A lot of people are not aware of the electrical safety regulations and do not take the precautions that they should.
The regulations for electrical safety are there to prevent accidents and injuries from occurring. It is really important to know and follow these regulations so you can stay safe. If you would like more information on how to keep yourself safe with these regulations, please read on.
The Electrical Safety Council provides the latest electrical safety news in the UK. They publish new regulations and safety guidelines periodically. These reports are vital for anyone dealing with electric installation or electrical equipment in the workplace.
The latest set of UK regulations for electrical safety were published on the 6th of October 2018, and they are known as BS7671-4:2018. It has been added to replace BS7671-3:2007, which was published in 2007, hence why it is called BS7671-4. The update includes changes to some of the requirements for domestic installations that protect people from risks of electric shock.
This new regulation is not backdated and won’t apply to existing installations that comply with BS7671-3:2007.
Guide for Tenants: Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector
These Regulations mean that:
You need to have all the electrical wiring checked every 5 years. This includes sockets, fuses and other fixed electrical parts too. It’s important to know that these inspections can happen more often than normal if the inspector decides it’s needed.
During the whole of a tenant’s stay at the property, national electrical safety standards must be met.
Your landlords have to give you reports on the condition of everything from plumbing to electrical installations, and send them to the local council if they’re asked for.
The following regulations do not apply to social housing. If you’re a council tenant or a tenant of a housing association, you should contact your landlord if you’re worried about the electricity in your property.
The following regulations also don’t apply to tenants who live with
Inspections and inspectors
Inspections, or electrical fault inspections, are designed to test the ‘fixed’ parts of the property that either deal with electricity or light. In this type of inspection, you can expect to have a look at things like wiring/wiring systems, light fittings and fuse circuits. Equipment in your house is always connected to a power source.
The regulations only apply to fixed electrical installations and appliances. The inspector will check for:
- Electrical installations are overloaded or not
- There ́s сertainly роssibility of you getting ѕhock аnd running into a fire
- There is any defective electrical work
- There’s no ground on the wires. This prevents electrical shocks since installations need some place to connect to earth or bonding wires.
Inspections must be carried out by a person who is “qualified and competent”. As a landlord, there are many ways to find out if the person applying is qualified or capable. This can be done by:
- Checking whether the inspector is a member of a competent person scheme; or
- Making the inspector sign a checklist that certifies they have enough experience & an adequate level of insurance for this job. They also need to have the right qualification to do the wiring work and the periodic inspection, testing and certification of electrical installations.
Electrical installation report
An electrician will carry out a report (which usually includes Electrical Installation Condition Report) that shows whether the electrical installation is safe for use.
Typically, the conditions of installation and likely location of any defects are outlined with clear and detailed descriptions. If a landlord has received an asset report with out any mention of needing to undertake remedial work, this means their property doesn’t require any more investigation or additional work. Inspectors will be able to indicate this by using the following classification codes:
Code 1 (C1): Danger present. Risk of injury. The electrical inspector may make any C1 hazards safe before leaving the property.
Code 2 (C2): Potentially dangerous.
Further Investigation (FI): Further investigation required without delay.
Code 3 (C3): Improvement recommended. Further remedial work is not required for the report to be deemed satisfactory.
If the inspection report recommends any follow-up work, landlords must complete it in 28 days or in whichever period of time is specified.
Remedial work
If the report says that you need to make any repairs or do further investigation, as explained above, you have 28 days to take care of the work. Landlords then need to let their tenant and the local authority know that the fix was done. The notification should be sent within 28 days of completing the job.
Matson’s Electricals have a high sense of ethics and they prefer to do things professionally and in the right manner. Connect with them at www.matsonelectrical.co.uk to know more about their services and offerings.
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