Still
Confused About Part P? ELECSA Answers Your Top 10 Questions
Part
P is now in effect with the 1st January 2005 having passed. Companies
and tradesmen who undertake electrical installations which fall under
the scope of Part P must ensure that notifiable domestic work is certified.
Q1.
What are the reasons for the new Part P regulations?
These regulations have been introduced in order to reduce the number of
deaths and injuries arising in England and Wales as a result of defective
or unsafe electrical work.
Q2. How will the regulations affect electrical contractors?
From 1st January 2005, it has become necessary for all installations of
notifiable electrical work in domestic dwellings to be certified as being
in compliance with this part of the regulations. Most electrical work
in houses (some of which is quite routine such as adding a new socket
in a kitchen) must by law, be notified to the Local Authority Building
Control department; this includes DIY as well as tradesmen who undertake
electrical work as a part of their normal activities (such as kitchen
and bathroom fitters).
There will be 2 ways to prove compliance:
• The householder or the electrical contractor must notify all notifiable
installations to the relevant Local Authority Building Control, obtain
approval and pay the relevant charges for every installation. These charges
can vary between areas but generally tend to be between £50 - £250
per installation inspected and certified.
• An electrical contractor can register with a Competent Persons
scheme such as ELECSA to self certify that their work complies with the
Part P of the Building Regulations. The notification to the Local Authority
is then handled by the organisation (e.g. ELECSA) running the scheme.
The greater the volume of notifiable installations undertaken during a
year, the more cost effective it is for businesses since registered installers
pay for one inspection per year (see below for ELECSA charges) at the
start as part of the assessment for registering with a scheme and a smaller
admin charge (e.g. ELECSA charges £1.50 plus VAT) for self certifying
every other notifiable installation throughout that year.
Additionally, electricians and tradesmen who undertake notifiable installations
across multiple Local Authorities will find that they can work towards
one consistent standard of rules set by the Competent Person's scheme
that they are registered with and approved by the Office of the Deputy
Prime Minister.
Q3. How can ELECSA help?
By registering with ELECSA, companies self certify that their electrical
installations comply with Part P of the Building Regulations. Companies
pay an initial registration and assessment fee of £400 plus VAT
and then an administrative fee of £1.50 per installation. ELECSA
will inform Local Authorities of all completed ELECSA notified installations
within 7 days and issue certificates to householders to confirm that the
work has been self-certified as complying with Part P and notified to
the their Local Authority.
Q4. Who is ELECSA?
ELECSA has been granted approval from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
to operate the full range of three scheme levels for Part P against the
industry's Minimum Technical Competence (MTC) accreditation scheme:
1) Full Scope scheme
2) Defined Scope scheme
3) Minor Works scheme.
The ELECSA scheme is an independent scheme that has been set up specifically
to enable electrical installers to self-certify that their electrical
installations comply with the forthcoming implementation of Part P of
the Building Regulations.
The Part P ‘full scope’ (level A) competency scheme is for organisations
whose main focus is electrical installation work. Only companies that
employ at least one full electrician will be able to register for this
scheme.
The Part P ‘defined scope’ (Level B and Level C for minor works)
competency scheme is designed to help tradesmen register and become Part
P approved for the particular type of electrical installation work undertaken
as an adjunct to or in connection with other primary work activities.
Examples of work which will come under the remit of scheme level B and
scheme level C are new circuit installations in kitchen and bathroom fittings,
or gas, heating and plumbing work which involves extensions and modifications
to circuits within the kitchen.
Drawing upon three years of experience in running a self-certification
scheme, the ELECSA scheme has been designed to enable electrical contractors
to swiftly and efficiently certify their work and ensure that relevant
Local Authorities are notified.
Q5. Who can register with ELECSA?
ELECSA will accept applications from anyone involved in installing electrical
works, either as a full scheme registrant or those who do electrical work
which is secondary to their main business activity.
