In recent news, the Housing Minister has agreed to tighten up electrical safety rules in rental accommodation. These extra measures will provide greater protection to the tenants, but also to the Landlords.

Landlords have an obligation to ensure their rental accommodation is meeting electrical safety standards. The British Standards recommend that Landlords have an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) every 5 years OR at the change of tenancy. However up until now there has been no legal requirement to ensure that the inspectors they use for the EICRs have specific qualifications or a certain level of competence. Therefore, the Housing Ministers will also now be publishing guidance which highlights the minimum level of qualifications and competence required of the inspectors. This provides extra reassurance to both the Landlord and Tenants.

What is involved in an EICR?

An EICR involves a skilled person carrying out inspection and testing to ensure the installation is of a satisfactory condition. The process is mainly a visual inspection to ensure there are no exposed wires, damaged sockets etc. Electrical tests will also be carried out to confirm disconnection times in the event of an electric shock.  The main purpose of an EICR is to test the internal wiring of a building. The inspection should highlight any defects which could potentially cause a fire or affect the safety of persons.

At Fulcher Edwards we take pride in always providing a high standard of electrical safety. This is why each year we undergo rigorous audits to meet NICEIC, SafeContractor, and BAFE accreditations. However not all Electricians put the same level of importance on electrical safety and standards. Therefore these extra measures will provide assurance to the tenants that their home is safe, but also their will be a material improvement to the Landlords property. Failing to comply with these new measures will result in financial penalties for the Landlords.

If you are a Landlord or Tenant and would like to have an EICR carried out on your property. Please do not hesitate to contact us HERE.

When it comes to DIY, many people think that it is cheaper to do it themselves not realising the financial and safety implications involved. What can on the outset look like a relatively easy job, could turn out to be far more complex! That is why it is always best to leave it to a qualified, experienced electrician in London.

Below you can check out an infographic that reveals some worrying results about DIY electrics and also to highlight the serious consequences that this can have.

The recycling bins are full, cupboards are empty, and my trousers are feeling a little bit too snug for my liking! All the signs that Christmas has well and truly been and gone. Despite the post-Christmas blues, we all ring in the New Year with good intentions of ‘healthy eating’ and ‘regular exercise.’ Therefore if like myself you’ve been brushing the dust off the Cross Trainer, remember to also check that your electrical exercise equipment is still safe to use!

Safety Checks To Follow

1. Firstly, its a good idea to check the cables are in a satisfactory condition.  The cabling should be intact and not frayed or exposed. Furthermore, check that there is no damage to the plug top.
2. If your electric exercise equipment has been stored in a damp area, remember to take extra care before re-energising. Shamefully my Cross Trainer has been residing in the Shed for the past couple of years! Therefore, I left it inside for 24-48 hours to dry out before I switched it on.
3. If you need to clean down the exercise equipment, remember to keep water away from the sockets and power outlets.
4. Like all electrical equipment, its a good idea to switch the machine off by the socket when not in use.
5. If you’re looking to purchase electric exercise equipment, always buy from a reputable retailer. The reason for this is because the product would’ve undergone thorough safety checks. Also, the product will come under warranty if a problem occured.
6. For extra reassurance, you could also get the exercise equipment PAT tested. Click HERE to find out more about Portable Appliance Testing (PAT).

When staying safe with electricity, its important to apply a level of common sense. However if you’re ever unsure then its always best to contact a local, registered and qualified electrician in London and Hertfordshire. Remember to never carry out D.I.Y electrical works!

For all your electrical needs in 2019, contact Fulcher Edwards HERE. Happy New Year everyone!

This week is Electrical Fire Safety Week which is a great initiative promoted by Electrical Safety First. They work closely with the Home Office and Fire and Rescue services across the UK to help raise awareness on the dangers of electrical fires. Statistics they have collected show that “over half of all accidental house fires are caused by electricity. And nine out of ten electrical fires are caused by electrical products.”

At Fulcher Edwards we also consider ourselves to be advocates for electrical safety and put it at the forefront of what we do. Therefore we would like to share with you our tips and advice on how to stay electrically safe at home and in the office!

PAT Testing

PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) ensures your electrical items are safe to use. A PAT testing engineer will carry out visual inspections and tests to confirm the safety of the items. PAT testing should be carried out annually and is particularly important in the workplace or if you’re a Landlord.

