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Electrical Safety and New Approved Document P

Building Regulation Charges
Competent Person's Scheme
Examples of where Approved Document Applies
Finding a Contractor
Implications for Conveyancing
Making a Building Regulation Application - in relation to electrical work
New Rules on Electrical Work in the Home
Special Locations and Installations
Who will be carrying out the work?

Part P - Electrical Safety: New Rules On Electrical Work In The Home

From 1st January 2005, all electrical work in dwellings needs to comply with the Building Regulations and the new requirements of Part P, this will ensure that electrical works are only undertaken by persons who are competent to do the work. These new Building Regulations are aimed at curbing the unacceptable number of deaths, injuries and house fires caused by faulty electrical installations. Each year, on average, 10 people die and about 750 are seriously injured in accidents involving unsafe electrical installations in the home. In 2003, 2,336 house fires were caused by faulty electrical installations. The Government believes that risks from unsafe electrical installations have risen in recent years.

Further revision was made to the Approved Document with effect from 6th April 2006.

The New Requirements (From 6th April 2006)

The new requirement is contained in Approved Document P ( Electrical Safety ) and states :

P1 - 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

What this means for householders ?

The new rules affect anyone considering work to the fixed electrical system in their home, includng DIY enthusiasts. Failure to comply could lead to householders being required to bring the work up to standard and may make it more difficult to sell their homes. For the purposes of Building Regulations a fixed electrical system means those parts of the wiring and appliances that are fixed to the building fabric, for example cables, sockets, switches, fuse-boxes, immersion heaters and ceiling fittings.

Tables 1 and 2 of the Approved Document outlines those works which need not be notiifed to Building Control Bodies. Small jobs such as replacement, repair and maintenance jobs are generally not notifiable, even if carried out in a kitchen or ' special location ', or associated with a ' special installation '. However, either adding lighting points (light fittings and switches) to an existing circuit or adding socket outlets and fused spurs to an existing ring or radial circuit in a kitchen or ' special location ' will need to be notiifed. Electrical work in detached garages and garden sheds will also come under the remit of Part P where the work involves new outdoor wiring.

The Approved Document also gives some specific examples of notifiable work.

Special locations and installations:

Special locations

Locations containing a bath tub or shower basin
Swimmimg pools or paddling pools
Hot air saunas

Special Installations

Electric floor or ceiling heating systems
Garden lighting or power installations
Solar photovoltaic power supply systems
Small scale generators such as microCHP units
Extra-low voltage lighting installations, other than pre-assembled, CE marked lighting sets

You are advised to check the Approved Document to ensure you are sure whether the work you are intending to undertake is notifiable.

Who will be carrying out the work ?

The most important question for householders is : Who will be carrying out the work ? If it is themselves, a friend or relative then they will have to submit a formal Building Regulation application to the local authority, unless only minor work is involved. The preferred alternative is to employ someone who is certified by a Competent Person's Scheme.

All work which does not fall within the exceptions outlined in either Tables 1 and 2 will need to be either notified to Building Control with a Building Regulation application, or carried out by a competent person who is registered with a Part P cOMPETENT Scheme.

If the Building Regulation route is chosen, Building Control will require an installation and test certificate signed by a competent, qualified electrician. This will include members of the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting NICEIC, the Institute of Electrical Engineers IEE and the Electrical Contractors Association ECA.

Persons registered with Part P Self Certification Schemes will be fully qualified electrical contractors with the ability to design, install and thoroughly check a circuit for safety. They will be able to issue Building Regulation certificates of compliance i.e. a Part P Certificate.

Please ensure that the contractor you will use remains a member of a Competent Person Scheme whilst the work is being undertaken.

Two routes to comply with Part P

There are two routes available to applicants to ensure they comply with Part P :-

1. Use an electrician registered with a Competent Person's Scheme eg. NICEIC, ECA and NAPIT, in which case a Building Regulation application will not be required for the electrical work. We would strongly encourage the use of electricians/ installers who are part of a Competent Person's Scheme.

Persons registered with a Part P Competent Person Scheme will be a fully qualified electrical contractor with the ability to thoroughly check a circuit for safety. They will be able to issue Building Regulations certificates of compliance i.e. a Part P Certificate.

2. Submit a Building Regulation application to the Local Authority:

(a) Where an electrician is not registered with a competent person self-certification scheme but is qualified to test the work and issue a design, installation and test certificate under BS:7671, Building Control will take the certificate into account when deciding whether further action needs to be taken to show that the work compies with Part P. Additional inspections by Building Control may also be carried out in conjunction with the acceptance of a certificate.

