Electrical Regulations (Part P)

According to Government reports, defective fixed electrical installations in UK households result in 30 deaths and 1,150 serious injuries every year.

To address these safety issues the Government has extended the scope of the Building Regulations by requiring anyone carrying out work on fixed electrical installations to do so in accordance with BS7671, the British Standard for electrical installations.

Building Regulations Part P (Electrical Safety covers:

• dwellings
• combined dwellings and business premises having a common supply (eg shops, pubs with flats)
• shared amenities in blocks of flats (eg laundry rooms, gymnasiums)
• common access areas in blocks of flats (but not lifts)
• parts of electrical installations to external premises, such as gardens, sheds and garages

Complying with Part P

Electrical contractors will achieve compliance by following Chapter 13 of BS7671:2001. Official guidance is given in Approved Document Part P.

Part P applies to all work in dwellings whether carried out professionally or by DIY, whether or not minor work or notifiable work.

Minor Work

'Minor Work' is work not involving the addition of a new circuit, such as the addition of a new socket or lighting points to existing circuits or the replacement of accessories.

Notifying Electrical Work

All proposed electrical installation work, including re-wiring, will need to be notified to a building control body and an application deposited before work commences, unless:

• the work is to be undertaken by a Competent Person registered under the Part P approved self-certification scheme
• the proposed work is Minor and is NOT in a Kitchen or in an area classified as a special installation or location

Special Installations or Locations

The following are classified special locations and installations:

Special locations:

• Kitchens
• Location containing a bath tub or shower basin
• Swimming pools or paddling pools
• Hot air saunas

Special installations:

• Electric floor or ceiling heating systems
• Outdoor lighting or power installations
• Solar photovoltaic (PV) power supply systems
• Small scale generators such as microCHP units
• Extra-low voltage lighting installations, other than pre-assembled, CE-marked lighting sets

Building Regulation requirements in addition to part P

Contractors self-certifying compliance with part P will also have to certify compliance with the relevant parts of part B (fire safety), part M (access to and use of buildings) and part L 1 (conservation of fuel and power).

Self-Certification schemes

The following five bodies have been approved to operate self-certification schemes. Each link below will give you more detailed information about each scheme and Part P, they can be found under 'external links' on the right hand menu.

• BRE Certification Limited
• British Standards Institution
• ELECSA Limited
• NICEIC Certification Services Limited
• NAPIT Certification Limited

Defined competency schemes

Electrical work carried out in conjunction with primary work activities, for example kitchen and bathroom fittings, can be undertaken by individuals registered under a Defined competency scheme. On the Part P website, you can search for Competent Persons. The following bodies below are authorised.

• CORGI Services Limited
• ELECSA Limited
• NAPIT Certification Limited
• NICEIC Certification Services Limited
• OFTEC (Oil Firing Technical Association for the Petroleum Industry)

To find out more contact us using the details on the right of this page.

Page last reviewed 8 Apr 2008