As someone who is planning to enter the trade I am Intirgued by the responses to this thread and apologies for the length of this post.
From my current perspective as an outsider I have to say that I believe Part P to be a waste of time in the domestic owner / occupier market - my view here is that most people with common sense will either sufficiently research something before carrying out the proposed work or get someone in who can do it as they realise they are more than likely to be the one suffering if it is unsafe. Those lacking that common sense will almost certainly not be persuaded from doing things just because part p exists, to me this is a classic case of the many being impacted by the few.
The government should have made an electrical safety check part of the home buyers pack when selling a house instead of counting radiator valves, that way any corrective actions would be picked up before a new owner takes on a property and could make an informed decision.
As others have pointed more people are killed falling off ladders or down stairs each year in their own homes than are currently shown to have been killed by shoddy electrics (note I say shoddy electrics, to me genuine accidents like severing cables etc are just that, accidents and should not be included in the debate) - as tragic as any of these deaths are, the response needs to be proportionate, or are we destined to need a certificate in order to elevate ourselves more than 18 inches off of the ground?
Where I feel part p does have value is in the rental / HMO / public spaces sector where an unsuspecting member of the public may be the unfortunate victim of shoddy work caused by a landlord cutting corners, which is where all of this started in the first place.
Most of the letting agents I have spoken with in the last couple of years including my local council now insist on an electrical safety report each year for a property to be on their books. To me an inspection at change of rental should be the norm, for those concerned about short term tenancies my experience is that short term tenancies have substantial mark up in them to cover high occupancy turn over costs.
What is needed is proper enforcement in this area with proper penalties if landlords don't comply.
We need to make a return to common sense and do away with red tape for red tapes sake, I used to work for one of the world largest pc makers, every time I got a new laptop I had to wait to use it until someone had come along and checked the cable and affix his little sticker even though it was brand new and still sealed in it's bag from our own factory, all apparently in the name of PAT testing.
My current employer is recommending employees have an annual electrical check on their houses as we work from home and are plugging in the same dell power supply as thousands of people all over the world - just so they can be squeaky clean on health and safety.
It seems common sense has well and truelly left the building.......Hopefully it will return sooner rather than later even if that might be to the detriment of my future career earning potential.
Paul
