BSI Launches Kitemarks for ‘Sparks’

Press release - 26 February 2004

BSI has today launched a Kitemark scheme for electricians aimed at cutting the 44 deaths and around 2,850 injuries* caused by electrocutions and electrical fires in homes every year in England and Wales.

With only 20 per cent of the estimated 60,000 firms trading as electricians registered as members of voluntary schemes, BSI believes there is a need to help the public identify fully-qualified and competent contractors.

The Kitemark scheme for electricians and electrical installers(No longer offered) will reassure the public that they are employing a fully-qualified electrical contractor who is regularly assessed by BSI Product Services. The Kitemark, which is more than 100 years old, is instantly recognised by over 80% of people as the UK’s leading safety and quality mark.

BSI has applied for the new Kitemark scheme to be approved as a ‘Competent Persons Self-Certification Scheme’. The Government is due to introduce electrical safety into the Building Regulations this year and, when approved, the Kitemark scheme will exempt members of the scheme from inspections by Local Authority Building Control.

Electrical completion certificates

BSI Product Services’ Head of Projects, Mike Pearson, says: "This new Kitemark scheme is great news for consumers as it will help identify those electrical installation contractors who are regularly checked by an independent body. With BSI’s Kitemark so well known, the public will be reassured when they see the mark that the work carried out meets the necessary safety standards."

When the scheme becomes approved later this year, electrical contractors who pass BSI’s checks will be able to provide homeowners with ‘electrical completion certificates’ carrying the Kitemark. Certificates will provide evidence to prospective buyers that hidden electrical work was correctly installed and met the standard required.

BSI’s new Kitemark scheme will operate on the basis of compliance with the national safety standard BS 7671:2001 Requirements for Electrical Installations. The scheme will also meet the specific needs of the proposed Part P of the Building Regulations in England and Wales.

Under the scheme, BSI will check the qualifications and competencies of personnel and supervisory staff and carry out inspections of installation work to ensure it complies with BS7671. BSI will also check the adequacy of electricians’ professional indemnity cover and assess the calibration and control of their electrical test equipment.

(* source RoSPA)