The
Government announced last week that the electrical industry must do
more to ensure that electricians working in peoples homes are of a
higher standard.
The
Government highlighted concerns that electricians were not always
deemed as competent persons and more must be done to raise standards
in the electrical industry including public knowledge of Part P.
Since then, we have received an increase in calls from concerned
customers asking what the situation really is.
Competent
person – what it means to the customer
The
term 'competent person' is not very clear – we agree. In fact this
term has contributed to the increase of unregistered electricians
working in peoples homes without the householders knowledge. A
competent person is far more than a person who knows a bit about
electrics. A fully qualified electrician is known as a competent
person. All our electricians who work with us here at Fulcher Edwards have completed several years of apprenticeship training, a
good number of our electricians took their apprenticeship with us and
have stayed with us ever since and have continued building on their
extensive electrical experience.
Unfortunately,
a misunderstanding over the meaning of competent person has lead to
more than just a few people making the mistake of using a friend to
carry out work in their home as they know a bit about electrical
work.
The
Government wants electricians trained to a higher standard
The
Government proposes that all electricians are trained to at least NVQ
level 3 within the next 5 years. This is following claims that
electricians with only a few weeks of electrical training are
carrying out house rewires. As the leading electricians in South East London, we are proud to say that all our electricians are City
and Guilds qualified.
All
electricians registering with a scheme such as the NICEIC need to
show a minimum standard of qualifications and have an assessment of
their work carried out. Therefore it is important to check the
registration details of an electrician before they begin work in your
home. Registration details are known as being Part P registered.
Check
qualifications and registration details of all electricians – even
if you know them
If
your electrician tells you that they are an NICEIC electrician do
not just take their word for it, check yourself. In June 2014 there
will be a single register introduced which can be used to find the
details of any registered electrician in the UK regardless of the
scheme they are registered with.
This
will an excellent 'go to' resource which we believe will help our
customers and the public to check an electrician is actually
registered and therefore suitably qualified.
Checking
qualifications can be a minefield as there are many different
qualifications an electrician can hold. Our tip is to look at the
date of the certificate – this will then give you a good idea of
how much experience the electrician has.
Fulcher Edwards – helping the public stay informed about electricity in
their home
The
Government also hope to increase public knowledge of Part P
registration which is extremely low. Despite Part P being introduced
in 2005, only 14% of the public know what it means to them. The
introduction of the single register will play a big part in
contributing to the public knowledge.
Electricians
themselves also play a large part in explaining to their clients what
the meaning of Part P is. Certainly we spend a great deal of time
ensuring our clients stay of the right side of Part P which is
ultimately there for their own protection. We are also committed to
helping the public understand the dangers of electricity in their own
home and will continue to provide electrical tips, advice and help on
spotting dangers in the home and getting them put right.
We
look forward to following the progress of the latest Government
proposals which will be finalised by March 2015.
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