Part P electrical fires might be back down to the level they were at before

Wot's a 'fuse board' ?? :-)

Wasn't it predicted that the legislation would push up prices and more incompetent people would resort to DIY.

Headline: Electrical wiring fires increase across UK

Data: A graph showing number of fires decreasing since 2010 (when the reporting system was changed).

I think that wins the 'bad science' award of the month...

Theo

Or use more multi-way socket strips

Our fire was caused by a faulty thermal cut-out on a Creda underfloor ducted heating system, that had been inspected 6 months previously.

I recall from discussions here at the the time there was a fairly strong consensus that this was one of a number of predicted outcomes!

If you take a situation where one can identify a problem, and then fix it or get it fixed easily and quickly, and then introduce FUD into the process which makes it more complicated and expensive to fix, then there is a much stronger likelihood that it won't get fixed.

Then on top of that introduce a path where lower quality bodge fixes are explicitly cited as not being affected by the new rules, and it is not surprising that they gain traction.

I think it is more subtle than that. Incompetent people are not usually troubled by rules and regulations, and so less effected by part P.

The problem is the ones who *do* want to do stuff "by the book" are now inhibited from doing something. So you in effect reduce the quantity of work done by the very people best suited to doing it!

prevention of obstructions

IMHO, it's a bit like all these 'think tanks'. Generally set out to prove a point of view already held. And pressure groups going for legislation that benefits only them - under the H&S banner or whatever - tarred with the same brush.

All the more credit to the Select Committee who looked at the evidence and recommended a reduction in the scope of Part P, and to the Ministers who acted on it. A rare example of politicians being brave enough to say no to the "more regulation is safer" lobby.

From an EICR I did a couple of days ago.

Possibly. But the IET's article did not fill me with confidence in their figures. They start with "Electrical distribution fires occur within the fixed electrical parts of a home such as wiring and fuse boards." But the fire stats since 2010 have used "electrical distribution" to cover 3 categories: heating sources, apparatus (meter, fuse box), and wiring/cabling/plugs. I assume they excluded the first. But if they included the third then what about other factors. Eg how did the FRS score fires started in the ever greater numbers of wall warts plugged in to charge smart phones?

In many systems there is a sweet spot between complexity and simplicity where reliability is better. Brian

For many years I had two 8 watt lights fed withnon standard three core wire from Tandy in weird colours. Never had a problem at all. Obviously not meant for the job, but nothing ever happened. Brian

One thing that amuses me. The desire to restrict all such things to registered pros. Then introduce the need for things like Wagos. Designed to be safe with idiots.

Brian Gaff snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote

Have fun listing any examples of that now with commonly used stuff apart from stuff like stainless steel cutlerly etc.