Landlords' Guide to Electrical Safety in Scotland - Association of ...
Landlords' Guide to Electrical Safety in Scotland - Association of ...
Landlords' Guide to Electrical Safety in Scotland - Association of ...
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‘Every build<strong>in</strong>g must be designed and constructed <strong>in</strong> such a way that the electrical<br />
<strong>in</strong>stallation does not:<br />
a) threaten the health and safety <strong>of</strong> the people <strong>in</strong>, and around, the build<strong>in</strong>g<br />
b) become a source <strong>of</strong> fire’<br />
How does it affect you .<br />
It is a legal requirement for all new electrical work <strong>in</strong> domestic properties <strong>to</strong> comply<br />
with the Build<strong>in</strong>g Regulations.<br />
Therefore, <strong>to</strong> meet the above requirement, we recommended that you use a competent<br />
electrician <strong>to</strong> undertake electrical <strong>in</strong>stallation work.<br />
For certa<strong>in</strong> types <strong>of</strong> electrical <strong>in</strong>stallation work, you may need <strong>to</strong> obta<strong>in</strong> a build<strong>in</strong>g<br />
warrant – the legal authority <strong>to</strong> commence work. Refer <strong>to</strong> Section 7 <strong>of</strong> this <strong>Guide</strong> for<br />
further <strong>in</strong>formation.<br />
D. Fire (<strong>Scotland</strong>) Act 2005<br />
Research has shown that <strong>Scotland</strong> has shown a consistent and disproportionately higher<br />
number <strong>of</strong> fire deaths, fire casualties and fire <strong>in</strong>cidents compared with the rest <strong>of</strong> the<br />
United K<strong>in</strong>gdom 1 . With this <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d, the Scottish Government <strong>in</strong>troduced new legislation<br />
<strong>in</strong> Oc<strong>to</strong>ber 2006 <strong>to</strong> set out, amongst other th<strong>in</strong>gs, how a modern Fire and Rescue Service<br />
should operate <strong>in</strong> the 21st century. This new legislation, known as the Fire (<strong>Scotland</strong>) Act<br />
2005, replaces most <strong>of</strong> the previous fire safety legislation. The Act also specifies who has<br />
responsibility for fire safety <strong>in</strong> non-domestic premises <strong>in</strong> <strong>Scotland</strong>.<br />
NOTE: Communal areas (such as stairwells, corridors, electrical switchrooms, and<br />
plant or boiler rooms) <strong>in</strong> tenements, flats and houses <strong>in</strong> multiple occupation (HMOs)<br />
are not classed as private dwell<strong>in</strong>gs under the Civic Government (<strong>Scotland</strong>) Act, so<br />
are subject <strong>to</strong> the Fire (<strong>Scotland</strong>) Act 2005.<br />
Section 53 and 54 <strong>of</strong> The Fire (<strong>Scotland</strong>) Act 2005 requires persons <strong>in</strong> control <strong>of</strong> communal<br />
areas <strong>to</strong> carry out fire risk assessments, and the Fire (<strong>Safety</strong>) <strong>Scotland</strong> Regulations 2006<br />
provide <strong>in</strong>struction <strong>in</strong> connection with carry<strong>in</strong>g out fire risk assessments. It is a legal<br />
requirement <strong>to</strong> regularly review fire risk assessments.<br />
Guidance <strong>in</strong> relation <strong>to</strong> fire safety risk assessments for sleep<strong>in</strong>g accommodation is available<br />
as a free download on the Scottish Government website: www.<strong>in</strong>foscotland.com/firelaw<br />
1 Chief Officer’s report <strong>in</strong> <strong>Scotland</strong> Together (November 2008; published 2009.)<br />
10<br />
The <strong>Electrical</strong> <strong>Safety</strong> Council Landlords’ <strong>Guide</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Electrical</strong> <strong>Safety</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Scotland</strong>
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