The Electrical Safety Council (ESC) has launched a campaign to retain of Part P of the Building Regulations. The Council is asking organisations to sign an e-petition supporting Part P.
Part P was introduced in 2005. The Government has announced that it will launch a formal consultation on the future of Part P next month.
The ESC says Part P is the only legal framework that covers the safety of electrical installations in the home. It says Part P has helped to reduce the number of electrical accidents in the home by 17%, and has significantly reduced the number of ‘cowboy’ electricians undertaking domestic electrical installation work.
The ESC has set up a Government e-petition to keep Part P. The petition can be found at the link below:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20652
Opponents of the regulations say they are too complex and costly to implement and have set up their own petition to revoke Part P.
The majority of building projects have to comply with minimum requirements known as the Building Regulations. These regulations contain set out the type of building works that require Building Regulation approval.
Part P applies to fixed electrical installations in dwellings (including gardens and shared amenities in blocks of flats) and affects many of the typical jobs undertaken by electrical contractors, particularly work carried out in kitchens and bathrooms. Work affected by Part P is subject to notification to, and inspection by, building control bodies.
The ESC says a survey in June showed that 85% of registered electricians believe that Part P should be retained – possibly with improvements.
The Council supports possible improvements to the regulations. However, it says it has serious concern about the potential abolition of Part P.
