Advice on Wiring Regs

[Jonathan Masters]

Hello everyone,
I apologise in advance if this is not the correct place to post this but I was hoping to get a little advice from people in the know about UK wiring regulations. Where better to ask?
I have a holiday home in a caravan park that I recently had a raised deck constructed around. The company who built the deck also installed some LED flexible tape in the handrails which looks very nice.
I got chatting to the two gentlemen doing the install assuming they were qualified electricians but they told me they were not at all, but rather full-time ‘caravan washers’ who were helping out.

• As they had to wire mains electricity into the 24VDC driver for the LED lighting, should these installers be qualified in any respect? i.e. Part P.

• Should I have been provided with any kind of installation certificate for the work carried out?

A friend of mine who is an NICEIC registered electrical contractor had a quick look the other day and pointed out several elements which I am concerned about from a safety aspect, such as T&E cable hanging loose from the connection to the mains electrical supply. It had not been securely fastened to anything.
Hoping a member here with some knowledge of the current regs would be kind enough to let me know what I should be bringing to the installers attention rules-wise when I contact them.
Thank you very much for your help,
Jonathan.

 

[Spoon]

Yes to both.
You should have got a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate at the end of the job.

 

[Octopus]

Get your mate to improv as necessary and bill the Muppets

 

[Spoon]

I'd just like to correct my post #2. My mate @Pete999 pointed out correctly that it all depends on if the work was new or an alteration/addition. I was presuming it was an alteration/addition.
Either way OP, you should get a cert for the work.

Ta @Pete999.. I'll give you a big hug and kiss next time I see you...

 

[telectrix]

I'd just like to correct my post #2. My mate @Pete999 pointed out correctly that it all depends on if the work was new or an alteration/addition. I was presuming it was an alteration/addition.
Either way OP, you should get a cert for the work.

Ta @Pete999.. I'll give you a big hug and kiss next time I see you...

YUK !.

 

[Spoon]

YUK !.

Don't get jealous mate. I'll give you a big hug and kiss as well.....

 

[Pete999]

I'd just like to correct my post #2. My mate @Pete999 pointed out correctly that it all depends on if the work was new or an alteration/addition. I was presuming it was an alteration/addition.
Either way OP, you should get a cert for the work.

Ta @Pete999.. I'll give you a big hug and kiss next time I see you...

Look forward to it, not

 

[Des 56]

• 
  
  • As they had to wire mains electricity into the 24VDC driver for the LED lighting, should these installers be qualified in any respect? i.e. Part P.
  
  Part P is a building reg,it has nothing whatsoever to do with electrical qualifications that may be held by an electrician
• What you should have had installing your electrics is a competent person,a competent person will have knowledge,training and the skill to carry out the work safely,electrical qualification is one way of demonstrating competence

Part P is not applicable to caravans

 

[Pete999]

• 
  
  • As they had to wire mains electricity into the 24VDC driver for the LED lighting, should these installers be qualified in any respect? i.e. Part P.
  
  
  Part P is a building reg,it has nothing whatsoever to do with electrical qualifications that may be held by an electrician
• What you should have had installing your electrics is a competent person,a competent person will have knowledge,training and the skill to carry out the work safely,electrical qualification is one way of demonstrating competence

Part P is not applicable to caravans

Just goes to show how the general public have been duped by the scam that is Part P

 

[PEG]

The most important part of the story,is what the terms of tenure are.

Although the OP may "own" the caravan,the site terms and conditions,can determine who does what,how and when.

 

[I2C]

To be completely honest, domestic-electricians don't need to have any qualifications by law at all. They do however, need to be competent in their work that they are completing; any notifiable-work (under Part-P Building Regulations) must be notified which can be done by either:
- An electrician who's a member of a 'CPS' / competency-person-scheme (schemes such as NICEIC, Elecsa, NAPIT, etc...)
- A building inspector hired from the local-council

For example, there are a lot of kitchen-fitters which do not hold any electrical qualifications but legally install equipment with no problem. They must still notify of any 'notifiable-work' as detailed below.

Notifiable Work:
In England, if any of the following electrical work is performed, it must be notified by either: a competency-person-scheme (as above) or a council building-inspector.
Notifiable work is listed in England as:
- Circuit alteration / addition in a special location
- Installation of one (or more) new circuits
- Installation of a new Consumer Unit (CU / DB / Fuse Box)
- Complete re-wire of all circuits
- Partial re-wire
- New full electrical-installation (new-builds)

Documents:
- If notifiable work has been carried-out, a "Electrical Installation Certificate" must be provided.
- If non-notifiable work has been carried-out, a "Minor-Works Certificate" is provided.
- You should also receive a O&M Manual (Operation & Maintenance Manual) which will include the relevant certificates alongside wiring diagrams, equipment-manuals, maintenance-instructions, emergency-procedures, equipment-operation-instructions, etc.
- The main-incoming CU (consumer-unit) should be adequately labelled, so you know exactly what circuits are connected to each breaker. (Other label examples: indicate which MCB the fire-alarm is connected to if mains-powered, old & new wiring colours present in the property, etc)

Also Note:
LED tape is often ELV (Extra-Low-Voltage, <50V AC) and normally 12V DC rated, which is safe to touch without risk of electric shock. Don't take this for granted though, check every installation to be sure & safe.

 

[Risteard]

Get your mate to improv as necessary and bill the Muppets

That isn't legal. You would have to allow them to correct the shoddy work. You can't just unilaterally bring someone else in to do work and then fine someone else for that!