Part P third party

mapj1:
quite a few electricians are likely to need more qualifications, but that has not been a problem for the Gas industry, although it may have pushed up prices somewhat. How do you all feel about that?



Well I'd suggest before we leap onto that one we really should take  a breath and double  if the Corgi and then Gas Safe register approach is actually making things significantly safer, or just more expensive.

I must say, that when part P was coming in I looked at this, and certainly then, in 2004, it was not at all clear how much of the slow decline in CO poisonings per year  (explosions make the news but really they are not the main gas related danger ) was the result of the CORGI scheme as it was then, and how much was actually just improved product standards and the slow replacement of ancient open flue water heaters and so on.


I would need to dig up my copy of HSC/E's Fundamental review of gas safety (from about 2001)   and associated figures, but certainly I do recall there was not a clear cut benefit (by then the scheme had been running for over 10 years, so there really should have been.)

(and at that time you could do a partial correction  using  Eire as a place without a Corgi-like scheme, but presumably with a similar update rate of old gas appliances to new ones , though a smaller number of them)


M.

I agree that strict regulation does risk being counter-productive - stopping sensible "DIY" jobs that for any minor deficiencies still provide better safety than not doing the job at all. The additional costs of doing it "properly" then being a dis-incentive in a significant number of cases. During the original debates about part-P, if I recall correctly, the example of Australian and New Zealand we held up - their actual wiring standards were practically identical - yet NZ had a significantly lower accident rate due to faulty installations. The cause of the difference was attributed to Australia insisting that only licenced electricians could do anything but the most trivial electrical work, while NZ was happy for anyone to have a go.


   - Andy.

mapj1:
quite a few electricians are likely to need more qualifications, but that has not been a problem for the Gas industry, although it may have pushed up prices somewhat. How do you all feel about that?



Well I'd suggest before we leap onto that one we really should take  a breath and double  if the Corgi and then Gas Safe register approach is actually making things significantly safer, or just more expensive.

I must say, that when part P was coming in I looked at this, and certainly then, in 2004, it was not at all clear how much of the slow decline in CO poisonings per year  (explosions make the news but really they are not the main gas related danger ) was the result of the CORGI scheme as it was then, and how much was actually just improved product standards and the slow replacement of ancient open flue water heaters and so on.


I would need to dig up my copy of HSC/E's Fundamental review of gas safety (from about 2001)   and associated figures, but certainly I do recall there was not a clear cut benefit (by then the scheme had been running for over 10 years, so there really should have been.)

(and at that time you could do a partial correction  using  Eire as a place without a Corgi-like scheme, but presumably with a similar update rate of old gas appliances to new ones , though a smaller number of them)


M.

I agree that strict regulation does risk being counter-productive - stopping sensible "DIY" jobs that for any minor deficiencies still provide better safety than not doing the job at all. The additional costs of doing it "properly" then being a dis-incentive in a significant number of cases. During the original debates about part-P, if I recall correctly, the example of Australian and New Zealand we held up - their actual wiring standards were practically identical - yet NZ had a significantly lower accident rate due to faulty installations. The cause of the difference was attributed to Australia insisting that only licenced electricians could do anything but the most trivial electrical work, while NZ was happy for anyone to have a go.


   - Andy.