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Part P Electrical Safety Logo

PART P The Facts Quick Reference


What is it?


Part P  Is one part of the Building Regulations, it covers electrical installations within dwellings. It was introduced on 1st January 2005 (updated 2013) with the aim of further enhancing the protection of homeowners and reducing the risk of electric shock when using electricity. It aims to improve electrical safety in the home and reduce the number of accidents, which are caused by faulty electrical work.

Part P aims to improve standards of electrical installation by ensuring key electrical tasks are carried out by competent persons or by ensuring a competent third party have inspected the design, installation & testing of new electrical work.

Part P is not in use in Scotland. Wales has slightly different rules regarding Part P. This information covers England only. Industrial & Commercial properties are not covered by Part P, providing there is no dwelling attached.

Domestic houses, flats, maisonettes and Houses of multiple occupation are covered by Part P.

Is the work covered by Part P?


If you are carrying out or engaging a professional to carry out electrical work in your home you may need to comply with Part P and ensure building control are notified of the work.

The following common jobs DO require Part P notification so must be notified:

The following common jobs DO NOT require Part P notification: (unless in a special location*)

There are three routes to get your installation work certified under Part P:


Most electrical work would require inspecting & testing which would provide the client with a Minor Works or Electrical Installation Certificate, If notifiable under Part P then you should expect a Building Control Compliance Certificate from your local council in addition to the Minor works or Electrical Installation Certificate.


Part P in More Detail


Background


Part P was introduced in 2005, Updated in 2006, 2010 and 2013 which is the current version.  You can download a copy of Part P here.  It was introduced after Mary Wherry (BBC) | Mary Wherry (Telegraph), 34, the mother of two young sons, was electrocuted in 2004, after non-compliant work was carried out during the installation of her fitted kitchen.

Part P covers specific electrical work within a dwelling.  The term dwelling includes houses, maisonettes and flats. It also applies to electrical installations in business premises that share an electricity supply with dwellings, such as shops and public houses with a flat above.

In addition to Part P, electrical installation work must also comply with the Building Regulations in general. Such requirements include those below:

If you decide to use a professional electrician he or she should belong to one of the following organisations. It is not cost effective to use building control or their nominated inspectors on a regular basis.

These organisations have been approved to run competent person schemes for companies or individuals who need to self certify under Part P.  On the recommendation of BRAC (the Building Regulations Advisory Committee), the Government has approved schemes to be operated by:


How to Comply


The most efficient route to ensure compliance with Part P is to engage the services of a qualified electrical company who belongs to one of the competent person schemes for Part P.  All the schemes have a searchable database of members so there is no excuse for employing someone “who knows a bit about electrics” but turns out to not be competent!

The second method would be to contact your local planning authoriity office who will send you out a pack with scale of charges and what information they require to inspect your work for you.  Ensure you notify them before work starts, they will want to inspect your plans, work in progress and the finished job.

As of April 2013 a registered third party is now able to certify notifiable work carried out by somebody else.  Previously, Competent persons could only certify their own work, which is one reason (not the only one!) we have declined to certify other peoples work in the past.

Under the revised regulations those carrying out the work but who are not registered with a 'competent persons' scheme will have to get the work signed off by a registered third party.

However, non registered electricians, other trades carrying out electrical work and DIY'ers must continue to notify their work to the Local Area Building Control prior to commencement, until such time as a ‘third party certification’ scheme member can be engaged.

What will happen if you don’t follow the regulations?


If you require any advice on a planned project or have started your project and just found this information please contact us and we will be pleased to explain your options or the process to follow.

 

If you are unsure, check with a us or your local planning authority office before starting any work

 

Examples of Special locations and installations:

The following locations would be classed as a special location, within which most electrical work would be notifiable.

Bathrooms & Shower rooms are split into zones shown in the pictures below. Zone 0, 1 & 2 are designated as part of the Special Location, outside of these zones have no special requirements.

Bathroom Zones Side View - Part P Bathroom Zones Top View - Part P Bathroom Zones - Part P