We have been taught as far back as I can remember that an electrician with a health and safety matter can override the managing director, likely he would not keep his job for long, but above my pay grade does not hold water with health and safety. But must be reported in writing, that would include a SMS, but writing, a phone call is not enough.
And if an electrician makes a home uninhabitable, then he must find alternative accommodation, although nothing is said to who must pay for it, or making sure the ex occupants use it.
It was, it seems OK to just switch off a dangerous supply. One does not need to make it so it can't be switched on again, however when it happened to me, I felt I was guilty, I had disconnected a motor and clearly isolated the supply, locked it off, and given the key to the site foreman, as likely it would not be me who would need to reinstate. The fitter got the key of the site foreman and turned supply back on. Lucky for me, the management blamed the fitter, but I still felt I should have not left the key with the site foreman. Lucky no one injured.
But after the distribution unit, easy enough to either lock off a MCB/RCBO or drop tails. But when the fault is the DB, that option is not open to us. And my domestic working was rare, it simply did not pay enough, so even before 2004 and Part P, my working on domestic was very low, and the whole reason for Part P was it is not in the main a work place, so does not come under health and safety at work act.
Not sure today with so much work being done from home, and visiting tradesman from the boiler service man, social care, postlady, milkman, etc. The Englishman's home is no longer his castle.
It is in this case clear, one can't simply write out the EICR with code C1's, it needs to be made safe, would a text to the Estate Agents, followed of course by a phone call, be enough? Interesting to hear how the situation was dealt with?
