Part P of the Building Regulations
From 1 January 2005, anybody carrying out
electrical installation work in dwellings in England and Wales has
been required to make 'reasonable provision in the design,
installation, inspection and testing' of this work to protect
persons against fire or injury.
Part P has been introduced due to the number
of electrical accidents in the home, and cowboys operating in the
domestic marketplace. Until now there's been
no control over such rogue traders in domestic electrical
installation.Part P aims to tighten up electrical safety in the
home by clamping down on the cowboys and on homeowners doing DIY
electrical work.
Fires, Accidents and
Deaths
Despite the fact that faulty electrics result
in fires, electric shock and deaths, until Janaury
2005 electrical installations in the home were
not subject to statutory Building Regulations, so employing
bona fide qualified electricians, and electrical contractors
such as those who are members of the ECA and NICEIC for all
electrical work was left to the common sense of the
homeowner.
However, Amicus has called for a government
rethink on Part P to drive out the cowboys once and for all, and
establish proper recognition for qualified electricians. The union
is calling for the ECS gold card to be adopted as the standard for
those signing off work in dwellings, and furthermore that JIB/ECS
gold cardholders should be given the credit they deserve by the
ODPM. Click on the news links above for more details.
For details of the Amicus Electricians' Guide to Good
Electrical Practice, and Amicus Electricians' Guide to Inspection
and Testing
click
here
Related links and Part
P resources
To download approved document P (Part P) for
free go to:
For government information on the Building
Regulations go to:
Industry websites
www.jib.org.uk - The
Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry
www.niceic.org.uk - National
Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting
www.iee.org - The
Institute of Electrical Engineers IEE
