Buildings, structures and safety

Each year on average 10 people die and about 750 are seriously injured in accidents involving unsafe electrical installations in the home. All electrical work in homes has to be carried out by people trained to do the work.

All electrical work in dwellings has to comply with part P requirements and be carried out by persons who are competent to do the work.

Small jobs such as replacing a socket outlet or a light switch on an existing circuit will not need to be notified to a building control body, but there are some exceptions for high risk areas such as kitchens and bathrooms.

All work that involves adding a new circuit to a dwelling will need to be either notified to building control, which will then inspect the work, or carried out by a competent person who is registered with a part P self certification scheme. Persons registered with part P self certification schemes will be fully qualified electrical contractors with the ability to thoroughly check a circuit for safety. They will be able to issue building regulations certificates of compliance.

Many jobs carried out on a DIY basis will be small jobs that do not need to be notified to building control. However, householders are recommended to have the works checked by a competent electrician to make sure they are safe. Most unsatisfactory electrical work is carried out by over-ambitious amateurs.

It is believed that risks from unsafe electrical installations have increased over recent years due to:

• Rising numbers and variety of electrical systems and appliances in buildings, plus increased demands being made on them.
• Privatisation of the supply industry in 1988
• Voluntary self-regulation schemes provide excellent support for existing subscribers but do not always reach the independents or small businesses that have grown rapidly in number since the recession of the early 1990s.

Electrical accident rates in houses have risen and continue to rise when compared with those for carbon monoxide poising, gas explosions and collisions with glass - all of which are covered by the building regulations.

Risks in future could increase as people have more and more electrical appliances in their homes that need more extensions and sockets. The risks posed by unsafe electrical installations and portable appliances are electric shock and burns, as well as injuries caused by fires in buildings started by electrical faults. Installations that are properly designed, fitted, and tested in accordance with BS7671 will help to minimise these risks.

For the purposes of building regulations, a fixed electrical system means those parts of the wiring and appliances that are fixed to the building fabric e.g. cables, sockets, switches, fuse-boxes, immersion heaters and ceiling fittings.