I was taking a group of building service engineers through the 18th. We were discussing the use of Appendix 5. One chap was very exercised about the BA3 category which is described as utilization-capability-handicapped. He claims the latter word was exorcised from common parlance years ago and would be offensive to many. I am not that politically correct but maybe he has a valid argument,.
I need to step in here and apologise on behalf of The IET for any offence caused by the use of this term in BS 7671.
Actually, I don't think you do - saying sorry implies you (as in The IET) meant to offend someone - which I'm pretty sure isn't the case. Change the wording, for sure, but in another decade or so, it'll be changing again.
I disagree. It used to be thought that an apology meant admission of liability, which meant that one should avoid giving one; but current thinking is that it is appropriate to make an expression of regret at the earliest opportunity.
As for the OP, if you look up "handicapped" in a French-English dictionary, you will find "handicapé"; but you will get the same translation for "disabled": the distinction appears to be absent there. So, the international basis for BS 7671 may have led to the continued use of a term which, apparently, may cause offense here in UK.
I might add that the description in the third column on page 458 (which was introduced in the 18th Edn) seems to be particularly clumsy.
The Committee may wish to consider S.6 of the Equality Act 2010:
6. Disability
(1) A person (P) has a disability if—
(a) P has a physical or mental impairment, and
(b) the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on P's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
I need to step in here and apologise on behalf of The IET for any offence caused by the use of this term in BS 7671.
Actually, I don't think you do - saying sorry implies you (as in The IET) meant to offend someone - which I'm pretty sure isn't the case. Change the wording, for sure, but in another decade or so, it'll be changing again.
I disagree. It used to be thought that an apology meant admission of liability, which meant that one should avoid giving one; but current thinking is that it is appropriate to make an expression of regret at the earliest opportunity.
As for the OP, if you look up "handicapped" in a French-English dictionary, you will find "handicapé"; but you will get the same translation for "disabled": the distinction appears to be absent there. So, the international basis for BS 7671 may have led to the continued use of a term which, apparently, may cause offense here in UK.
I might add that the description in the third column on page 458 (which was introduced in the 18th Edn) seems to be particularly clumsy.
The Committee may wish to consider S.6 of the Equality Act 2010:
6. Disability
(1) A person (P) has a disability if—
(a) P has a physical or mental impairment, and
(b) the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on P's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
