What Qualifications To Self Certify Domestic Electrical Work

[Skavenger]

Hi;

I have an opportunity and funding to do some training and would like to get qualified to carry out Domestic Electrical Work.

What qualifications do you require to be able to:

A. Legally carry out your own electrical installations and repairs in your own property.
B. Legally carry out electrical installations and repairs work in someone else's property.

Thanks

 

[DaftPunk]

Have you got any experience of working in the electrical industry?

It all well and good getting a qualification from college, but you also need to learn how to do the job, and this can only be done by working with an experienced electrician for at least a couple of years.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I understood from april 2013 you require a level 3 NVQ qual, to self cert as a domestic electrician, but best check the scheme providers requirements.
It used to be just the 17th editions.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

What qualifications do you require to be able to:
A. Legally carry out your own electrical installations and repairs in your own property.

The truth is none

What qualifications do you require to be able to:
B. Legally carry out electrical installations and repairs work in someone else's property.

Again the truth is none.

But if you want to self cert, you will require to be a member of a scheme provider, there are a few about some desire more quals, than offers the minimum reconsidered qual would be 17th editions. I understood that in April of last year things were going to change and a requirement would be a level 3 NVQ qual, but that may have be thrown out of a very high window!

If not registered, notifiable work will require applying for prior to starting work and a fee submitted.

 

[Skavenger]

Just emailed my training provider to ask what is required.

Short answer - I have no experience per se however I have an opportunity to attend some intense training and gain the relevant qualifications. I would at least like to be able to carry out my own electrical work at home and maybe get a job as a domestic electrician with a view to self employment.

Courses available are:

Introduction to Electrical Installations (10 Days) at the end of which you gain CITB Defined Scope (inc Building Regulations)
Joint Industry Board (JIB) Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) Health & Safety Assessment.

Electrical Installation Full Scope (12 Days) The course covers CITB Full Scope, Level 3 Building Regulations and Level 3 17th Edition Wiring Regulations.

IEE 17th Edition Wiring Regulations (5 Days), at the end if successful you gain a City & Guilds 2382–12.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

You are not going to learn much about the trade over a few days of introduction to aspects of what is required.
To do it competently and consider the industry seriously, you would require 3-4 years at college and gain experience at the same time.

 

[ericmark]

It is up to the LABC as to what they will accept for you to inspect and test your own work or even do the work where notification is required.

I did my mothers wet room and the LABC would not let my son sign the installation certificate he had C&G 2381 (as it was then) and C&G 2391 but did allow me to sign with a foundation degree in electrical and electronic engineering. I also had same as my son but they did not know that so really my son was better qualified as far as they knew.

So it's all down to the building inspector and what he says goes.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Just emailed my training provider to ask what is required.

Short answer - I have no experience per se however I have an opportunity to attend some intense training and gain the relevant qualifications. I would at least like to be able to carry out my own electrical work at home and maybe get a job as a domestic electrician with a view to self employment.

Courses available are:

Introduction to Electrical Installations (10 Days) at the end of which you gain CITB Defined Scope (inc Building Regulations)
Joint Industry Board (JIB) Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) Health & Safety Assessment.

Electrical Installation Full Scope (12 Days) The course covers CITB Full Scope, Level 3 Building Regulations and Level 3 17th Edition Wiring Regulations.

IEE 17th Edition Wiring Regulations (5 Days), at the end if successful you gain a City & Guilds 2382–12.

NONE of those (or even if you had all of them) would qualify you to do what you are looking for.

For NAPIT, as a full scope member, you would need the following:-

Full Electrical Member, covering the Domestic, Commercial and Industrial Sectors
(This also satisfies the requirements of the NAPIT Full Scope Scheme under license from the DCLG)
The Full Electrical Member Category is intended for Competent Electricians or Electrical Engineers working in any sector of the industry:

1.a or b and c
a. An electricians qualification of NVQ Level 3 or equivalent qualification or
b.An up to date NAPIT Certificate of Competence NA-A1A5 (Trade Test Certificate valid for 5 years) which is available through the network of NAPIT Training and Assessment centres
AND
c. An interim site technical assessment which is carried out by one of NAPIT's Field Officers*
AND
2. A current BS7671:2001 qualification such as NA2381** or C&G 2381** (Valid for 5 years), or an interim on site technical assessment.*
AND
3. A current Inspection and Testing Certificate to BS7671:2001 i.e. C&G 2391**, C&G 2400** or NA-A1A5** (valid for 5 years) or an interim on site technical assessment.*
AND
4. £2m of Public Liability Insurance
AND
5. Relevant Publications - BS7671:2001 which costs £49 and the On-Site Guide which costs £17 (both available from the IEE, Tel: 01438 767328). You will also need a Memorandum of Guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 which costs £4 from the HSE, Tel: 01787 881165, any other relevant publications covering any specific categories of work approvals required i.e. BS5839 for Fire Alarm Systems and if entry onto the CP register is required, the Approved Document for Part P which can be downloaded for free via the NAPIT website.
AND
6. A full set of Test Instruments
AND
If carrying out Third Party Inspections (PIR or EIS), £250,000 of Professional Indemnity Insurance

More info from http://www.napit.org.uk/qualsElec.asp

 

[seasickstevie]

Sounds impressive ...

A NAPIT 'inspector' (that's what he told the client he was) arrived on a job the other day and said he'd provide a 'whole house' (EICR) cert for £30.

Why do we bother?

 

[DaftPunk]

There's a guy near me who went to college, got his qualifications and then went out working on his own.

Keeps me and a couple of other proper sparks I work with busy sorting out all his botch jobs and repairing the faults he can't work out.

He advertises in all the local rags and on your doorstep etc. I don't have to.

Makes me so mad seeing all the poor customers he's left with substandard, none compliant and even dangerous work he's left them with, while thinking he's done a good job.

Experience and proper on the job training is so important in this industry.

I'd love to see a return to the proper old fashioned seven year apprenticeship before you're deemed competent to work as a qualified electrician.

 

[ericmark]

I think the phrase is "Warranty of Skill" and this does not need a single bit of paper to support it just having the knowledge is enough.

However to work on domestic installing a new circuit Part P or equivalent means you have to satisfy some one be it a scheme or local building control inspector that you have the skill and for the latter this is a problem as any EU qualifications could be shown to him and clearly he may not be able to read what they say.

So the inspector has to talk to the person and form an opinion as to if he can do the work safely. However unlike the scheme provider who has to pass a person to do a whole range of work the building inspector only does it job by job so he can accept a lower ability as he can after it is completed require it to be done again and done properly.

The problem is when the work escalates just had an example. Existing was a door bell and door push with transformer this was to be changed for an intercom which meant simply disconnect bell and use existing cables swapping transformer 8vac for a power supply 12vdc a very simple job.

However the electrician could not source a 12vdc transformer as direct replacement so he got a plug in power supply and replaced existing transformer for a socket. However rules on fitting a socket require either it to be marked as for transformer only or to have RCD protection he did neither. So he just did the job and made out no paperwork to support the work as it would not comply. He was unlucky in that I then tested the socket to see if OK to use to also charge mobility scooter and found no RCD tripped so asked for the paperwork. Guy claims paperwork sent to council who paid for the work council can't find it surprise surprise clearly as never made out. Guy had no meters with him so how could he have tested and filled in the paperwork? He after all did not set out to fit a socket it was only going to be a swap of power supply.

This happens all the time jobs become more than expected and having semi-skilled people do the work it will go wrong.