The Electrotechnical Assessment Specification Management Committee (EAS) has agreed the implementation of the new Qualified Supervisors technical competence requirements to take effect from 6th April 2013. The new qualification is expected to produce better and safer working practices within the electrical installations industry.
The industry bodies represented on the Electrotechnical Assessment Specification (EAS) Management Committee are pleased to announce that a new level 3 qualification has been developed.
There are five different routes satisfying the requirements for registration as a Qualified Supervisor, including on-site assessment, off-site assessment, a mixture of both and the gaining of appropriate qualifications.
Existing Qualified Supervisors
The new requirement will not apply retrospectively to existing Qualified Supervisors. Persons who already have a competency-based qualification as outlined in the EAS document will not need to have the new qualification if they apply to become a new Qualified Supervisor after 5th April 2013.
What about practising Qualified Supervisors applying before 6th April 2013?
The new requirement applies only to proposed Qualified Supervisors applying after 5th April 2013.
What about persons previously registered as Qualified Supervisors?
Persons who have been working as registered Qualified Supervisors within the two years proceeding 6 April 2013 will be eligible to be proposed as a Qualified Supervisor for a new employer without needing to demonstrate the new level of technical competence.
Qualification
For those choosing the qualification route, the new Level 3 qualification, a certificate in “Installing, Testing and Ensuring Compliance of Electrical Installations in Dwellings” will be available from Dec 2012. This will be the minimum qualification level for Qualified Supervisors responsible for electrical work in domestic properties subject to Part P of the Building Regulations (England and Wales).
For compliance with Building Regulations in Scotland, Approved Certifiers of Construction for electrical installations must be eligible to be graded as Approved Electricians and be suitably qualified e.g. SVQ Level 3 in electrical engineering or equivalent.
For work in commercial or industrial premises, the minimum qualification requirement for Qualified Supervisors will be the new Level 3 NVQ “Diploma in Installing Electrotechnical Systems and Equipment (Building and Structures)”.
Appropriate Electrotechnical NVQ qualifications are currently certificated through two awarding organisations: City and Guilds (www.cityandguilds.com) and EAL (www.eal.org.uk).
For more information on Electrotechnical Level 3 NVQs, see the SummitSkills, City and Guilds and EAL websites.
About the EAS Management Committee:
- The EAS Management Committee is the National Committee responsible for determining the minimum technical standards against which companies in the electrotechnical sector are assessed.
- The Committee comprises representatives from across the electrical installation industry, including the competent person schemes.
The EAS document can be downloaded free below.
For technical enquires contact [email protected]