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Homeowners can be at risk of death or injury because of faulty gas and electrical installations and repairs. Such work needs regulation and safeguards to ensure safety. Building Regulations, for which the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has responsibility, stipulate that liability for the state of electrical installations and repairs rests with the homeowner, rather than the installer. Many homeowners and the general public are unaware of this liability, and the Government needs to co-ordinate a concerted effort by the various industry organisations to raise public awareness levels.
More also needs to be done to raise public awareness of the dangers of using sub-standard electricians and of the need to have regular maintenance checks on the electrical circuits in homes. We recommend that sockets and other electrical equipment sold by DIY stores should carry a health warning that it is illegal for an unregistered person to carry out most electrical works in the home without checks being completed by either the Building Control Service or, if our recommendation is accepted, by a member of a Competent Person Scheme, acting instead of the Building Control Service. This will encourage the general public to use registered electricians, and reinforce the general health and safety message that electrical work can potentially be extremely hazardous.
By law, all gas engineers must be on the Gas Safe Register (which replaced CORGI). Gas Safe has been granted Competent Person Scheme status for self-certification under the Building Regulations, and we recommend that there be a major publicity campaign, involving all relevant bodies, to ensure that householders know the legal and safety consequences of not choosing a Gas Safe engineer. Our inquiry focussed specifically on Part P and Part J of the Building Regulations, which cover the safety and use of electrical and gas installations in the home, and the issues surrounding the Government's current consultation on possible changes to these Building Regulations.
Part J of the Building Regulations applies to the safe combustion of gas in heat-producing appliances, and covers the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from faulty or malfunctioning heat producing systems. The Government is not suggesting changes to Part J, but our written and oral submissions were overwhelmingly in favour of adding a requirement to fit carbon monoxide alarms. We are clear that too little is still known by the public about the risk of the odourless, invisible and potentially lethal fumes of carbon monoxide. The Government should co-ordinate a concerted effort by various industry organisations to continue to raise public awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning and we recommend that audible, wired-up EN 50291-compliant carbon monoxide alarms be installed with new heating appliances in all new-build or existing homes. There is evidence that they can make a significant difference to safety in the home.
Part P focuses on electrical installation and repair, and we have concluded that it is adequate in its current form and its coverage should not be reduced, though there is need for improvements in its operation. Our evidence has shown that since the introduction of Part P, the number of deaths and injuries due to electrical faults has decreased. We would only support the deregulation options the Government is examining if there was sufficient assurance that safety standards would not be reduced, and that has not been provided by the Government.
The electrical Competent Person Scheme is a voluntary scheme that electricians can join, and, since its implementation, there has been an overall reduction in the number of installations by unqualified, and possibly sub-standard, electricians. We are concerned, however, by the potential conflict of interest, highlighted in our evidence, where those running the scheme have a financial incentive to recruit as many to the scheme as possible. We recommend better supervision by the Government of the bodies operating the Scheme.
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