The dreaded Part P.....

[securespark]

Hi everybody

Apologies if you've seen this b4. I posted this in testers, but a lot has come in since then.

Been reading a lot about the dreaded part P in PE (trade mag) Sposed to come into force on October 1st. Either you become "a competent person" or you have to get your work checked by one. Is this before it is connected to the supply? How are NIC sparks and other competent persons going to cope with the huge influx of requests to check work prior to connection? And how does the Govt. expect sparks to go thro' the "competent persons" training/ evaluation/whatever before October? The whole lot is a bit of a mish-mash.

Anyway, on to the crux of my post: With part p in mind, I am looking to update my somewhat well-used test equipment. Do I go for separate units or an all-in-one?

As peeps have said in the testers posting, all-in-ones are pricey. Fluke/Robin is my preferred brand. And, where will I find the biggest discount off this brand? WF are not a great discounter, despite F/R being their main stock item.

 

[Big_Spark]

Go for an All in One from Robin, it may seem expensive, but when you look at the tests they do, then cost the individual instruments to perform these tests, they are cheaper.

Further, the Robin ones come with software to produce certificates and a are compatible with NICEIC forms should you go that route.


As for Part P...aarrrrrhhhh...The bl**dy paperwork and time this will consume when implemented.

Maybe we should force in a Part Q...to ascertain if the NICEIC are truly competent to force this change!!

 

[securespark]

Must admit I don't know the politics of Part P, but I do think it's going to be impossible to implement!

See this month's Professional Electrician Magazine for latest info on part p.

 

[dingbat]

Agree with securespark entirely about implementation. How long did it take CORGI to get established (really, I'd like to know)? And yet a lot of domestic gas work is still done by non-CORGI types, especially connecting gas fires and cookers, in the way that kitchen wiring will continue to be done by chippies and paint splashers.

Trouble is, many such trades are perfectly competent to DO the work, when it's replacing like for like and it doesn't take a lot of effort to find out enough to be 'safe enough'. As for the householder, a bloke comes in, joins up some wire - Hey Presto, light! - how hard can that be? Price will still be a decising factor for many - Why's that blokes bill twice what the other fella quoted? (I dread to think what the potential influx of East European sparks might do to the black economy)

But the juggernaut is rolling; new colour codes, Part P, ever-more intrusive safety legislation (how long before single-manned ladders are 'illegal'?). Ultimately we'll have to go with the flow or get squeezed out altogether.

 

[Big_Spark]

(I dread to think what the potential influx of East European sparks might do to the black economy)

But the juggernaut is rolling; new colour codes, Part P, ever-more intrusive safety legislation (how long before single-manned ladders are 'illegal'?). Ultimately we'll have to go with the flow or get squeezed out altogether.

Here in North London we have experience of this influx. I recently was asked to take a look over an installation rewired for a friend of a friend. The work had been done by a Polish Electrician, and on the surface I was told it seemed OK, however upon inspection I found that.

1: Sockets adjacent to switches ran from the lighting circuit. The lighting circuits backed up by 20A MCB's

2: The ring main did not exist, just a MASSIVE radial circuit supplying some 20 double outlets all over the house and protected by a 40A type D MCB!

3: The outside lights wired in flex, no stuffing glands in place and open to the elements. This circuit came straight from the circuit supplying the sockets in the kitchen and had not been fused down.

4: The Kitchen had ONE circuit, this was wired in 4mm T&E, and supplied the sockets, lights, outside lights, cooker outlet, shower in the bathroom above, and a socket and light in the garden shed at the bottom of the garden. This was supplied by a 40A Type D too!

5: There was NO connection to Earth at the board from the supply cable, he had disconnected it and told the householder it was uneccessary and potentially dangerous if lightning struck!

6: The Boards was actually a Hager 7 way enclosure and had no main switch, the tails from the meter terminated into a Henley Block outside the enclosure, from here bits of 4mm and 1.0mm T@E supplied power directly to the input of the MCB's!!

Needless to say I wrote a full report for the Guy, who was near to tears as he had paid this Polish Guy.

We managed to get in touch with him and he came round the house.

What shocked me is that he has a CSCS card from the JIB stating he is a qualified Electrician!!!!!!!!

I investigated this, and they issued the card as they saw copies of his cerificates, translated into English, and he sat a CSCS course, so they issued the card.

The really annoying thing is that our Guys had one hell of a palava getting CSCS cards from the JIB last year and they are now handing them out to any tom, Oleg or boris!!

This industry is on a slippery slope I fear.

 

[masona]

This industry is on a slippery slope I fear.

Sadly too true and this government are encouraging too many people to go to university , instead of a building trade.I'm still getting letters if I would considered to go back to the building trade as they're shortage of trademan ! I know one trade are mainly shortage of plumber's (approx 9,000 in south-east Essex alone) which therefore are encouraging people to learn the trade in 3 months from others countries.
I too, fear the industry is on a slippery slope.

 

[securespark]

Logged onto eca website tonight to gen up a bit on part p.

You can learn more about part p and its implementation by...............applying to join the eca............

GREAT!!

 

[Big_Spark]

Try this or this