PART P - NICEIC

FEATURE PART P
Inspection by Building Control
As for the first option, few, if any, building control bodies currently
have the technical capability or resources to undertake such a
huge task. The effectiveness of Part P will therefore be largely
dependent on self-certification schemes.
Self-certification
The second option is self-certification by a prescribed competent
person – in this context, a ‘person’ means either a firm or an
individual. This is the option preferred by Government to
minimise the additional burden on local authorities.
Under the Building Act, work can be self-certified only by the
competent person who carried out that work. This rules out
certification of compliance by a third party other than a Building
Control Body, or an agent appointed by them.
DIY work
An exception is made for minor work carried out by DIY
enthusiasts. According to the Approved Document, a way of
showing compliance for such work would be to follow
‘authoritative guidance’, and then to have a competent person
inspect and test the work, and issue a Minor Works Certificate.
The competent person need not necessarily be registered with
an electrical self-certification scheme (ie a prescribed competent
person), but must be competent in the inspection and testing of
electrical work in accordance with BS 7671.
For DIY work other than minor work, prior notification to, and
inspection by, Building Control will be necessary to comply with
the law.
Confirmation of compliance to Building Control
Persons self-certifying compliance with Part P will be required to
provide certain information for Building Control purposes within
30 days of completion of the work. The information will be
required by Building Control in electronic form.
The range of information, which needs to be routed through the
competent person scheme operator, is:
• the address where the work was carried out
• the date the work was completed
• the registered name of the contractor
• the contractor’s registration number
• the scheme operator, and
• a brief description of the work.
The ODPM intends to produce a set of standard descriptions of
electrical installation work to help Building Control deal with the
information.
The NICEIC is still developing systems to handle the data for
Building Control purposes that will be required from contractors
registered with the Domestic Installer Scheme. To enable the
legal 30 day period to be complied with, the NICEIC will require
the data from registered contractors within 25 days of
completion of work.
Building Regulations compliance certificate
In addition to the information required by Building Control, the
customer must also be given a certificate within 30 days of
completion of the work, stating that the work complies with
Regulations 4 and 7 of the Building Regulations.
Regulation 4 requires work to comply with all the relevant
requirements of the Building Regulations, while Regulation 7
requires the use of proper materials and good workmanship.
The NICEIC is developing a suitable Building Regulations
Compliance Certificate for Domestic Installers to give to their
customers for this purpose.
Electrical installation
certificate
In addition to a Building
Regulations compliance
certificate, the customer
must also be given an
appropriate electrical
installation certificate for
the work carried out.
The issue of such a
certificate is already a
requirement of BS 7671, but has often been ignored by
unregistered electrical installers. This is probably because many
such installers do not fully inspect and test their work to confirm
compliance with basic safety requirements before putting the
work into service. Part P will require them to do so in future.
Electrical installation certificates (including minor works
certificates) provide full details of the work undertaken, the
results of inspection and testing, and written confirmation from
the installer that the work fully complies with the safety
requirements of BS 7671.
AUTUMN
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NI CEIC CO N N EC T I O N S 8