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Home Safety Electricity safety laws

Electricity safety laws

Electrical work that exceeds 32 volts AC or 100 volt DC is governed by:

Everyone, other than a homeowner in certain situations who carries out prescribed electrical work, as defined in the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010, must be registered by the Electrical Workers Registration Board. 

All registered electrical workers must hold an annual practising licence.  If you engage an electrician it is a good idea to ask to see their licence. If you are not sure whether the person is licensed, contact the Electrical Workers Registration Board on 0800 66 1000.

Certificate of compliance

When a registered electrician installs any new or altered wiring, they must provide you with a certificate of compliance once they have completed the work. This is your warranty that the work is safe and complies with the law.

Some maintenance work, such as repairing a damaged cable or replacing a broken light fitting, must be tested but does not need a certificate of compliance.

Work requiring inspection

Some work, for example work involving the mains supply or mains switchboard in a new home, must be inspected before it can be connected to our network.  The electrician cannot inspect the work themselves but is responsible for getting the work inspected by a certified inspector. 

The following inspectors are authorised to connect installations to our network:

We cannot liven any premises until we are satisfied that the premises have been inspected and certified.

Substandard electrical work

We are not responsible for electrical work in customer installations. If you are not satisfied with your electrician's work, you should try to resolve the problem with them. If you want an independent check of work completed, you should ask another electrician or an inspection company to do this – there could be a cost associated with this.  If your electrician is a member of the Electrical Contractors' Association the Association may be able to help with any dispute.

You may also make complaints about electrical work, or the work of an electrical tradesperson, to the Electrical Workers Registration Board. The board has powers to investigate and discipline electrical workers where they have failed to comply with electrical laws.