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The technical work of an electrical contractor is governed by industry standards and a legal framework. This section gives a brief overview of such standards and legislation to which electrical contractors must adhere to carry out their job properly.
Industry standards are voluntary codes of rules written by the industry to which they apply and approved by a nationally recognised body. They are aimed at simplifying the terminology, processes and procedures used within that particular industry.
Standards (whether International, European or British) do not form part of law, nor are they legally enforceable, except where they form part of a contract.
In a contract, the relevant standards will normally be stated as the standard of work required to fulfil the contract.
However, some standards are given an elevated status when referred to either directly or indirectly in statutes. The most significant example of this for the electrical industry is British Standard 7671
(BS 7671:2008), which is referred indirectly in the Electricity at Work (1989) Regulations (via the HSR25 document) and directly in the Approved Document for Part P of the Building Regulations.
Being referred to directly or indirectly in legislation gives the standards a pseudo legal status.
Electrical work is likely to comply with these statutory regulations if BS 7671:2008 has been adhered to.
BS 7671:2008 is the British Standard also known as the 17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations.
These Wiring Regulations are vitally important to an electrical contractor – they will be used to test a contractor’s knowledge and understanding whenever they are being assessed. The 17th Edition was launched in January 2008 and came into force on 1st July 2008.
All this says that you should treat the Wiring Regulations as your ‘bible’ and, as long as you follow the guidelines within them, you can be reasonably confident that you will be complying with the relevant legislation as well.
As well as industry standards, electrical contractors are subject to a number of statutory regulations covering health and safety, safe working practices and management of electrical supply and products. In addition to legislation, contractors are also bound by their duties and responsibilities under contract law.
This section is going to focus in more detail on two of the more significant areas of legislation: The Electricity at Work Regulations (1989) and The Building Act 1984 & 2000 including the Building Regulations and Part P.
When working as a contractor, any time you are not clear about your legal position, you should seek proper advice. Joining an industry body can give you access to excellent advisory services and can provide you with valuable peace of mind.
These regulations have far reaching implications for all employers. They impose a duty of care on employers to manage their electrical systems and products so as not to cause death or injury to others. The regulations cover the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of these systems. Contractors must be familiar with these regulations. It is strongly recommended that you obtain the following document:
HSE’s Memorandum of Guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 – HSR25 (ISBN 0-7176-1602-9)
This document contains essential supplementary notes to each of the regulations.
An important area within the regulations that needs to be carefully monitored is the policies and procedures adopted when working on a ‘live’ electrical installation. For this purpose, the following document
is also very useful:
HSG 85 Electricity at Work – Safe Working Practices (ISBN 0-7176-2164-2)
The Electricity at Work regulations came into force on 1st April 1990. To comply with them, employers must monitor the ongoing condition of their electrical systems through regular inspection and testing to ensure that the systems are safe to use. Records of the test results should be kept.
The regulations cover all premises and places where people work, including:
Inspection and testing should be carried out by a ‘competent person’, which is a legal term to describe an individual who has sufficient technical knowledge and experience to undertake the work. To complete the inspection, the contractor should have an understanding of the use and operating environment of the premises concerned, any relevant safety standards or licensing requirements that may be applicable, know the appropriate testing methods and have the correct instruments.
Inspection should be carried out to carefully examine the installation to check if there has been any deterioration or damage to the installed equipment, or if there are any installation defects that may give rise to danger. Cables, trunking and conduits, switchgear, distribution boards and protective devices, equipment, lighting fittings and accessories, all need to be inspected for signs of deterioration.
Following careful inspection, there are a number of tests the contractor should conduct to verify electrical safety. These include tests prior to energisation such as: continuity of circuit and protective conductors and insulation resistance, and tests following energisation including earth fault loop impedance; polarity; RCD tests where applicable and functional testing of assemblies. This is not an exhaustive list and the tests undertaken will need to be reflective of the environment the electrical installation is operating in and the type of protective measures employed.
For existing installations, once the inspection and testing has been completed, a report should be issued containing a list of any damage and defects in the installation, and non-compliance with the regulations, which may give rise to danger. The report should also detail the limitations of the inspection and testing. For new installations a BS 7671 certificate should be issued complete with both inspection and test schedules relevant to the circuits installed.
The Building Regulations stem from the main Act of Parliament, the Building Act 1984.
The Building Regulations exist to promote:
For guidance and to make a recognised way of complying with the individual parts of the Building Regulations, the department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has produced a series of ‘Approved Documents’, which can be downloaded at www.planningportal.gov.uk/approveddocuments
The Part P requirement is that: “Reasonable provision shall be made in the design and installation of electrical installations in order to protect persons operating, maintaining or altering the installations from fire or injury.”
In short, electrical installations must be safe! Part P of the Building Regulations applies to fixed electrical installations in dwellings (including gardens and shared amenities in blocks of flats). Many of the typical jobs undertaken by electrical contractors, particularly work carried out in kitchens and bathrooms, are affected by Part P and therefore all contractors need to be aware of how to ensure that they comply with these regulations.
Did you know that Failure to comply with Part P is a criminal offence.
Under Part P, such installations are subject to notification to, and inspection by, building control bodies. Work needs to be inspected by Building Control in order to ensure it complies with the Building Regulations. Calling in a building control officer, however, to certify work takes time and costs money, which may be difficult to recover in charges to customers.
Part P Competent Person Schemes were introduced at the same time as Part P to permit firms that had been assessed as sufficiently competent, to self-certify that their work complies with the Building Regulations.
Did you know By achieving Competent Person status, a firm has the right to self-certify that its work complies with all applicable requirements of the Building Regulations.
Self-certification benefits customers because by using a Competent Person they do not have to pay building control fees and a building notice no longer has to be submitted.
In addition, customers have the important reassurance that by using a Competent Person, they are using a firm that has been independently inspected and certified as competent to carry out the work.
For the firm registered with a competent person scheme, notifying the work to building control is done through their scheme provider. The contractor provides the details of the work done to the scheme provider who then notifies the local building control department and issues a building regulations compliance certificate to the householder.
In addition, all approved Competent Persons schemes are required to give the customers of their registered installer firms the opportunity to purchase an insurance-backed warranty against the risk that the work carried out does not comply with the Building Regulations. There are differences among the scheme providers in the way the warranty is managed and costed, so contractors should compare the schemes before deciding which one to join.
ELECSA is a government approved Part P competent persons scheme for electrical installers.
The principles of ELECSA are to operate a straightforward certification scheme that is friendly and easy for contractors to use. Registering with ELECSA will make Part P hassle free so that you can concentrate on the electrical work while we take care of the paperwork.
Registering with ELECSA is simple. Either call and ask for an application pack or register online. Once we have received your application, we will allocate an appointment for an assessment, usually within 4 weeks. Once you have passed your assessment, you can start self-certifying!
To register with ELECSA will cost you £390 + VAT, or if you want to register online it is only £370 + VAT.
In addition to the Part P scheme, ELECSA also operates a Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) for installers of renewable energy installations. We cover Solar PV, Solar Thermal, Heat Pumps, Biomass, Wind and Combined Heat & Power (CHP) technologies. Contractors looking to become MCS registered enable their customers to take advantage of Feed in Tariffs.
To find out more about ELECSA and how we can help you, please go to www.elecsa.co.uk or phone the registration team on 0845 634 9043
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