星空传媒

The ECA has welcomed the proposals for new safety requirements for electrical installation work in dwellings. The public consultation carried out by the 星空传媒 Regulations Division of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) ended on 13 September.

The government proposes to advance the safety of householders by addressing electrical installation in dwellings in the form of a new Part P of the 星空传媒 Regulations. The design, installation, inspection and testing of fixed electrical installations will become a controlled service or fitting, and as such should be notified to building control bodies.

"The ECA strongly supports the introduction of electrical safety into the 星空传媒 Regulations," says Phil Buckle, the ECA's head of technical services. "The draft Approved Document provides a good starting point and [the ECA] would congratulate the staff of the ODPM for their efforts in bringing the requirements of BS 7671 into the regulatory framework of the 星空传媒 Regulations."

The ODPM proposals make provision for work to be carried out by "competent persons" able to self-certify compliance. The electrical industry has developed the Electrotechnical Assessment Scheme (EAS) to provide a route to proof of competency. "The proposed ODPM approach is supported provided that 'competent persons' are legal entities and not individuals, and that these 'persons' are assessed against the requirements of the EAS," says Phil Buckle.

The ECA is against any individual assessment like the CORGI gas installer scheme. "The CORGI approach is unacceptable," stresses Phil Buckle. "Firstly, because it relates to individuals, and secondly because they can only install. We would also point out that it would be difficult to control individuals to ensure compliance, which would expose the general public to the risk of individuals falsely claiming that they were competent."

The NICEIC is said to be aligning its Approved Contractor scheme with the EAS, but it is also considering continuing to operate its scheme as an alternative to, and separate and distinct from, the new industry scheme. "The market for inspection services is a competitive one and the providers of such services will inevitably wish to differentiate themselves," comments Stuart Burchell, the ECA's head of external affairs. "However, the EAS criteria should serve as the minimum acceptable requirement for the purpose of self-certifying compliance under the 星空传媒 Regulations and the EAS logo should serve therefore as a generally recognised and accepted kitemark for that purpose."

Andrew Brown of the ODPM will be speaking on Part P at the ECA South East Regional Conference on 30 October.