BYTNAR - TALKS
EPISODE 032 - APPROVED DOCUMENT P - ELECTRICAL SAFETY - DWELLINGS
This episode is for people who want to know more about Approved Document Part P – Electrical Safety.
You should like this episode if you ask yourself questions like:
What is Approved Document P and how does it promote electrical safety in dwellings?
What standards must electrical installations follow according to Part P of the Building Regulations?
What types of electrical work require building control approval under Part P?
Are there specific requirements for the design and installation of low and extra-low voltage systems?
How do existing electrical installations need to be evaluated during upgrades or extensions?
What is the process for inspecting and certifying electrical installations under BS 7671?
Can homeowners self-certify their electrical work, and if so, what are the qualifications needed?
What are the consequences of non-compliance with Part P of the Building Regulations?
Are there any exceptions in Part P for certain types of buildings or electrical installations?
This is Bytnar Talks the Engineer Takes on Construction Episode 32 hi I'm Piotr Bytnar each day I help my clients plan and design building projects through Bytnar Limited a Consulting Chartered Structural Engineers practice my biggest passion and the cornerstone on which I've built my business is finding clever solutions for construction projects I am a chartered structural engineer and a buddying software developer so you can rest assured that I will strive to talk about the best practices and the use of new technologies in the industry and if you're embarking on a construction project or are involved in planning designing and building the world around us you'll find this podcast useful approve document P El electrical safety dwellings hi guys and welcome to bitnar talks your favorite podcast on all matters of architecture engineering and construction it is Thursday the 24th of October 2024 and I'm here back with you with the 32nd episode and information on approved document P electrical safety it is now official we reached the time of the year when days are tooo short to care and the air feels musty on the other hand Guinness tastes better and steak din feel particularly good not to mention a cheeky me pie here and there it is the time to start planning your projects starting in Spring especially if you need to go through the regime of planning permission as however let's start with a small recap of the last EP episode before we move to today's in the last episode I talked about the approved document o overheating in section zero of that document per usual which covers introduction we found out that the document covers what overheating right the prevention of overheating in new residential buildings including homes Flats Care Homes and school cool accommodation IT addresses communal spaces and mixed use areas in coordination with building control ensuring a balance between safety ventilation and heat management while considering other building regulations so it doesn't work on its own you got to take in consideration other aspects too in section one we are taken through a simplified method of dealing with that requirement which offers a checklist which is contained within appendix B of that document the checklist that will lead us to reduce overheating in our property focusing on the location of it and the type of ventilation it uses strates like glazing restrictions shading and window openings to limit solo gain and to manage hit within the building this method is best for standard buildings but may not suit those with high heat loads coming from the services of that building section two deals with the dynamic thermal modeling which follows the cibs tm59 methodology and allows for more detailed evaluation flexible analysis if you like particularly for well insulated or airtight buildings it may it may be better to use this method than go to the simplified one it emphasizes po passive measures like shading and natural ventilation as with mechanical system used only if necessary section three leads us to additional considerations for buildings where simplified method isn't suitable additional Factor s like noise air quality security and window safety must be also considered this includes secure ventilation options and protections to prevent accidents or security risks section four tells us of about the information that we need to provide to the homeowner which must be non-technical in the form of non technical manual expl explaining the overheating mitigation strategy for the building this should be part of the home user guide and should offer clear instruction on operation maintenance and how to keep cool during hot weather in this episode I will move to approve document P electrical safety in dwellings so without further Ado let's dive straight into this [Music] in this episode I'll talk about the statutory guidance contained within the approved document P electrical safety dwellings the document covers the requirement of Part B and it is contained within three section sections it also references the requirement of notification of Works under regulation 12.6 a the general play of the game is to go get yourself an electrician who will be be able to work to the British standard 7671 requirements for electrical installations right now in its 18th Edition but listen up to find out a little bit more so let's get into the nitty-gritty of the approved document all right guys starting with the text of the legislation part P electrical safety design and installation requir P1 reasonable provision shall be made in the design and installation of electrical installations in order to protect person's operating maintaining or altering the installations from fire or injury the requirements of this part apply only to electrical installation that are intended to operate at low or extra low voltage and