LABC and NIC First Assessment

[CUDABOY]

cool man, i didnt know that! cheers.

going to involve labc on the jobs i submit nic man may / may not want to see labc involvment,.....just in case.well they gotta have their pound of flesh as well now! ere goes £500

 

[dannybruff]

I rang up the Council thinking I needed them to inspect my CU change at my parents house before the niceic came round, an got told it would cost me (a soul trader) £260!!!! I then rang up the niceic informing them I'd changed the board and the council want £260 to come and test it, on top of the £450 i've already paid the niceic. Bit of a catch 22 money spinner I thought. The woman on the phone went back and forth and came back and told me that after my assessment, assuming everythin goes ok, I can notify the job via them. OK they are gonna charge me a late notification fee but its better than £260. The only thing I can assume is that they are more interested in testing you than the Council. My assessment is on the 12-11-08, fingers crossed all goes well. Any tips on things I should brush up on would be a great help guys. Not too sure how deep they're gonna look into the installation, I mean, am I responsible for the whole installation????? ie. unclipped cables and Loose JB's in the loft???

 

[ccrowe]

I had my assessment on Friday and it all went swimmingly. The assessor was keen to point out that he's not trying to catch you out, he's there to help. We started with my minor piece of work, a new outside socket, then moved to the major work, a new ring final.

Both passed his inspection without any problems but he did give some hints and tips of alternative methods of installation. He wasn't criticising, just pointing out alternatives.

I had to do a couple of tests on the minor (Ze and IR) and a full set of tests on the major. With each test I had to explain exactly what I was doing, why, and what the results meant. We had quite a bit of discussion about the results and how to interpret them. All very relaxed but he was definitely making sure I knew what I was doing.

My concern about LABC notification didn't come up as I'm still within the time limit so can now notify via NIC.


Things I would suggest for anyone having their assessment...

• If your work looks good, ie all cable runs truly vertical or horizontal and all accessories secure and properly installed, then that will give him confidence right from the start.
• Make sure you've tested beforehand and all results comply with regs.
• Make sure the certificates are complete and accurate.
• Isolate properly when you start. I got the feeling this was a big one for him.
• Know how to test and interpret the results. You'll have to do a full set of tests so make sure you know what you're doing.
• Make sure you've got all the books and paperwork that they require. There's no point failing over something so easy to get right.

I think that's about it. Good luck to those waiting for assessments.

 

[dixon9]

Seems very positive that the LABC fees can be avoided on jobs for assessment although I´m a bit confused.....

When installing a new cct I understood LABC had to be informed BEFORE the job was started AND then they would also inspect on job completion?

Assuming LABC were informed of the "assessed job" (being a fine upstanding, legal sparky!) from the very beginning how are the fees avoided? And what happens if you fail the assessment?

 

[flukey]

hi dixon
thats exactly how i see it, if its notifiable surely you have to inform labc before starting the work
i know that once registered there is a set period to register work once complete but surely any scheme provider would want to see all relevant paperwork for previous installations complete including labc involvement.
best to confirm with whichever scheme you choose prior to booking an assessment.
best of luck

 

[laney06]

Hi there.

The labc route is for people who have no intention of registering with a scheme provider. its basically for one off jobs.
If your a Qualified spark awaiting assesment then the labc are fine with you doing the job for your assesment.

To get mine i installed a fused spur off a socket in my living room then changed my sisters consumer unit. 1 minor works 1 major works.
i certed them on the green certs the nic give you as part of your registation process. i dated the certs a week before my assesment.
Passed with flying colours, notified the jobs a week later when my details came through from the nic.

Hope this helps

 

[dixon9]

Hi there.

The labc route is for people who have no intention of registering with a scheme provider. its basically for one off jobs.
If your a Qualified spark awaiting assesment then the labc are fine with you doing the job for your assesment.

To get mine i installed a fused spur off a socket in my living room then changed my sisters consumer unit. 1 minor works 1 major works.
i certed them on the green certs the nic give you as part of your registation process. i dated the certs a week before my assesment.
Passed with flying colours, notified the jobs a week later when my details came through from the nic.

Hope this helps

Sounds good to me but...

In the event that you hadn´t passed, what would have happened re LABC?

 

[ccrowe]

This was my main fear. If I'd failed my assessment then I would have had to a) apply for retrospective approval including the bill from LABC and their contractor, or b) swept it all under the carpet (You ain't seen me, roight).

For the avoidance of any doubt, b) was a joke by the way.

 

[laney06]

Hi there.

if your an electrician you will not 'fail'

Its not a test. Its showing some guy you know how to do your job.

my niceic assesor said in 4 years of doing the job he had never 'failed' anyone.

They state during your assesment that they are not there to catch you out, and you are free to use your onsite guide and regs to help answer any questions he asks you.

Hope this helps.

 

[dixon9]

Hi there.

if your an electrician you will not 'fail'

Its not a test. Its showing some guy you know how to do your job.

my niceic assesor said in 4 years of doing the job he had never 'failed' anyone.

They state during your assesment that they are not there to catch you out, and you are free to use your onsite guide and regs to help answer any questions he asks you.

Hope this helps.

Sounds fair enough to me.