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Poor practice - Outside Light Point

Hello, Fitted an outside light for my daughter last weekend.  Newbuild house Nov 2021 with wiring pre-installed so a quick and easy job.  That's the good part.  

Outside there was a plastic box (OK but not weatherproof) with a clip on lid about six feet above ground level, accessible without steps etc to anyone over 5' 6" tall.  Inside this box the cable (three core +E) was neatly coiled with the end (just cut straight across the sheath) taped over with single thickness of green/yellow insulating tape.  As there were no terminals I might have expected this cable to be dead. Age has taught me caution however and on testing the cable was actually live with the internal switch both on and off.  (the third core was permanent live presumably for a PIR or similar).  

I was initially expecting the indoor end of the cable to be insulated and coiled behind the switch for later connection but in fact it was all connected.

This looks like poor practice and a potentially dangerous installation. It shouldn't be possible to expose live conductors without tools and the box could have been damaged by impact from e.g. a football leaving a live cable dangling and in reach.  A diy installer could easily have had a nasty accident unless they turned off the whole house prior to starting work. I don't have a copy of the new regs as I am now retired but can someone tell me which regulations this breaches.  Sorry I don't have any pictures.

Thanks

Parents
  • well it certainly breaks  the one about live parts being not accessible without tools. Even if it was not a regulation, it is an immediate hazard -- probably a mistake during the mad dash to wire things up indoors rather than a deliberate plan, but maybe worth a note to the house builders, as there may be more like this estate

    Mike

  • Thanks Mike, my thoughts exactly.  Standard on the estate so they may well all be the same.  I will notify the builder.

Reply
  • Thanks Mike, my thoughts exactly.  Standard on the estate so they may well all be the same.  I will notify the builder.

Children
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