On Monday 19th November 2012, the electrical safety register was officially launched. Since its launch yesterday, there have been several questions raised throughout the industry as the news has been taken in. Many electricians feel the electrical safety register is here to try to 'fix' the industry.
The register has been created by the leading organisations for the electrical contracting industry and electrical safety and enables consumers to search for registered electrical contractors safe in the knowledge that the contractors on the register have been assessed against rigorous technical standards.
My Local Electrician took a look at the Electrical Safety Register and what it means for both electricians and consumers. Firstly, We take a look at some common questions asked about the register from a consumer point of view.
What does the Electrical Safety Register mean to me?
The Electrical Safety register is a database of over 30,000 electrical contractors who are registered and assessed by the NICEIC, ECA and ELECSA. This exciting new register ensures that everyone in the UK is able to locate an electrician on this register easily therefore reducing the risk of unsafe electrical installations being carried out in their home.
Why has the Electrical Safety Register been brought out?
The main aim of the Electrical Safety Register is protect consumers from poor and dangerous standards of electrical work carried out in their home. All electricians listed on the register have demonstrated their competetance and have passed rigorous assessments to enable them to join the register. The Electrical Safety Register also brings together two other organisations who are dedicated to the electrical industry and electrical safety for consumers. These organisations are the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) and the Electrical Safety Council (ESC) so you can be confident you're in safe hands.
What else does the register tell me?
The register gives the details of your nearest Electrical Safety Registered electricians. For simplicity, the easiest way of finding an electrician to work in your home is to look on the domestic installer column. This gives details of who the electrician is registered with. The listings also give details of who is a Trustmark member. Trustmark is a scheme where members must ensure their work meets standards set by government.
Is the register easy to use?
Its very easy, simply enter your postcode and this will automatically bring up your nearest electricians within a 5 mile radius. You can then search by town/county or by company name up to a 50 mile radius of the details entered. The site is user friendly on both computers and mobile devices which means you can search when on the move too.
So moving onto the electricians - what do electricians need to know? After all its their details that now appear on the new Electrical Safety Register
Will there be any change to my scheme provider?
No not at all, NICEIC ELECSA and ECA are all operating as before. All the offices will be running as before. From April 2013, NICEIC and ELECSA will be operated by a joint venture company Certsure which will be owned by the ECA and ESC.
Do I need to do anything?
You don't need to anything at all. All your details will be placed on the new Electrical Safety Register automatically and you will be receiving a letter shortly. A letter has been sent to each of the 30,000 + electricians now registered on the Electrical Safety Register.
The Future:
The new Electrical Safety Register will be heavily promoted encouraging consumers to make use of it. The aim of the register is to make finding a registered Part P electrician far easier and break down the confusion associated with Part P. Part P is a building regulation and not a qualification. The Electrical Safety Register is a straight forward way of telling a consumer that the electricians listed on this register are safe to use.
The idea is to create a register which brings together the electrical industry and the voice of the consumer in order to fuse together the gaps of misunderstanding that have existed when selecting an electrician to work within a home.