1860)
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—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)