(b) Where the work is carried out by an unqualified electrician or is a DIY installation, the applicant is required to have the work inspected during the course of the work and tested on completion. Building Control may choose to carry out inspection and testing itself or alternatively use a contracted registered electrician.

An 'unqualified' electrician in the above context means not having the appropriate qualifications, knowledge and experience to carry out the inspection and testing procedures and is not qualified to complete the relevant BS 7671 electrical installation certificate.

We would strongly encourage the use of electricians / installers who are part of a Competent Person's Scheme.

To Notify or Not, that is the question ?

Whether or not work is notifiable is dependant on the nature of the installation work proposed and its location within a dwelling. The location is important because some special installations such as kitchens and bathrooms, may pose a greater risk to people. Most jobs carried out by a home owner on a DIY basis will be small jobs that do not need to be notified to Building Control. They will however need to be checked by a competent electrician.

You can identify what work is notifiable to the local authority from our electrical safety leaflet. The leaflet is downloadable below, it explains how to go about finding a ' competent person ' in your area in a clear, easy to read style. The leaflet also explains the options available to householders, to ensure that any works undertaken to their property, is completed safely.

Making a Building Regulation application

A Building Regulation application can be submitted either using the Full Plans or Building Notice procedure. The alternative procedures for submitting an application are described on our Making a Building Regulation web page.

If you intend to submit a Full Plans application for notifiable electrical work we will require a note on the plans which states :

" All electrical work required to meet the requirements of Part P ( Electrical Safety ) must be designed, installed, inspected and tested by a person competent to do so.

Prior to completion, the local authority should be satisfied that Part P has been complied with. This may require an appropriate BS:7671 electrical installation certificate to be issued for the work, by a person competent to do so. "

Alternatively, we have provided an electrical installation Building Notice form for you to download and use.

Building Regulation Charges

The charges for notifiable electrical work only, will be based on the cost of the works as shown in Table 3:Other Work, of our Scheme of Charges.

If the electrical work is part of a larger scheme i.e. a kitchen extension, the charge will be included in the overall charge in Tables 2 or Table 1 if it involves a new dwelling. Our Scheme of Charges are downloadable below. These charges may be subject to change, when the impact of the new regulations have been better assessed.

Examples of where Approved Document P applies :

Approved Document P takes affect from 1st January 2005, and applies to electrical installations in buildings or parts of buildings comprising :

Dwelling houses and flats
Dwelllings and business premises that have a common supply - for example shops and public houses with a flat above
Common access areas in blocks of flats such as corridors and staircases
Shared amenities of blocks of flats such as laundries and gymnasiums

Approved Document P applies also to parts of the above electrical installations:

In or on land associated with the buildings - for example Approved Document P applies to fixed lighting and pond pumps in gardens
In outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and greenhouses

New Approved Document P

The Approved Document to Part P can be found on the Communities and Local Government (CLG) website (http://www.communities.gov.uk), alternatively a link to this can be found on our Why Building Control ? web page

Alternatively, other useful websites include: http://www.partp.co.uk/, http://www.niceic.com, http://www.iee.org.uk/, http://elecsa.org.uk/, http://www.napit.org.uk/; http://www.labc.uk.com; http://www.oftec.org/ and http://www.trustcorgi.com/.

A list of those electricians competent to inspect and test are available at: http://www.competentperson.co.uk.

Implications for conveyancing

Another future benefit could be swifter conveyancing, with electrical installation certificates more likely to be available for inclusion in home information packs. This will give prospective buyers and their legal advisors reassurance of the safety of a dwelling being offered for sale.

It is therefore important that a householder obtains the necessary electrical test certification from the installer, and, if the local authority is involved, a completion certificate for the work.

Scheme of Charges

Our Scheme of Charges, which are payable when submitting a Building Regulation application

Scheme of Charges 199kb (pdf)

Customer Guide

This leaflet explains the requirements and options which are available to householders, when planning to carry out electrical works on their property.

Electrical Safety Guidance Leaflet 223kb (pdf)

Electrical Works Application Form

We have designed a separate application form to help you submit your application, where the electrical work is being carried out, by a person or firm that is not registered with one of the Competent Person Schemes.

Electrical Installation Application Form 204kb (pdf)