EICR 

The British Standards recommended that all homeowners have an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) maximum every 10 years. Offices or rented accommodation should be every 5 years. EICRs establish how safe the electrics are in your building and will identify any potential hazards which could cause a fire. Following the electrician carrying out a thorough investigation, you will receive a report and recommendations which will keep your home in optimum electrical safety.

RCD

We always recommend RCD (Residual Current Device) protection to our customers. If you currently have no RCD protection, this will form as one of the recommendations in the report following your EICR. RCDs are a sensitive switching device that quickly turns off electricity when danger arises to reduce the risk of death or serious injury. RCDs turn off electricity in a fraction of a second and are far quicker and reliable than breakers and fuses.

Tradesman

Quality workmanship is all part of our service here at Fulcher Edwards. We are NICEIC registered electricians which means we will always be compliant to the highest standards of Part P building regulations. If you use an NICEIC registered electrician, you will be sure of a safe standard of work from a person who takes genuine pride in what they do.

Other things to consider:

• Always turns off electrical items when not in use! If an item if plugged into a socket, turn the socket off and remove the plug to be extra safe.
• Don’t overload your sockets or extensions leads. We understand that its unrealistic to have a plug socket for each item, however just be aware of putting to many high voltage items in one extension lead as this could result in a fire. Electrical Safety First have a brilliant interactive socket calculator which can be found here.
• Carry out visual checks. If any cables, sockets, or plugs appear faulty or damaged it is best to contact an electrician.
• Following on from last weeks blog about counterfeit items, always ensure you’re purchasing legit electrical items. A counterfeit may have not undergone thorough safety checks and therefore it could be faulty or possibly even deadly! Some products will also have the BSI Kitemark  on them which is the recognised symbol for quality and safety.
• Its always a good idea to not carry out electrical D.I.Y. A simple job which goes wrong could ultimately cause severe and expensive damage. Or even worse it could cause a fire. Therefore it is always best to contact a qualified and registered electrician.
• If worst comes to worst and a fire does start within your home, make sure your fire alarm is working! We always recommend you check your fire alarms weekly to ensure they’re still working correctly.

Join in with the Electrical Fire Safety Week conversations on twitter with hashtag #EFSW. For all your electrical needs including the ones mentioned above, please do not hesitate to contact us here!

Most of us wish we had the option to work from home in London and Hertfordshire from time to time, well I do anyway. The thought of being able to roll out of bed a little later, to have a leisurely breakfast, hey maybe cook myself some scrambled eggs on toast and then casually turn on my laptop in my PJ’s, all in the privacy of my own home sounds oh so great to me!

For those of you that do have that privilege of working at home, the team at Fulcher Edwards, your local, reliable and trustworthy Electricians in London and Hertfordshire, wondered how many homeworkers with electrical equipment provided by there employers, have some type of electrical maintenance in place or if there just left to get on with things? You know the ‘well it works’ attitude that some companies tend to suffer with unfortunately.

Although the home is the responsibility of the homeworker, they are only actually responsible for their own equipment which is purchased by themselves.

Employers should have steps in place like the ones below which are recommended by the HSE to keep their homeworkers safe and prevent harm or injury:

1) Check that plugs are not damaged
2) Check the domestic electrical systems are adequate for electrical equipment
3) Check plugs are correctly wired and maintained
4) Check that the outer covering of the cable or wire is gripped where it enters the plug or the equipment
5) Check that the outer corner of the equipment is not damaged, for example look for loose parts or screws
6) Check leads, wires or cables for damage to the outer covering
7) Check for burn marks or staining that suggests overheating
8) Repair electrical equipment that may cause harm or injury to the homeworker
9) Check that there are no trailing wires; if there are, tuck them out of the way,
for example under a desk or table to prevent accidents

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) places duties on employers, self-employed people and employees. Under this law employers have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees, this also includes homeworkers. The safe use of electricity at work is covered by the Electricity At Work Regulations 1989.

Although homeworkers have a slightly different set up, their safety is equally as important as workers in an office environment and electrical maintenance needs to be in place regarding their equipment such as portable appliance testing. The type of maintenance procedures employers have in place will depend on whether hazards are low or high risk.

If you work from home then why not speak with your employer about what procedures are in place? As maintaining your electrical equipment is important for a number of reasons, mainly to avoid electrical faults as they can cause a fire.

If you are a homeworker in London or Hertfordshire, as professional electricians in London and Hertfordshire, we would love to hear what electrical safety procedures your employer has in place?

Give us a call now on: 020 7922 1101 / 01923 616985 or send us a message HERE