The announcement by the Scottish Government of a “Call for Evidence” to gather evidence on the extent of substandard electrical installations in Scotland and the risks posed to the general public has been welcomed by SELECT.
The Call for Evidence is a golden opportunity to detail examples of poor or unsafe work which will reinforce the case for making it an offence for someone to call themselves an electrician without holding appropriate qualifications.
Jamie Hepburn, the Scottish Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills, who last week (January 24) hosted a Working Group on the issue, is asking people to participate by means of a survey www.pyetait.com/Regulating-Electricians-in-Scotland.
Alan Wilson, acting Managing Director of SELECT, said: “It’s good to see the Scottish Government take this first step towards Regulation and we appreciate the action the new Minister, Jamie Hepburn, has taken to move this important subject forward.
“It’s a great opportunity to help make the public safer. By introducing Protection of Title for electricians we would remove a large number of unqualified and often dangerous practitioners from the industry.”
Gordon Paterson, Chair of the Dumfries branch of SELECT members, said: “This is a big public safety issue as our members see examples of poor electrical work on a weekly basis across the Dumfries & Galloway area, and regulating the profession is the best way to reduce this from happening. I would encourage anyone who’s suffered poor electrical work first hand to report it via the Government survey.”
The Call for Evidence is open to the general public, the electrical workforce, those affected by any such defective or unsafe electrical installations, those completing retrospective work, emergency services, insurance companies, local authorities, trade association and certification bodies and others.
The investigation will focus on a specific two-year period, between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2018 and will concentrate on issues of defective or unsafe work within a domestic setting. Submissions must be in by February 15, 2019.
SELECT, whose campaign has been carried out over a number of years backed by the Scottish Joint Industry Board and Unite the Union, is urging interested parties to send a clear message to the Government that action is required.
Surveyors, housebuilders, professional bodies and trade unions have all lined up behind SELECT’s stated position that Recognition of Electricians is an issue of public safety and that the profession should be protected by the full weight of the law.
Mr Wilson said: “It is vital that as many people as possible take part in the survey to demonstrate that action must be taken.”
SELECT’s 1250 member companies account for around 90% of all electrical installation work carried out in Scotland. They have a collective turnover of around £1 billion and provide employment for 15,000 people.
For more information please contact Alan Wilson, Acting Managing Director at SELECT, the Electrical Contractors’ Association of Scotland, The Walled Garden, Bush Estate, Midlothian, EH26 0SB. T: 0131 445 5577. F: 0131 445 5548. E:[email protected]. W: www.select.org.uk
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