Nanny, as we all know, loves to put her nose into every aspect of her “charges’” lives. She has been busy recently, creating a whole host of special regulations which will further intrude into the daily lives of her “charges”.
In the New Year one of Nanny’s new regulations, covering electrical work in the home, will come into force. The good news is that these rules come under the remit of her “trusted” and “respected” smooth talking bar steward, John Despot.
Mr Despot is concerned about the literally thousands, well ten actually, of people a year who die because of botched domestic electrical work.
Therefore in order to rectify the situation and to “zeroise” the risk, Nanny so hates risk, Nanny has forbidden DIY electrical work. The new rules will ensure that most electrical work, carried out in the home, can only be performed by qualified and registered electricians.
It seems that the days of the DIY electrician are numbered.
As from January, if a householder decides to do the work himself, it will have to be checked by local authority building inspectors.
Oh good, yet another body of much needed inspectors!
Needless to say this new level of bureaucracy does not come for free, the inspectors will charge for their work.
The rules are far reaching, and will cover ALL work carried out in the bathroom and kitchen (this means that, in theory, you can’t change a light bulb in the kitchen!); plus most electrical work elsewhere in the house.
The good news is that Mr Despot will allow the DIY enthusiast to do the work; however, the work will then have to be reported to the local authority which will send a team of inspectors around to certify the work (for a small fee of course!).
Mr Despot realises that some people may have a little trouble understanding these regulations, especially since they emanate from his department; don’t despair, a website will be launched on January 1.
This will provide details of the new rules, and put householders in touch with approved electricians. Mr Despot will even be mounting a publicity campaign.
So that’s clear everyone is it? You will still be able to do the work yourself, so long as you report it.
You will all be reporting it won’t you? Otherwise that would make a total mockery of Nanny’s plans.
But Ken, Nanny has thought of that, if you don’t report it when you come to sell the house Nanny is going to require a certificate to show the work was passed by an inspector, and will require the buyers solicitor to ask for the certificate. Nanny is also going to make sure that not just any inspector can pass your work, the inspector will have to have licence and this take six months of observation from another inspector to pass the inspector you use. So nanny is really going to Zeroise the chance of a shock but the Nanny is only doing as she is told by her master.
ReplyDeleteTen people per annum, eh?
ReplyDeleteI thought that was "evolution in action?"
I'm an industrial electronics engineer, deemed a "competent person" under the Electricity at Work regs, but under Nanny's new rules I'm not regarded as qualified to fit an extra socket in the house!! Excuse me while I just crawl into my corner and gibber.......!
ReplyDelete