BREAKING THE LAW

[jimwillfixit]

Hello people,
i need some advice. i know a electrician who hired people with no electrical qualifications, yes i know this is fine but these very people have carried out around 60 test and inspections on property's, is there a law against this? they was not supervised but left to carry on doing the testing, the man who hired them was trying to save money instead of employing men who have the test and inspection qualifications, if this is breaking the law as i believe this is please can you give me information for the right people to tell, am i not right in saying peoples life's could be at risk?

also, if your the one carrying out the testing, are you the one to sign the test and inspection test sheets?

 

[bernardgreen]

If you have definative and documented proof then I am sure the Trading Standards Office for the area(s) these people have been working wil be interested.

Also if the "electricians" or the employer claim or imply membership of any professional organisation then that organisation will ( should ) be interested.

But be absolutely sure of your facts before naming anyone publically.

 

[ericmark]

It would be hard to prove he has broken a law. One has to have a warranty of skill but there is no set qualification to prove you have a warranty of skill.

So one would have to show where the guy has missed a dangerous item which one would have expected him to have found. However even the best electrician can miss things.

We should have professional indemnity insurance to work where we are giving a professional opinion. However I know many electricians are covered with their public liability insurance. But really it is up to the home owner to ask to view the insurance there is nothing to say electricians must have insurance however without it they could loose all they have.

In real terms some one would have to be injured or a house go on fire before you can do much.

Trading standards may try stopping him but proving some one has not got the skill is very hard. Also proving the guy knew the people he has employed did not have the skill would also be hard.

 

[EFLImpudence]

What kind of tests were these?

How many people?
Were they each issued with the necessary equipment?

A full and proper EICR obviously cannot be done by staff hire 'off the street'.

However, the so-called, imaginary 'Landlord Inspection' can be carried out by anyone with an eye and a finger.

 

[jimwillfixit]

Ok so people go college to get qualifications so they can go out and make some money,
now this man who has hired the people with no qualifications in test and inspection can be used in test and inspecting? is this what the law says? then why go college to get qualifications in this area if we all can go out and do it without qualifications, surly you need to be
qualified or there is a risk,

yes he got the jobs through a estate agents which is why there was so many flats but he would go of and do other jobs and leave these men without qualifications to do the test and inspection.

The evidence would be, these men who he hired would collect the keys from the estate agents and bring them back without the boss, the boss would be on other jobs so there would be prove he was else where as you can not be in 2 places at once

also these men he hired was not on a pay roll but cash in hand.

so is this allowed or not?

im lost because he can then hire anyone and they can go out and do the testing, surly there is a law against this

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Also proving the guy knew the people he has employed did not have the skill would also be hard.

I suspect that if he himself was a qualified electrician and if they wanted to set a rottweiler barrister onto him, then within a few minutes in court they would have shown beyond reasonable doubt that he had been contravening the CDM regulations by not hiring people with qualifications.

I am reasonably confident, on the grounds that I can't think of a more likely way that the OP could know they'd done 60 properties, is that he works for a housing association or property management company, and all 60 properties are theirs.

They could easily take civil action against this guy, where the standards of proof become on balance rather than BYD, and drive him into the ground.