Niceic safety and competence
Niceic electricians registered by Niceic are assessed on a regular basis to ensure that they are competent and capable of meeting the relevant technical and safety standards, codes of practice and rules of the schemes they are registered to.
Niceic compliance with building regulations
Niceic electricians registered to Niceic building regulations schemes are authorised to self-certify their work without hindrance from local authority building control departments. This saves you the customer both time and money when undertaking work, that requires notification under the building regulations part p.
Niceic insurance backed warranty
The Niceic insurance backed warranty covers work done by contractors registered to the Niceic domestic installer scheme that is notifiable to building control. The purpose of the warranty is to protect you the customer should any work be found not to comply with the building regulations, under circumstances where the Niceic electrical contractor is no longer in business to undertake the necessary remedial work. So remember to ask the contractor for a part p certificate on completion of any work. The certificate will have the IBW details on it. The financial limit placed on the remedial work is £25,000 for any one installation per period of insurance, and the warranty is valid for a period of six years from the date of completion of the original work.
Niceic guarantee of standards scheme
The Niceic expects its Niceic registered contractors to provide a quality service to their customers and, therefore, endeavour to resolve all complaints about the technical standard of their electrical work. If a customer and the Niceic approved contractor are unable to resolve an alleged deficiency in the technical standard of electrical work, the customer can make a formal complaint to Niceic. The Niceic will help facilitate the negotiations between the contractor and the complainant. As described below, the Niceic complaints procedure requires the Niceic registered contractor to resolve the technical deficiency without additional cost to the consumer. However, if the contractor does not undertake the required remedial work, Niceic’s guarantee of standards scheme ensures it will be done by another Niceic-registered contractor, at no cost to the customer.
Niceic independent complaints procedure
The Niceic operates an independent complaints procedure. If the electrical work of a registered contractor is found to be below the accepted technical standard, the Niceic requires the Niceic electrical contractor to correct the work, at no additional cost to the customer. The Niceic is concerned solely with the safety and technical standard of the electrical work carried out by the Niceic approved contractors, and the standard of certification and periodic inspection reports which approved contractors are responsible for producing.
The Niceic complaints procedure
Niceic group limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the electrical safety council (previously the national inspection council of electrical contracting), operates the following schemes to further the council’s aim of protecting users of electricity from unsafe and unsound electrical installations.
The Niceic approved contractor scheme.
The Niceic domestic installer scheme.
The Niceic approved contractor scheme has been operating since the foundation of the Niceic in 1956, this is to assist contractors carrying out electrical installation participate in a voluntary scheme that demonstrates their competence to their customers.
Niceic domestic installer scheme is operated by Niceic group ltd as a government approved competent persons self certification body and assists enterprises in meeting the requirements of part p of the building regulations, which was introduced on 1 January 2005. The building regulations deal with the health and safety of people in and around buildings by providing functional requirements for building design and construction.
The law states that any persons carrying out fixed electrical installations in households in England and Wales must ensure that electrical installations are:
Designed and installed to afford appropriate protection against mechanical and thermal damage, and so that they do not present electric shock and fire hazards to people
Suitably inspected and tested to verify that they meet the relevant equipment and installation standards.
Every enterprise that applies for enrolment/registration is subjected to a detailed assessment by Niceic, including the technical standard of their electrical work, before being admitted to the roll of approved contractors or the register of domestic installers. The approved contractors and domestic installers (hereafter referred to as approved enterprises) are subjected to periodic assessments (normally annually) to check that they are continuing to comply with Niceic’s rules.
One of the conditions for continued approval with Niceic is that the electrical work of approved enterprise must comply with the national safety standard BS 7671 – requirements for electrical installations and where applicable the building regulations of England and Wales. In the event of the electrical work of an approved enterprise being found to be below the standard required, Niceic requires the enterprise concerned to undertake remedial actions, at no additional cost to the customer.
In the event of a complaint, the complainant should firstly bring the matter directly to the approved enterprise’s attention in writing, allowing a reasonable period of time for the enterprise to respond. Should this prove to be unsuccessful in resolving the complaint, this complaints procedure may be applicable.
In respect of its complaints procedure, Niceic is concerned solely with the safety and technical standard of the electrical work, certification, and where applicable the periodic inspection reporting or notification of said work to local building control via Niceic.
The complaints procedure does not deal with:
Complaints about electrical work carried out other than by Niceic approved enterprises.
Contractual or commercial matters of any kind, such as the price charged for work or the time taken to complete it.
Complaints about aspects of work, which are not directly related to the electrical safety, or where applicable, the building regulations.
Complaints where action has been taken to correct or alter or remove the features of the work complained about. In such cases Niceic would be unable to firmly establish, by means of an onsite inspection, whether or not the work originally complied with bs 7671 and, where applicable, the building regulations.
