Building Regulations

Written evidence submitted by Fred Williams

Summary

Existing HSE regulations on electrical and gas installation and repairs

HSE regulations are clear, set goals, and have good free guidance

No need for officially qualified electricians

Gas installers registered officially by HSE

Building Regulations on electrical and gas installation and repairs are unnecessary

Costs of qualified electricians for minor works out of all proportion to risks

Review existing guidance and educational material, make it free, fill gaps

Knowledge reduces risks

I am a home owner and former landlord.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has 2 sets of regulations on electrical and gas installation and repairs which cover all the key issues. These regulations are

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and

The Gas Safety Installation and Use Regulations 1998

at

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/635/contents/made and

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2451/contents/made

Like most HSE regulations they have been subject to intense scrutiny before being made and in their use in the day to day enforcement by inspectors and challenge in the Courts. These regulations are clear to read. They set goals to achieve by whatever means, rather than making dictats which are supposed to be solutions but are centrally conceived by regulators with no knowledge of individual local conditions. These regulations are supported by clear and free guidance at

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l56.htm and

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsr25.htm and elsewhere on the HSE website.

Some years ago the HSE evaluated the need for a law requiring electricians to be officially qualified, as with gas installers, and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support such a requirement. Gas installers are registered through HSE's own Gas Safe scheme.

The parts of the Building Regulations which concern electrical and gas installation and repairs in dwellings are therefore unnecessary. They could be revoked with no ill effect. The costs of getting qualified electricians to do minor work in dwellings under Part P are out of all proportion to the safety risks.

Electrical and gas safety risks could be reduced more cost effectively by reviewing existing guidance and educational material to make it freely available, as practised by HSE. If necessary any gaps in the available material could be filled with helpful free material which sets standards and explains the proper way to do the work. This would allow householders and landlords to recognise bad work and refuse to pay for it. It would allow those who seek to work as electricians and gas installers to be aware of the risks and the proper ways to do the work, and encourage them to get the right equipment and training. Competent but unregistered gas installers are safer than ignorant ones.

Fred Williams

January 2012