Client is being very naughty and im caught in the middle

chris day · Mar 7, 2018

I carried out an EICR for a charity music school, the building is a small brick building with a few ring circuits and lighting circuits.
I am going to be upgrading a few consumer units.

I asked them where their meter was and they said they currently do not have one and do not intend to have one???
is this my problem as its not unsafe having a Henley block in place of the meter??

Andy78 · Mar 7, 2018

Tough one. If you installed would you be complicit in the scam ? Would a note on the cert saying you made client aware suffice ?

Spoon · Mar 7, 2018

Good one... What the procedure if you see someone with 2 CU's and one has bypassed the meter, or along those lines...? You get the idea...

ImpededLoop · Mar 7, 2018

Is it definately a DNO incomer? On some multi-building sites, such as colleges and universitys, the distribution cabling was installed by the local electricity board with a central meter and customer switchgear. The submains look like DNO cables (paper insulated lead etc.) but are in fact private, being metered upstream.

Des 56 · Mar 7, 2018

Hum a charitable tune and put n/a where it asks for condition of suppliers equipment

Octopus · Mar 7, 2018

Not sure I'd be submitting paperwork with my name and signature on where there may be no meter.

How are you gong to isolate the existing boards?

Wilko · Mar 7, 2018

Murdoch said:
How are you gong to isolate the existing boards?

Might sort itself out if OP rings up DNO and requests them to pull the fuse for safe working

.

Baker1988 · Mar 7, 2018

I would probily let them off with it being a charity (would feel charitable), would tell the client that he needs to call and get a meter installed (which they probily wont) and then note on the certificate that "there is no meter and have informed client that he needs to call and get one fitted" and just leave it at that.

Marvo · Mar 7, 2018

The last thing I'd do is put it in writing there's no meter. You may as well write 'please lock me up as an accomplice' on the cert as well...

At least put 'unable to access' or something equally vague.

MJPD29 · Mar 7, 2018

Sounds like a tough one, some probably won't agree but I think I'd avoid the job is I could!

Adam W · Mar 8, 2018

I'd never heard of that so I had to look it up; I found this:
Unmetered Supplies - https://www.ssepd.co.uk/UnmeteredSupplies/
It could be that they've got an unmetered supply, but it'd be worth (probably very discreetly) double checking with the DNO - if the client had bypassed the meter and it came about that you worked on the installation knowing that, you might have some tricky questions to answer.

chris day · Mar 8, 2018

How are you gong to isolate the existing boards?[/QUOTE]

Isolation is not an issue as there are currently two switch fused dis connectors, no meter has been bypassed, one has never been fitted

Richard Burns · Mar 8, 2018

Effectively you are there to assess the safety of the electrical installation. There is no electrical hazard in being unmetered. An N/A would be applicable for the report.
You then have the dilemma of is this something I wish to report or do I check up to see if it legitimate or do I ignore it.
This is down to your level of energy, moral compass and interest.

rolyberkin · Mar 8, 2018

If you can isolate it I would conveniently forget the conversation you have had with the person and write not located fed from switch fused sub-main on the form. Ilf it was a grow room completely different dilemma.

Spoon · Mar 8, 2018

The views on this is interesting to read.
We usually go on about doing a proper job and doing things by the book.. It sounds like that's ok ...as long as it's to our liking...
I suppose at the end of the day, as @Richard Burns says, it's down to our moral compass...
Personally I would question the set-up with the DNO.