New Part P Building Regulations for Electrical
Safety in the Home
Part P – What’s it all about?
When did the new rules start and why?
On
January 1st 2005, new Part P Building Regulations were enforced in England and
Wales to reduce the number of deaths, injuries and fires caused by faulty
electrical installations and to make it harder for 'cowboy builders' to leave
electrical installations in an unsafe condition. Part P is intended to increase
the safety of households by improving the design, installation, inspection and
testing of electrical installations in dwellings when these installations are
being newly built, extended or altered.
The
risks posed by unsafe electrical installations and portable appliances are
electric shock, burns and other injuries arising from fires in buildings ignited
by electrical components overheating or building up dangerous currents causing
'arcing'. Installations that are properly designed, fitted, tested and
commissioned in accordance with British Standard BS 7671 (a requirement of Part
P) will help minimize these risks.
From
1
January 2005
, people
carrying out electrical work in homes and gardens in
England
and
Wales
will
have to follow the new rules in the Building Regulations.
How to meet the new rules
If
the work is going to be carried out by yourself or a friend , you don’t need
to tell your local authority’s Building Control Department about repairs,
replacements and maintenance work; or extra power points or lighting points or
other alterations to existing circuits (except in a kitchen or bathroom,
outdoors or specialist locations).
However
you do need to tell your local authority’s Building Control Department about
most other work before you start.
If
you are not sure about this, or you have any questions, ask your local
authority's Building Control Department.
If
the work is going to be carried out by a contractor or installer, you don’t
need to tell your local authority’s Building Control Department about repairs,
replacements and maintenance work; or extra power points or lighting points or
other alterations to existing circuits (except in a kitchen or bathroom,
outdoors or specialist locations).
However
you do need to tell your local authority’s Building Control Department about
most other work. If the contractor or installer is registered with a competent
person scheme, you should tell your local authority’s Building Control
Department before they start the work. However if they are registered, the
contractor or installer will look after all the building regulations for you.
You do not need to contact your local authority’s Building Control Department.
