Tuesday, 11 March 2014

What does competent person really mean?

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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