Annex 3: glossary of terms, initials and
acronyms
Approved document
- Each of the 14 sections of the Building Regulations has its
own approved document, which sets out the relevant legislation
and describes the means by which the Regulations can be met.
BS 7671 -
The British Standard that sets out the fundamental principles
for achieving safety, from which Part P derives. To achieve the
requirements in BS 7671, electrical installations must be:
designed and installed to afford appropriate protection
against mechanical and thermal damage, and so that they do not
present electric shock and fire hazards to people; and
suitably inspected and tested to verify that they
meet the relevant equipment and installation standards.
Building Control - Independent
third party checking of design proposals and work carried out
by either a Local Authority or a licensed private sector organisation
(Approved Inspector) in order to audit compliance with the Building
Regulations. See Annex 1 for a flow chart that shows when electricians
need to tell their Local Authority Building Control Department
about electrical work, in accordance with Part P of the Building
Regulations.
The Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations
2010 - allows local authorities to bring
in external expertise and capability, and to vary building control
fees when inspecting installations, dependent on whether or not
the installer is registered.
Building Regulations -
Statutory instruments that seek to ensure that the policies set
out in the relevant legislation are carried out. Building regulations
approval is required for most building work in the UK.
Building Regulations Review -
DCLG is currently reviewing the Building Regulations, including
Part P. The consultation closes on 27 April 2012, after which
the final proposals will be published.
Competent Persons Scheme -
A scheme introduced by the Government to allow individuals
and enterprises to self-certify that their work complies with
the Building Regulations, as an alternative to submitting a building
notice or using an approved inspector. To be eligible to self-certify
that electrical work complies with the Building Regulations, electrical
contractors must be registered with a DCLG-authorised Part P Competent
Person Scheme. To become registered, electrical contractors have
to undergo an assessment process to confirm that they can work
in compliance with the scheme rules, including an on-site inspection,
evaluation of technical competence, qualifications and inspecting,
testing and certification ability of a nominated employee, confirmation
of possession of appropriate test instruments and public liability
insurance, and confirmation of having systems in place to certify
electrical work as safe to put into service, and to handle complaints.
The contractors must undergo re-assessment annually.[81]
CORGI - Gas Safe Register
replaced CORGI as the gas registration body in Great Britain.
The acronym was derived from the Confederation of Registered Gas
Installers.
DCLG - the Department
for Communities and Local Government
DIY - 'Do-It-Yourself';
the activity of making repairs in the home by the homeowner, rather
than employing a professional.
ECA - The Electrical
Contractors Association
ELECSA - ECA Certification
Limited. One of the organisations authorised by DCLG to operate
a Part P Competent Person Scheme.
Electrical installation -
Defined in the Building Regulations as fixed electrical cables
or fixed electrical equipment located on the consumer's side of
the electricity supply meter.
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations
1998 (GSR)[82]
- Gas safety is subject to these regulations. These regulations
have independent and separate requirements to Building Regulations,
but there is overlap between the two regulations.
Gas Industry Safety Group (GISG) -
Formed in 2002, the Gas Industry Safety Group encourages co-operation
between the main UK gas industries, to promote best practice and
providing a forum to promote gas safety.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) -
The HSE is a Non-Departmental Public Body with Crown status, established
under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It has responsibility
for enforcing the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations
1998.
Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS)
- A standard by which the adequacy of
housing can be measured. Used by Housing Authorities as part of
their licensing process.
HMO Management Regulations -
The current regulations are the Licensing and Management of
Houses in Multiple Occupation (Additional Provisions) (England)
Regulations 2007.[83]
Various duties placed on the manager of an HMO (House in Multiple
Occupation) and, by virtue of the regulations, local authorities
have the power to inspect gas safety certificated required under
the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations.
LABC - Local Authority
Building Control
NAPIT - The National
Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers. NAPIT is one
of the organisations authorised by DCLG to operate a Part P Competent
Person Scheme.
NICEIC - NICEIC
(National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting)
is the United Kingdom's largest private sector building control
body. It is authorised by DCLG to operate a Part P Competent Person
Scheme.
Notifiable work - Work
that is deemed notifiable, as stated in Approved Document P, must
be notified to the relevant Local Authority's Building Control
(LABC) department. If the work is carried out by a registered
electrical contractor (also known as a 'competent person'), they
report the completed work to their scheme operator. The scheme
operator then informs the relevant LABC of the completed work,
in accordance with the Building Regulations. If the work was done
by somebody who was not registered, then a Building Control Body
(either the Local Authority or a Private Sector Approved Inspector)
must be appointed to provide checks. There is a fee payable to
the Building Control Body to cover their costs in checking compliance
with the Building Regulations. Notifiable work covers major work,
and other 'high-risk' areas, such as kitchens, bathrooms and gardens.
Non-notifiable work -
covers minor work, such as replacing switches or adding sockets
to existing circuits other than in special places (for example,
kitchens and gardens). Such work does not need to be notified
to the relevant LABC department.
Part J - Part J
of the Building Regulations covers the safe installation and use
of combustion appliances, including boilers.
Part P - Part P of schedule
1 to the Building Regulations 2000[84]
is the sole specific legal framework that covers the safety of
electrical installations in the home. It states:
Part P Electrical Safety
Design and installation
P1. Reasonable provision shall be made in the design
and installation of electrical installations in order to protect
persons operating, maintaining or altering the installations from
fire or injury.
The requirements of this part apply only to electrical
installations that are intended to operate at low or extra-low
voltage[85] and are:
in or attached to a dwelling; in the common parts of a building
serving one or more dwellings, but excluding power supplies to
lifts; in a building that receives its electricity from a source
located within or shared with a dwelling; and in a garden or on
land associated with a building where the electricity is from
a source located within or shared with a dwelling.
Risk Based Assessment (RBA) -
An approach to vetting Competent Persons favoured by several scheme
operators, where the vetting extent is based upon a risk-based
analysis of the Competent Persons performance and quality controls.
RBA would allow Part P scheme providers, such as NICEIC, to reward
those contractors with a good track record, thereby removing annual
assessments, with their associated costs.
Residual Current Devices (RCDs) are
designed to prevent people from getting a fatal electric shock
if they touch a live wire. Older homes—approximately 50%
of England's housing stock, do not have adequate RCD protection.[86]
Section 4 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 -
There is liability in negligence on the part of the landlord
for death or personal injury arising out of a breach of these
repairing obligations. For example, if somebody is injured due
to carbon monoxide fumes, a claim for personal injury can be made.
Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
- the landlord is contractually responsible
for the repair and/or keeping in proper working order the installations
in a rented property, for the supply of gas and electricity, as
well as the installations for space and water heating.
UKAS accreditation - The
United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS) is the sole national
accreditation body recognised by the Government to assess, against
internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide certification,
testing, inspection and calibration services. According to NICEIC,
UKAS accreditation for NICEIC and ECA Domestic Installer Scheme
works out as a cost of £30 per day.[87]
81 Ev 52, Annex D Back
82
SI 1998/2451 Back
83
SI 2007/1903 Back
84
SI 2000/2531, as amended by SI 2004/3210 and SI 2006/652 Back
85
Approved Document P states that extra-low voltage is defined in
the Building regulations as voltage not exceeding 50 volts between
conductors and earth for alternating current or 120 volts between
conductors for direct current. Low voltage which normally exceeds
extra-low voltage is defined in the Building Regulations as not
exceeding 1000 volts between conductors or 600 volts between conductors
and earth for alternating current; or 1500 volts between conductors
or 900 volts between conductors and earth for direct current. Back
86
Ev 45 Back
87
Ev 29, para 2.10 Back
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