NAPIT assessment for Electrical Inspector

[Michal Zapalski]

Hello fellow sparks
I have a question regarding NAPIT assessment I'm due to have soon. I'm getting Electrical Inspector Scheme and Third Party Certification. I'm not sure what to expect. Can you share me your experience and help me prepare to this important assessment. All answers are very welcome.
Thanks a lot

 

[timhoward]

Hello fellow sparks
I have a question regarding NAPIT assessment I'm due to have soon. I'm getting Electrical Inspector Scheme and Third Party Certification. I'm not sure what to expect. Can you share me your experience and help me prepare to this important assessment. All answers are very welcome.
Thanks a lot

Don't worry they are usually quite friendly and ultimately they want your money!

Be organised, have ready for them:
-public and professional liability insurance documents
-calibration certificate for your tester
-18th edition certificate, and any other certificates for training you have received
-I think they wanted to see that I had a regs book.
-you need a job to take them to (which can be a CU in your own house) and an EIC for it. They will ask you to do a couple of tests, (often a Zs@DB in my experience). I think it's a minimum of 2 new circuits or a CU change.

They will probably want you to watch a promo video for their Fast Test software. Just politely sit through it!

(On a different note, I honestly would consider dropping 3rd party certification next year and save yourself some money. I had it for my first year as they sold it well on the phone, but in reality its such a pain to use that I didn't once use it.)

All the best with it, and tell us how it goes!

 

[Dustydazzler]

Just have the kettle on , your admin in order and you cheque book open on the table...

The rest is very basic stuff any sparks should be able to demonstrate with their eyes closed

 

[Michal Zapalski]

Don't worry they are usually quite friendly and ultimately they want your money!

Be organised, have ready for them:
-public and professional liability insurance documents
-calibration certificate for your tester
-18th edition certificate, and any other certificates for training you have received
-I think they wanted to see that I had a regs book.
-you need a job to take them to (which can be a CU in your own house) and an EIC for it. They will ask you to do a couple of tests, (often a Zs@DB in my experience). I think it's a minimum of 2 new circuits or a CU change.

They will probably want you to watch a promo video for their Fast Test software. Just politely sit through it!

(On a different note, I honestly would consider dropping 3rd party certification next year and save yourself some money. I had it for my first year as they sold it well on the phone, but in reality its such a pain to use that I didn't once use it.)

All the best with it, and tell us how it goes!

Thank you Tim

 

[Michal Zapalski]

Just have the kettle on , your admin in order and you cheque book open on the table...

The rest is very basic stuff any sparks should be able to demonstrate with their eyes closed

Hehe I like your attitude.

Just have the kettle on , your admin in order and you cheque book open on the table...

The rest is very basic stuff any sparks should be able to demonstrate with their eyes closed

.As usual. Fear makes things look twice as bad as they are.

 

[Vortigern]

need a job to take them to

Recently that has changed, you need to supply three addresses for them to randomly choose a job to inspect. So you need three jobs now. If you are just joining I suppose you have produced all your qualifications. They may want to look at them again. They did with me. It has got a lot stricter now. I agree with the Third party, far too much of a pfaff so I don't do that but sometimes do it anyway without their approval. Depends who is doing the job and me being able to test and proscribe methods etc.

 

[Dustydazzler]

If you are brand new out the box qualified how will you have 3 finished notifiable jobs to show someone ?

 

[timhoward]

Recently that has changed, you need to supply three addresses for them to randomly choose a job to inspect.

Yes indeed. Though I have found the level of 'randomness' has been known to vary a little. There are ways to keep the auditing app on the ipad happy....!

 

[Vortigern]

I gave them a job down the road from the office/paperwork assessment. and two other jobs thirty miles away. Guess which they chose......?

 

[Vortigern]

Regards the assessment, if you know your stuff you will be absolutely fine. I was asked the calcs for ring circuit for instance. There are questions on regs, sometimes off the beaten path like swimming pools, or caravan parks. You are given time if it is something you rarely do to look at the regs and get the answer. You need to be able to reference the regs! Also building regs questions like how many bends can you have in ventilation and so on. There is tests like do a Ze, and they are watching for safe isolation procedure. They just want to see if you don't know the answer, you know how to access it and find out. They are not trying to trip you up they just want to see you are actually competent.

 

[rewireIT]

Don't worry they are usually quite friendly and ultimately they want your money!

Be organised, have ready for them:
-public and professional liability insurance documents
-calibration certificate for your tester
-18th edition certificate, and any other certificates for training you have received
-I think they wanted to see that I had a regs book.
-you need a job to take them to (which can be a CU in your own house) and an EIC for it. They will ask you to do a couple of tests, (often a Zs@DB in my experience). I think it's a minimum of 2 new circuits or a CU change.

