Electrical Certification

busybbody

Hi All

Please please can someone clarify whether you need to be certified to remove a light fitting, dishwasher or washing machine and to replace a light fitting with a ceiling rose, or plumb in a dishwasher or washing machine without needing to be fully trained?

There is concern among some of my employees that they shouldn't be doing it but this is the extent of what they have to do. There is no installation involved. The only information they provided was that they'd need to have PPart but presumably this is because some have come from a building natured business. This is not, as far as I know at the moment, what we require for our business.

I cannot get to the bottom of this. :mad:

Surely if someones happy to do it and they have a level of competence and internal training that should be enough? I really would not want to put anyone at risk.
Please help!

scooby088

if its your own property then no need for certification, but if rented then just onto the landlord to sort it.

Sambucus_Nigra

It depends on the context. Im not qualified but plumbed in and installed an electric shower; and plumbing in washing machines or dishwashers is water not electricity as they plug into the mains....However if the business is [for example] plumbing in dishwashers or washing machines, then I'd expect proper training and if it was working for a training company then ditto. However working for a housing assn then you'd have to do a risk assessment on non-trained staff doing this wouldn't you? And if it was a one off in an admin office, then no.

So, what's the actual context here?

dickydonkin

Your workers may have a point.

As employees, they will come under the HASAWA and the Electricity at Work Regulations - irrespective of whether they are working on commercial or domestic premises.

The tasks you describe will likely be deemed as 'minor works' as they will not change the circuitry of the fitting, however will likely require exposing cables.

A fully qualified Electrician doing the same type of work who is up to date with his qualifications (ie 17th edition) may also check the circuit and issue a certificate that confirms the integrity of the circuit. This ensures that he is working safely, and the property and its owner are not placed at risk.

I am assuming that your staff have neither the qualifications or indeed the equipment to ensure any circuit they are working on is safe and that I wonder what provisions are stipulated on the companies insurance in respect of your staff potentially coming into contact with live conductors or the consequenses of shoddy work. The owners of the domestic properties home insurance may also require 'competent' workers to undertake any electrical work in the property.

Without fully knowing the competence of the staff or the full nature of the work they undertake, it is difficult to ascertain what your current (no pun intended) legal status is.

I would certainly discuss this with the HSE or a body who deals with electrical safety such as the Electrical Safety Council whose website is here.

Hope this helps.