Government Endorses BSI’s Kitemarks for ‘Sparks’

DCLG selects the BSI Kitemark as one of the UK’s leading safety and quality marks for electrical installation work

BSI Product Services has been given the green light by the Government to launch a voluntary Kitemark scheme for electrical contractors undertaking installation work.

Phil Hope MP, Minister of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, made a written statement to Parliament announcing the chosen operators of "authorised" competent persons schemes for electrical installation work under Part "P" of the Building Regulations. In the statement, BSI was among only five organisations whose schemes were approved by the Government.

Now the BSI Kitemark scheme qualifies as a "Competent Persons Self-Certification Scheme" it will enable members of the scheme to be exempt from further inspections of their work in domestic premises by a Local Authority Building Control officer or Approved Inspector. Ultimately, this will save both time and money for all concerned.

Contractors will be able to exploit the Kitemark’s competitive edge, helping them more effectively market services to customers, who already associate it with quality and integrity.

The Kitemark scheme will help the public to instantly recognise reputable contractors, providing reassurance that they are employing a fully qualified electrical contractor who is regularly assessed.

The new Kitemark scheme is based on conformity to BS 7671:2001 Requirements for Electrical Installations. The scheme meets the specific needs of new legislation covering electrical installations in England and Wales - Part P of the Building Regulations.

BSI Product Services’ managing director, Neil Hannah says: "This new Kitemark scheme is great news for contractors carrying out electrical installation work, as Kitemark licensees will be entitled to self-certify compliance with the relevant building regulations. This will save them both time and the cost of Building Control inspections on every installation.

"Although the new legislation does not come into effect until January 2005, we stress that it is crucial to sign up to the scheme now, in preparation. Not only will this ensure that contractors miss the inevitable last minute rush, it will also mean contractors will hit the road running in the New Year gaining enhanced trust with their customers."

Under the scheme, BSI will:

check the qualifications and competencies of personnel and supervisory staff
carry out inspections of installation work to ensure it complies with the national safety standard BS 7671
check the adequacy of electricians’ insurance cover
assess the calibration and control of their electrical test equipment.
Electrical contractors who pass the checks will be able to issue to homeowners ‘electrical completion certificates’ carrying the Kitemark. Certificates included in a ‘home information pack’ will provide evidence to prospective buyers that hidden electrical work was correctly installed and met the standard required.

The Kitemark is more than 100 years old and is recognised by over 80% of people as the UK’s leading safety and quality mark.

For further information about the Kitemark scheme contact BSI Product Services tel: 01442 278607 or email: product.services@bsi-global.com

-ENDS-

For more information please contact:

Wilma Tulloch on +44 (0)20 8996 6330 OR
Marc Edney on +44 (0)20 8996 6330

Notes to Editors:

BSI Product Services, with its HQ in Hemel Hempstead, England, provides testing, notified body and certification services for a wide range of products manufactured in Europe, Asia and North America. BSI’s widely recognised product mark the Kitemark was first registered as the British Standards mark in 1903.

The Kitemark – To achieve the Kitemark, companies have their products or services independently evaluated by BSI Product Services to ensure they conform to stated standards, and their quality systems assessed to ensure they can consistently produce products or services which conform to the relevant standard. The product or service is then subject to an on-going evaluation programme.

Testing and assessments are carried out to meet recognised British, European or international safety and quality standards. A company can only display the Kitemark on, or in association with, its products and services when it has shown that it can meet these stringent standards.