Where applicable, complaints about a periodic inspection report, where the relevant features of the electrical installation have subsequently been altered or removed.
Where applicable, complaints about scope of work that is outside the approved enterprise’s scope of Niceic approval.
Complaints about matters which are the subject of current, or intended litigation by the complainant. The Niceic offers its complaints procedure as an alternative to litigation.
Non-compliance with technical specification and requirements, which fall outside the scope of BS 7671, and, where applicable, the building regulations
The complaints procedure is only offered for works that have been completed less than three years before the date the complaint is first registered with Niceic and only to persons having a direct interest in the matter being complained about. This normally means that any complaint must be made by the customer (the person who ordered the electrical work) or someone acting on their behalf and at their request. Any other person wishing to make a complaint, such as a tenant who is not the customer, should normally refer the matter to the customer in writing; only in exceptional circumstances will Niceic offer its complaints procedure to a third party.
To enable Niceic to implement its complaints procedure, the complainant must be willing and able to permit the approved enterprise to be present at any inspection carried out by an Niceic engineer, and to allow reasonable access for the approved enterprise to carry out any necessary remedial work. The complainant must also be willing and able to arrange access for these purposes.
Procedure
Complainants are invited to formally register their complaint by completing the notification of complaint form, which may be downloaded from Niceic website, and to specify as clearly as possible:
The aspects of the electrical work which are considered to be unsafe, and why; and/or
The aspects of the certification that the approved enterprise is required to produce in connection with the safety of an electrical installation, which are considered to be unsatisfactory, and why.
On receipt and validation of the completed complaints form, Niceic makes a written request to the approved enterprise to comment, in writing, concerning the contents of the form. If the complaint is of a relatively minor nature and the facts are not in dispute, it may be possible for Niceic to arrange for the matter to be resolved without direct intervention. Otherwise, following receipt of the approved enterprise’s written comments, arrangements are made for an onsite inspection to be carried out by an Niceic engineer. The engineer arranges the appointment with the complainant and the approved enterprise for a mutually agreed date and time. Where Niceic considers that there may be real and immediate danger arising from the electrical work complained about, the arrangement of the site inspection is treated as matter of urgency by Niceic.
A representative of the approved enterprise must be present at the inspection. The complainant, or a representative, is also required to be present, but no-one else unless expressly agreed in advance by Niceic engineer.
The inspection is concerned solely with the items which are specifically the subject of the complaint. The purpose is to determine whether or not these items satisfy BS 7671 and, where applicable, the building regulations. After the inspection, Niceic Engineer prepares a report giving relevant details of the electrical work, the results of any tests and inspections, and the details of deviations, if any, from BS 7671 and, where applicable, the building regulations.
This report is forwarded to the approved enterprise, and the complainant is given a general indication of the
Niceic’s findings. Should the complainant require a copy of the report, it should be sought from the approved enterprise.
If the report reveals deviations, Niceic requires the approved enterprise to carry out remedial action, without additional cost to the customer, to correct those deviations which were not a result of specification requirements.
Usually, a further inspection of the installation is made after completion of the remedial action so that confirmation can be given to the customer that the deviations have been corrected.
In the unlikely event of an approved enterprise that is an approved contractor not honouring the requirement to undertake remedial action at no additional cost to the customer, Niceic guarantee of standards scheme may be applicable. Details of this scheme will be provided in the appropriate circumstances.
All decisions, regarding the application and interpretation of Niceic complaints procedure, the safety and technical standard of an electrical installation, the technical standard of certification relating to the electrical safety of an installation, and remedial action, rest with Niceic.
Due to the need to address complaints in a fair, consistent and methodical manner, it may take Niceic several weeks to resolve a particular complaint, even if both the complainant and the approved enterprise are fully cooperative and respond promptly to all correspondence etc. However, in all cases the complaint will be dealt with as quickly as possible.
Niceic complaints procedure provides benefits in addition to statutory and other legal rights. The complaints procedure does not reduce or modify these rights.
The Niceic is the UK electrical contracting industry’s independent voluntary body. They offer leading certification services, building regulations schemes, products and support to electrical contractors and many other trades within the construction industry. Over 25,000 contractors are registered with the Niceic and take advantage of their products and services.
Those services include:
Niceic electricians – competent persons scheme
Niceic electricians – competent persons scheme part p
Niceic electricians – industry recognised training
Niceic electricians – unrivalled technical support
Niceic electricians – publications and dvds
Niceic electricians – contractor insurance
Niceic electricians – products including, certificates, test equipment, tool bags
Niceic – customer and industry support
Niceic registration not only demonstrates to customers the Niceic electricians skills and professionalism, it also gives them peace of mind that the Niceics products and services are the best in the industry.
