A reminder why using a registered electrician matters

While this was not in our local area, we were shocked when we came across this news story about a rogue trader falsely claiming to be a NICEIC registered electrician and carrying out electrical work that was not done to an acceptable standard and could have put people at risk.

In this case, after some of the clients affected contacted the local trading standards office an investigation took place, and the perpetrator was prosecuted. It turned out that some of the work done was to such a poor standard that it had to be completely removed and started from the beginning again.

We’ve written before about making sure you choose a competent and fully qualified person for any electrical work whether it be at home or in a commercial premises. It really is no exaggeration to say that lives are at risk if electrical work is not carried out to a safe standard.

The NICEIC or National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting is a regulatory board that oversees training and certification for electricians. We are a NICEIC approved contractor, and as such are assessed on an annual basis to ensure that our company and employees are capable and competent to deliver work to the standards set out by the regulations. You can therefore be confident that when working with us you are in safe hands.

Here are our tips to help you select a safe and competent electrician:

• When carrying out your initial research, look out for the NICEIC logo displayed on the website of a registered contractor.
• Many businesses have a social media presence these days, so it is worth looking at these too as profile pages will often list any accreditations and will give you a feel for the approach of the firm and the type of work they do. It’s also somewhere where previous customers are often happy to share feedback, particularly if they were either very happy or extremely unhappy with the service they received.
• Always get quotations for the work you need to have done from 2 or 3 firms so that you can compare them. If one firm quotes a price significantly lower than the others, you may want to make extra checks. It is not worth putting yourself or others at risk to save a few £s and is worth bearing in mind that you may need to pay even more to have any shoddy work corrected.
• Ask local family, friends, colleagues, or neighbours for recommendations if they have had electrical work carried out recently.
• You can search this website if you want to check whether your electrician is NICEIC registered

NICEIC approved contractors are regularly assessed to ensure that they meet the relevant safety and technical standards, adhere to codes of practice, and follow the rules of the scheme. If in doubt, or if something doesn’t feel right don’t take any chances. Electrical work done badly carries a risk of fire as well as the risk of electric shock.