To assist installers with preparing for the assessment stage of the application
process to become Part P approved, ELECSA will be offering an online exam
which will test installer's knowledge on Part P. This is a quick and easy
test to help prepare installers for establishing whether they are ready
for assessment when it comes to registering with ELECSA.
This Part P exam is an option for installers to give them an idea of the
type of questions that they will be asked during assessment and for them
to establish how their knowledge measures up to the MTC requirements.
It will be useful for everyone wanting to self certify their electrical
installation work under Part P and in particular, for organizations who
want to self certify with ELECSA under the Part P defined-scope scheme
- levels B and level C.
The ELECSA Part P course is underwritten by ELECSA against the industry's
MTC assessment. It is pitted at the same level as City & Guilds 2381
and the EMTA Awards Limited (EAL) Level 2 Certificate. Testing elements
include questions pitted at same level of City & Guilds 2381 and 2391.
Q6. What are the benefits of registering with ELECSA?
ELECSA is independent of any trade associations and exists purely to enable
contractors to self-certify their installations. To reflect this, its
registration and certification processes have been designed to be as simple
and as hassle free as possible for the convenience of the installer.
When registering with ELECSA, companies can avoid the costs and potential
delays of notifying and paying for an inspection for every installation
under Local Authority Building Control. For contractors with access to
the internet, ELECSA provides a comprehensive online system to manage
many of the aspects of the ELECSA registration. From the ELECSA account,
one can register installations, view details of the installations that
have already been registered, view details of financial transactions with
ELECSA, download free BS7671 certificates, use the ELECSA logo for free
and take an online course in preparation for the assessment when registering
as a 'competent person'.
For householders, an electrical contractor registered with ELECSA helps
build trust and reputation for the company by confirming their commitment
to meeting Part P of the Building Regulations. ELECSA will provide a householder
certificate confirming that the electrical work undertaken in their home
has been notified to the relevant Local Authority and is self certified
as complying with Part P.
Q7. How will the ELECSA scheme work?
Once registered, electrical contractors will be required to regularly
inform ELECSA of the installations which have been carried out that falls
under the scope of Part P. ELECSA will then inform the relevant Local
Authority that the installation has taken place. Householders will receive
certificates to confirm that the work complies with the Building Regulations.
The householders' certificate will be very useful when the time comes
to selling on the property. Solicitors while undertaking the necessary
search will ask for evidence that any electrical work installed after
December 2004 complies with the new Building Regulations.
Q8. How do electrical contractors register?
ELECSA offers a no-nonsense route to self-certification and it aims to
keep the registration process as simple as possible. A contractor will
need to first submit a completed application form to ELECSA. Once this
has been received, an assessor will contact the contractor to arrange
a date for the on-site MTC assessment. Once the assessment stage has been
completed, the contractor will be notified as to the outcome of the assessment.
If successful, the contractor will then be a fully-registered company
and will be able to self-certify their installations.
Q9. What will the ELECSA assessment involve?
The on-site assessment is the key to becoming registered with ELECSA.
It is a thorough and rigorous assessment in line with the MTC guidelines
- thoroughness is necessary as to pass the assessment will result in the
company being able to self-certify installations, a position of considerable
responsibility. The assessment will involve a visit to the company premises
by the assessor, an extensive question and answer session, checking of
existing documentation/qualifications and a site visit. For more details
on the assessment, please contact ELECSA directly.
Q10. How will ELECSA registered companies self certify?
The physical process of self-certification has been designed specifically
to keep the paperwork handled by the contractor to an absolute minimum.
Once an installation has been completed, the installer has 20 days in
which to register the job with ELECSA. This can either be done over the
internet or by sending a quick fax. All that is required is a brief summary
of the work, the address, the certificate dispatch address (if different)
and date of completion. Once this information is received at ELECSA, it
will be uploaded onto our database, the Local Authority will be notified
and a certificate of Part P compliance will be despatched to the homeowner.
Further information on the ELECSA scheme and application packs can be
located on ELECSA’s website at http://www.elecsa.org.uk,
tel: 0870 749 0080 or email: mailto:enquiries@elecsa.org.uk.