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accreditations
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SCE Electrical Services are a registered member of NAPIT
and have achieved Part P accreditation. In addition to this, SCE Electrical
Services also hold the 'Trust
Mark' for Government Enforced Standards.
PART P
From the 1st January 2005 the law changed. The Government has amended
the Building Regulations with a new Part ‘P’ requiring all domestic
electrical
work to be carried out and tested by a registered electrical contractor, on
completion. All domestic electrical work in England and Wales will be enforced
through local building control.
This has wide ranging implications when it comes to selling or renting out
your property even to taking out building insurance. The homeowner will be
required to provide evidence, in the form of certified paperwork, that all
electrical work has been carried out to BS 7671.
SCE electrical services, carry out testing and the issuance of the relevant
NAPIT certification in accordance with the regulations.
NAPIT
The National Association of Professional Inspectors & Testers was formed
in
1992 as a consequence of the lack of understanding in the Inspection &
Testing field amongst many electricians, and more specifically to plug the
loophole that allows managers to sign documentation and electricians to Inspect
& Test electrical installations and appliances, even though they may not
have had up to date appropriate training, do not possess the relevant qualifications
and have probably not acquired the specific experience.
Serious consideration should be given by both employers and customers before
employing an Electrician to Inspect and Test. Is he competent? Has he been
assessed? Is he using the correct test equipment? What is my legal standpoint?
There are other recognised Professional Associations within the Electrical
Contracting Industry who assess a companies professionalism and the experience
and qualifications of a specific individual within that company. But quite
often employees other than the specific individual are given the responsibility
for the quality control mechanism of our industry, i.e. that of Inspecting
and Testing and subsequently issuing test reports and schedules.
As well as assessing a companies quality, all the individuals within that
company seeking NAPIT approval must undergo a thorough vetting process. If
they do not possess the requisite qualifications, they must undertake the
full NAPIT technical assessment which comprises a written paper and a hands
on 16th Edition testing session and/or practical Portable Appliance testing
session depending on the type of approval being sought.
The current situation which allows individuals to Inspect & Test when
no one has assessed their abilities is unlikely to achieve conformity with
the relevant parts of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (E@W) and in
particular Regulation 16. The advent of Document P of the Building Regulations
and its requirement to be a Competent Person to undertake electrical work
in dwellings, makes the implementation of the NAPIT standards more compelling,
as we are the ONLY trade association who run a true Competence Person requirement
for all the relevant staff of its approved member companies and do not hide
behind the legal definition. With these amendments to the Building Regulations
making electrical work in dwellings a controlled service, as outlined in the
Approved Document P, then it is even more important that a system is in place
to monitor and assure individuals competence. NAPIT have always had such a
system and is the only Trade Association dedicated to monitoring the competence
of all its members for Inspection, Testing and system Verification. Our aim
is to set the standard for the industry.
These aims and objectives are being achieved by the implementation of our
strict individual vetting policy, cost effective training courses, technical
updates & advice, and by harnessing expertise on a regional basis to provide
a national network of NAPIT representatives. NAPIT polices and maintains its
standards, with friendly support and in partnership with its members. We must
emphasise that a little knowledge is often sufficient to make electrical equipment
function, but a much higher level of knowledge and experience is needed to
ensure safety. With safety at stake nothing less should be acceptable.
