Regulations

What is Part P?

Part P of the Building Regulations (England and Wales) was introduced by the Government on January 1st 2005. It is designed to reduce accidents caused by faulty electrical installations and to prevent incompetent installers from leaving electrical installations in an unsafe condition.

Part P applies to the following situations:

• Dwelling houses and flats
  
• Dwellings and business premises that have a common supply eg. shops that have a flat above
  
• Common access areas in blocks of flats such as corridors or staircases
  
• Shared amenities in blocks of flats such as laundries or gyms
  
• In or on land associated with dwellings – such as fixed lighting or pond pumps in gardens
  
• Outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and greenhouses

Approved Document P is called ‘Electrical Safety’ and will be complied with if the standard of electrical work meets the ‘Fundamental Requirements of Chapter 13 of BS7671:2001’.

Enforcement

Failure to comply with the requirement is a criminal offence. Local authorities also have the power to require the removal or alteration of work that does not comply with the Building Regulations.

Intended work that is subject to the provisions of Part P has to be notified to the local authority. Traditionally, work notifiable under the Building Regulations is subject to inspection by the local authority's building control department (or other approved building inspector). However, to avoid the need for local authorities to appoint specialist agents for this purpose, building control bodies are authorised to accept certificates of compliance (ie Electrical Installation Certificates) issued by Competent Firms.

Under such Competent Firms provisions, appropriately approved electrical contractors are able to self-certify that their work meets the requirements of the Building Regulations. In this case there will be a need to supply the relevant building control body (as well as the person ordering the work) with an Electrical Installation Certificate signed by a competent person. The alternative would be to pay a fee to have the work inspected by a local authority building control department, or other approved private sector building inspector.

For the purposes of Part P, the Government has defined ‘Competent Firms' as those registered under the NICEIC Approved Contractor scheme, the Domestic Installer Scheme and the Electrotechnical Assessment Scheme.