are a in or attached to a dwelling B in the common parts of the building s in one or more dwellings but excluding power supplies two lifts see in a building that receives its electricity from a Source located within or sheded with a dwelling or D in a garden or in or on land associated with a building where the electricity is from a Source located within a shirt or shirt with a dwelling simple make sure buildings don't burn and people are not electrocuted and you are fined by the regulations and the Secretary of State thinks you thinks just that as long as the low voltage and extra low voltage electrical installations are designed and installed so they cannot be easily damaged mechanically or thermally and they are not hazardous in terms of fire and electric shock the installation is compliant extra low voltage is considered not exceeding 50 volts altering current or alternating current or 120 volts ripple-free direct current between conductors and conduct conductors and F now low voltage installations is considered up to th000 volts of alternating current or500 volts of direct current between conductors or 600 volts and 900 volts respectively between conductors and Earth straight up in section one that deals with design and installation we are told that design and installation needs to be in line with the bs7671 and that sufficient information about the installation needs to be provided to allow people to operate maintain and alter the installation reasonably safely what to include is listed in the British standard but should include installation certificate giving details of the installation and work carried out permanent labels on F connections and bonds and electrical equipment like consumer unit and residual current devices operated instructions log book and detailed plans but only for the unusually large or complex installations it should be noted that it's all about safety here not about functionality for new dwellings the position of wall mounted socket Outlets switches and consumer units should be easy to reach in line with part m of building regulations Circ 450 to 1200 mm above flow level and the consumer unit at 1350 to, 1450 mm above floor level material change of use will require an assessment of the existing installation and will likely lead to the necessity to bring up to speed with current standards as long as it is safe the existing installation can remain in place even if the color codes do not match current standards when we alter the existing installation or add to it as long as the old installation is of sufficient quality and capacity we may not need to upgrade it but it needs to be assessed assessment will include the rating and condition of existing equipment of consumer unit and electrical distributor to ensure it has the capacity to carry an increased load that adequate protection measures are in use and that everything and equip potential bonding arrangements are satisfactory now section 2D is with the application of part p and it sets out the type of building and electrical installation within the scope of these requirements as well as what type of electrical work is notifiable and must be certified as complying with building regulations so application think inside and outside of dwelling house Flat sheds detached garages and Green Houses common access areas and shared amenities but also business premises other than agricultural buildings connected to the same meter as the installation of the dwelling but part P do not apply to businesses metered separately to the dwelling power to the lift in the blocks of floods are also excluded from the con consideration however a single dwelling lift will likely use the meter of the dwelling house so will will fall under the consideration in the gist if it is connected to the meter of the dwelling it is considered under part P the notifiable work is dealt with in regulation 12. 6A which says and I will read its Conta now regulation 12.6 a a person intending to carry out building work in relations to which part B of schedule one imposes a requirement is required to give a building notice or an application for building control approval with full plans where the work consist of a the installation of a new circuit B the replacement of a consumer unit or C any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location now Point N of the regulation 12 tells us what that special location is and it says in this regulation special location means a within a room containing a buff or shower the space surrounding a buff top or shower head where the space extends I vertically from the finished floor level to Able a a height of 2.25 M or double be the position of the shower head where it is attached to a wall or ceiling at a point higher than 2.25 M from the level and double I horizontally double A where there is a buff TP or shower tray from the edge of the buff tub or shower tray to a distance of 0.6 M or double b where there is no buff tub or shower tray from the center point of the shower head where it is attached to the wall or ceiling to a distance of 1.2 M or B a room containing a swimming pool or Sona Hita it is self-explanatory really isn't it and you can view a diagram that shows a standard bathroom with the zones shown in the document naturally the zones where the work will be notifiable will be different when there is no shower tray or or a buff tub and where the shower head is higher than 2.25 met above the floor level so keep that in mind so all other works to the installation is not notifiable things like additions and alterations to existing installations outside of special locations Replacements repairs and maintenance anywhere now just because the work is not notifiable does not mean it does not fall under the power P just mind that when adding things to your circuits if the circuit cannot operate safely you cannot connect or extend it simple even if it just connected