Electrical safety and the law   

Electricity is one of the most important energy sources that man has ever discovered. It is able to light our homes and power up appliances but it could also end someone’s life! Lots of studies have shown that at least 10 people are killed and about 800 more are hurt annually because of faulty electrical installation in their homes, not to mention the numerous house fires, caused by electrical defects.

To put stop this happening, the government appended new electrical safety requisites to the Building Regulations in January of 2005. The implementation of this new law will be monitored by local authorities to safeguard the people against faulty electrical works.

The new addendum to the Building Regulations is identified as Part P which says that anybody who carries out a fixed electrical installation in England must meet the requirements of the national safety standards (BS 7671). According to the new regulation, any electrical installation must be properly designed, fitted, examined and tested – to avoid the occurrence of fire and cause injury or death to persons due to electrical faults. This new regulation covers nearly all electrical works in homes and connected structures from appending electrical lines and fixtures to newly constructed houses to do-it-yourself types of electrical works.

Again, the basic goal of these changes in Building Regulations is to safeguard the people against faulty electrical works. With these changes in place, all electricians now will have to make sure that their work conforms to the safety standards and it is also the obligation of landlords and owners of houses to make sure that all electrical works done in their property complies with the standards as well.

There are a couple of ways to determine if you are complying with the law.

One is by checking the affiliation of your electrician. If he or she is a member of one of the few groups that keeps an eye on the industry, he or she will be regarded as a qualified electrician and is capable of self certifying their work.

Another method is dealing directly with your local authority. If your electrician is not affiliated with one of the certified groups in the industry such as NAPIT, NIC/IC and Elecstra, you will have to advise the building department of your local authority prior to doing any electrical work. An agent from your local authority will then inspect the electrical work when it is finished to make certain that it is safe before giving you your certificate. However, the local authorities also have the power to dismantle or change any electrical work that does not conform to the set national safety standards.

Although some people are saying that this new addition to the building law imposes too much on them, there are still the great majority who welcome these measures to help us protect our properties and families against the danger caused by faulty electrical installations.

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