Within the electrical trade there are several associations that have gained the authorisation to be able to monitor qualified electricians and grant them Part P registration. "Part P" is the government legislation put in place to ensure domestic electrical work is carried out by competent persons.

NAPIT and the NICEIC are two such organisations that monitor Part P qualified electricians 

When I first began trading as a self employed electrician in the UK (May 2004), the NICEIC required self employed electricians to have traded for more than one year to be NICEIC registered. This combined with the fact that I wanted to get more involved with electrical inspections made my decision to join NAPIT an easy one.

N.A.P.I.T stands for "The National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers.

N.I.C.E.I.C used to stand for "National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting but is now a trading name of Ascertiva Group Limited a wholly owned subsidiary of the Electrical Safety Council.

Both organisations have almost identical criteria which one must meet to join. For example, both organisations require electricians to:

1/ Comply with BS 7671: 2001 Requirements for Electrical Installations (IEE Wiring Regulations) and other relevant standards and Codes of Practice
2/ Be directly engaged in electrical installation work
3/ Have premises and equipment appropriate to the range and scale of electrical work undertaken
4/ Have Test Instruments suitable for carrying out the range of tests required by BS 7671.
5/ Possess up-to-date copies of the following Publications:
a . BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations (IEE Wiring Regulations)
b . Memorandum of Guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations
c . IEE Guidance Note 3 on inspection and testing
6/ Maintain an effective system which enables them to confirm the continuing accuracy and consistency of all test instruments used for certification and reporting purposes
7/ Have a minimum £2 million pounds public liability insurance
8/ Make available for assessment sufficient completed electrical work across the range normally undertaken and undertake an annual onsite assessment to ensure their work complies with electrical regulation standards and that electrical tests are carried out correctly.
9/ Employ competent persons to undertake electrical work.
10/ Maintain a record of complaints made about the technical standard of electrical work carried out, together with the details of the remedial action taken, if any, to resolve the complaints
11/ Have a written Health and Safety policy statement and carry out risk assessments as appropriate

The main differences between the two organisations are as follows:

1/ The NICEIC only requires one "Qualified Supervisor" per company to have professional inspectors qualifications, provided that all of the companies work is undertaken in the same area (eg Bristol).

This means that if you an employ an NICEIC company to do your electrical work, the person doing the work, may not be professionally qualified.

WHEREAS

NAPIT requires all electricians within the electrical workforce of a company, to have professional inspectors qualifications.

2/ The NICEIC invests more money in advertising, than NAPIT.

3/ The cost of joining NAPIT, is cheaper than membership with the NICEIC.

To conclude:

Clients who employ a NAPIT registered electrician can be assured their electrician has the same skills, qualifications and working procedures required to be a member of the NICEIC or any other Part P monitoring organisation.

If you would like to have some electrical work completed or inspected by a professional, friendly, tradesperson who is highly recommended:

Tel: 01179 530 441 - Mob: 07 810 515 427

Email: bz@bzelectrical.co.uk

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