Kichen Electrical Guidelines and Regulations
Posted on May 25, 2008 - Filed Under Kichen Electrical, Kitchen Ideas, Kitchen Design |
Electrical Guidelines and Regulations are specific to each country so you must contact your Local Building Authority for help and advice.
From 1 January 2005 in the UK, all electrical work in dwellings needs to comply with the requirements of Approved Document P of the Building Regulations and needs to be carried out by persons who are competent to do electrical work.
Small jobs such as replacing a socket outlet or a light switch on an existing circuit, will not need to be notified to a Building Control body unless these are to be installed in areas of high risk, such as kitchens and bathrooms.
The Electrical Guidelines and Regulations require that all work that involves the addition of a new circuit to a dwelling will need to be notified to the Local Authority Building Control Services Unit who will then be required to inspect the work and give approval. The work may alternatively be carried out by a competent person who is registered under a Government Approved Part P Self Certification Scheme.
Persons registered and entitled to self-certify their own electrical work will need to be fully qualified electrical contractors with the ability to thoroughly check a circuit for safety. They will also be able to issue a Building Regulation Certificate proving compliance of the work they have carried out.
Where work is to be carried out by electricians who are not registered under a self-certification scheme, approval will be required from the Building Control Services Unit of your Local Authority.
The electrical guidelines require that you will need to submit a formal application for the work to be carried out, normally using the Building Notice procedure, and pay the appropriate fee for the work to be inspected and certified by the Local Authority.
In any event the electrical work which is carried out will still need to be certified under BS7671 by a suitably competent person who will be responsible for the design, installation, inspection and testing of the system on completion and have the confidence of completing a certificate to say that the work is satisfactory and complies with current codes of practice.
Each year on average ten people die and about 750 are seriously injured in accidents involving unsafe electrical installation in homes.
Risks in future could increase as use of portable and fixed electrical appliances increases, causing extra demand for extension and alterations to dwellings and electrical installations.
Do-it-yourself jobs, although needing to be notified to the Building Control officer will still need to be checked by a competent electrician and require the necessary electrical certificate, failure to do so will result in the authority not issuing a completion certificate.
The Electrical Guidelines and Regulations of Approved Document P applies to electrical installations where there are kitchens in buildings or parts of buildings comprising:
Dwelling houses and flats.
Dwellings and business premises that have a common supply - for example in shops and public houses where there is living accommodation above.
Shared amenities of blocks of flats such as laundries and gymnasium areas. learn more about how the new electrical safety law affects all householders. It contains down-loadable guides and tips, and a register of electrical contractors in your area (UK only).
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