What is Part P and its Effects?

Part P Training Courses

What is Part P?   We are constantly asked by people wanting to become an ‘electrician’, ‘How do I become part P qualified?’ The answer is that there is no such thing as a part P qualification. Part P is a building regulation covering electrical installations associated with dwellings i.e the places we call our home.

Part P states that any electrical work carried out in a dwelling (domestic property) must comply with the wiring regulations BS7671, and this must be installed and tested by a person with the requisite knowledge and skills which, in the words of the Electricity at Work Regulations (EAWR), means somebody that is deemed competent and thereby ensuring the installation is safe.

When any electrical work is carried out in your home Part P also stipulates that this must be notified to the local building authority. This can be done directly by the person carrying out the work which will then require the local authority to visit the installation and approve the work that has been carried out foe which a fee will be charged.

Alternatively, the installer has the option to join an approved scheme whereby the governing body of that scheme will notify the local authority that the installation has been carried out in accordance with the wiring regulations by a person deemed competent to carry out that work safely.

National bodies such as NICEIC or ELECSA have created schemes whereby a member of that scheme has been assessed to ensure they are competent to carry out electrical work in a domestic property and will provide assurances to the local building authority that any work by their members comply with Part P and provide assurances to the home owner that the installer has an appropriate level of competency.

To become a member of such a scheme electrical installers are required to possess certain qualifications and be able to demonstrate a level of competency in installing and testing domestic electrical circuits.

These qualifications come in various forms but as a minimum the industry recognises for example city and guilds qualifications in the wiring regulations BS7671 (2382) and inspection and testing (2391 or 2392).

So part P is not a qualification but a building regulation that stipulates a level of competency and qualifications expected of those installing electrical circuits in a domestic property.