by a plug with a standard fuse as do the extension of the circuit now section three deals with certification inspection and testing to discharge the duties under requirement P we can either self-certify if we are registered competent person use a third party certifier or let the building control body certify the work for us in in any case the installation needs to be inspected and tested to procedures within bs7671 electrical inspection and testing forms should be given to the person ordering work and certificates to the occupier so in case of self certific certifying person or the installer registration body must within 30 days of the day the work are completed give the copy of building regulations compliance certificate to the occupier and give the certificate or a copy of it information to the building control body in the case of a third party certification the person doing the work has 5 days to inform the third party certifier who should inspect and test the installation if the installation is satisfactory the person ordering the work should receive an electrical installation condition report from the certifier then the registered body of the certifier should provide the building regulations compliance certificate to the occupier and give the certificate or a copy of its information to the building control body when the building control body gives certification the installer needs to notify the building control body before the works Begins the building control will assess the extent of inspection and testing required required and may choose to carry out the work by a specialist contractor to provide an installation condition report instead of dealing with it internally naturally the contracted work will will need to follow the British standard and the requirements of reporting when the building control is satisfied the work meets the code it will issue the occupier with the completion certificate or a final certificate if you will non notifiable work should meet the same standards of bs7671 as the notifiable work and if it does not the building authority can take enforcement actions so keep that in mind and be a good boy or a [Music] go so this is it folks the approved document P electrical safety let's sum it up section by section parp of the building regulation focuses on electrical safety ensuring that electrical installations are designed and installed to prevent fire or injury to users it applies to low and extra low voltage installations in dwellings and Associated structures including common areas and Gardens connected to dwellings section one deals with design and installation it tells us that electrical installation must ADH to bs7671 standards to ensure safety not functionality they should be designed to prevent mechanical and thermal damage and adquate information must be provided for safe operation maintenance and alterations special attention is given to accessibility requir requirements for new dwellings and existing installation need assessment during upgrades or alterations section two deals with application of part p and it applies in dwellings including out buildings and shared areas but not to separately separately meted businesses premises all lifts in Flats notifiable work such as nuk circuits consumer unit replacements and work in special locations like bathrooms requires building control approval while non notifiable work must still comply with safety standards section three tells us about certification and inspection and testing installations must be inspected and tested under bs7671 and certification is required competent persons can self-certify or a thir party building control body can verify the works non-notifiable work must meet the same safety standards and enforcement action can be taken for non-compliance in the next episode we will move to approve document Q Security in dwellings [Music] I hope you enjoyed this episode and that the consideration of the approved document P electrical safety are a bit clearer for you now no doubt I will be back to talk more and in depth about bs7671 in future if you have any questions reach out to me on LinkedIn or send me an email I'm more than happy to help you out in bitna we deal with planning designing and managing of your projects and we are always glad to f facilitate a free initial consultation to steer you in the right direction visit www.but now.co UK and reach out to us whether your question is if we can help you with your project or what should I do we will be able to give you a piece of non obligatory advice at bitna we help our clients design and execute their dream homes or Investments projects if your building is falling apart though we can also help in investigate the reasons behind it and to provide you with an appropriate strategy design and specifications for the repair thank you again for listening please voice up your opinions I'm waiting for you on LinkedIn and I want to hear from you see you next week Bytnar Designs The World Around You, Toodloo!
Piotr Bytnar BEng (Hons) MSc CEng MIStructE
Chartered Structural Engineer who deals with the Architecture of buildings. His Master's Studies led him to an in-depth understanding of risk and contract arrangements in construction as well as specialist knowledge in soil mechanics.
He and his team help homeowners and property developers to design and deliver construction projects reducing waste in time and the cost. He believes that the construction project is an iterative process that can be well managed and it is best managed if all the aspects of the project definition and management are dealt with in-house or coordinated by one organisation. His team works to all stages of RIBA and ISTRUCTE stages of work and enables contractors to deliver projects on-site providing risk evaluations, methodologies for execution of works and temporary works designs.
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