Electricians’ body warns country risks another Grenfell

A fire on the scale of Grenfell could be happen again as a result of building work being done by underqualified workers, it has been claimed today.

The Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) said following publication of the first Grenfell Inquiry report the competency of installers had never been more fundamental to public safety.

But many people were claiming to be competent electricians despite having trained – in some cases – for only a few weeks, the ECA said.

In its submission to the “Raising The Bar” report, produced by the Competence Steering Group as part of the industry’s response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s post-Grenfell review of building regulations and safety, the ECA said it was “time to stop messing around with low levels of electrical and fire safety competency”.

And following the Grenfell Inquiry’s first report ECA director Paul Reeve said it was “high time to say a final goodbye to so-called ‘five-week wonders’, regarded by some as competent to design and install electrical work in residential and similar premises”.

Such people are those who complete short courses and then may undertake work they may be insufficiently qualified to carry out, the ECA said.

“We need to avoid settling for lower competencies, which risks another major fire tragedy in the UK,” Reeve added.

The ECA said it supported five recommendations in the “Raising The Bar” report regarding the competence of installers:

• There should be accredited third-party certification of all enterprises
• All individuals must have Level 2 or 3 Ofqual-regulated and competence-based qualifications. ECA strongly advocates technical apprenticeships for new entrants
• The electrotechnical sector should use the Electrotechnical Certification card Scheme
• CPD should ensure workers are up-to-date with the latest regulations and other developments
• All installers should have core, relevant knowledge of fire safety in buildings, with standardised and mandatory training.