Electrical Insurance Testing
To ensure that your electrics are all up to scratch we can provide full insurance testing.
• Reports generated to insurance standard.
• Periodic Inspection and testing of existing electrical installations – domestic, commercial and industrial. Please click the image below to view an example of a periodic inspection report generated by Willpower Electrical Ltd.
Electricity is taken for granted, its just there at a flick of a switch – but if problems occur or electricity is in the wrong hands it can be a killer. Government reports say that every year faulty electrics in the home kills 10 people and injures 750 more. In 2003 alone, electrical faults led to 2,336 house fires that caused yet more death and injury.
On January 1st 2005 the current laws cracking down on cowboys and shoddy workmanship came into force. New electrical safety requirements were added to Buildings Regulations, these are the rules enforceable by local authorities to ensure the health and safety of people in and around buildings.
The requirements, known as Part P of the Building Regulations, say that anyone carrying out fixed electrical installations in England and Wales must comply with the national safety standard for them (BS 7671). A fixed installation is the term for wiring and appliances that are fixed to a building e.g. the sockets, switches, consumer units/fuse boxes, and ceiling fittings etc. The new regulations also state that electrical work must be “suitably designed, installed, inspected and tested so as to provide reasonable protection against them being the source of a fire or a cause of injury to persons”.
Cowboy crackdown
Any electrician that takes pride in there own work will undoubtedly make sure it is of the highest quality and done safely, but of course some electricians don’t work like this. The aim of the changes is to crack down on those who had operated with little regard for their customers’ safety. Now, not only will every electrician have to demonstrate that their work complies with the national safety standards, but it will be the legal requirement of homeowners and landlords to ensure that they do.
So how do you know that you’re staying within the law? There are two ways of going about getting the proof that you need. Firstly, if your electrician belongs to one of the handful of organisations that monitors the industry, they will be considered a ‘competent’ electrician, able to self-certificate their own work. So, for example, if you choose Willpower Electrical Ltd you’ll be able to get your certificate of compliance with Building Regulations as soon as your work is completed.
The other way involves your local authority. If you use an electrician that is not registered with one of the industry organisations, you’ll have to notify your local authority’s building control department before the work is going to take place. When its completed, a local authority representative will need to look at the work (for a fee) to ensure it is safe before they issue you with your certificate. Local authorities will also have the power to remove or alter any work that does not comply with Building Regulations standards.