They will probably want you to watch a promo video for their Fast Test software. Just politely sit through it!

(On a different note, I honestly would consider dropping 3rd party certification next year and save yourself some money. I had it for my first year as they sold it well on the phone, but in reality its such a pain to use that I didn't once use it.)

All the best with it, and tell us how it goes!

What is the 3rd party certification? I thought it meant you could sign off other people's work?

 

[oscar21]

I've never had to show them three jobs, in fact the last few years the inspector has met us at the job and done all the paperwork there. And paperwork it mostly is, you have to show him you have all the documents, EAW regs, all parts of the building regs and other such nonsense. On our last inspection it was paperwork for 28 minutes and 2 minutes to show him I could test the RCD, I wouldn't mind but I get asked to test the RCD or do a loop test at a socket every year.

there was the added bonus of a quick 18th style exam, he gives you a card with 4 or 5 questions on and you have to tell him the answer, you can use the regs book. it was a farce though, I looked at the first one and said I think the answer is 1.37 is that right, he said no idea I don't know which card I've given you. Suppose they have to fill in the time slot somehow and crawling into cupboards and loft spaces clearly isn't on the agenda for them when they can sit at a kitchen table drinking coffee.

 

[Dustydazzler]

They could half the scam fees and do the yearly check up on Zoom

 

[timhoward]

What is the 3rd party certification? I thought it meant you could sign off other people's work?

Correct, after testing and inspection, and filling out a long form, and sending Napit the EIC along with a kidney and a pound of flesh. There were no circumstances that this ended up being appealing.

 

[rewireIT]

Correct, after testing and inspection, and filling out a long form, and sending Napit the EIC along with a kidney and a pound of flesh. There were no circumstances that this ended up being appealing.

I don't know any spark who offers that service who will actually sign off work for anyone. Seems a pointless thing.

I enquired round mine with at least a dozen different sparks and every one said they wouldn't do it even if they saw the install going in at various stages. Yet they paid napit to be able to offer the service. Weird.

 

[Dustydazzler]

About 3 or 4 years ago I was going to start offering 3rd party sign offs as part of my business. Was thinking of charging around ££400-450 fee for a 1hour site visit mid-install and followed by me testing and notifying the job at the end...It never did come to anything

 

[rewireIT]

About 3 or 4 years ago I was going to start offering 3rd party sign offs as part of my business. Was thinking of charging around ££400-450 fee for a 1hour site visit mid-install and followed by me testing and notifying the job at the end...It never did come to anything

Why would it? Cheaper for them to notify it themselves

 

[Dustydazzler]

Why would it? Cheaper for them to notify it themselves

A home-owner / DIYer doing their own full re-wire and board change won't have an MFT.

My business idea was to do a 1 hour site visit , look at what they have done , offer some advice if they need it and even offer to help with the job at my hourly rate. Then once they had finished the job I would allow 1/2 day to test and inspect everything, produce them a EIC and Notify the work.

The local BC wouldn't offer that kind of service for 400 quid

 

[Michal Zapalski]

Recently that has changed, you need to supply three addresses for them to randomly choose a job to inspect. So you need three jobs now. If you are just joining I suppose you have produced all your qualifications. They

may want to look at them again. They did with me. It has got a lot stricter now. I agree with the Third party, far too much of a pfaff so I don't do that but sometimes do it anyway without their approval. Depends who is doing the job and me being able to test and proscribe methods etc.

Thank you. I suppose I need to double check with them what their requirements are.

 

[Vortigern]

show them three jobs

Yeh this is a new one on me, but my annual was just a couple of months ago and it did suddenly change after I have booked the assessment they got in touch, so must be very recent! Which is no problem for me, just saying..

 

[oracle]

Hello fellow sparks
I have a question regarding NAPIT assessment I'm due to have soon. I'm getting Electrical Inspector Scheme and Third Party Certification. I'm not sure what to expect. Can you share me your experience and help me prepare to this important assessment. All answers are very welcome.
Thanks a lot

I've never bothered with third party Certification, if I come after the installation is complete, it gets an EICR, not a certificate. If I don't see it, I don't sign it.

 

[Bluetit]

If you are brand new out the box qualified how will you have 3 finished notifiable jobs to show someone ?

As someone currently looking at getting myself on a certification scheme I have struggled with comprehending this across all schemes. Part of the appeal of NAPIT over NICEIC was only requiring one job. I don't do masses of work, just some on the side for pocket money, due to not being part of a scheme these are currently minor works. I have 1 job which will soon need an EIR, which I took on specifically for this, and agreed with the client that they are happy for the inspector to visit. I was planning on completing this and then booking my assessment so as to have it within the grace period of notification, boldly assuming my passing (the assessment), then notifying via my new NAPIT membership.

This approach won't work so well if I need 3 jobs!