Re: One month to go until BS 7671:2018+A1:2020 is withdrawn….act now!

Hi Simon

I am from the IET tech Regs team and I have been asked to provide some clarification. 

As already correctly pointed out by AJJewsbury, the decision to refer to the date of BS 7671:2018 specifically in The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, is intentional to avoid an ambulatory reference. An ambulatory reference is where a document is automatically updated each time the referred document is updated. This provides the opportunity for Government to consider amendments and new editions to BS 7671 and decide if it is necessary to amend the legislation accordingly. This is not unusual for Statutory Instruments, see section 3.17.1 of the Guide to Statutory Instrument Practice - 5th edition (November 2017).

The matter of which version is the correct version to use will depend on many factors, such as contract and workplace requirements. IET Guidance Note 3 Inspection and Testing provides guidance on inspection and testing but does not distinguish between privately rented properties and others. As already pointed out by Graham Kenyon, the IET guidance is that inspection and testing should be carried to the current edition of BS 7671. Essentially, the purpose of introducing amendments to BS 7671 is to increase the safety for users of electrical installations.

However, it is important to remember that the purpose of inspection and testing is to determine if the installation is safe for continued use. There may be observations noted which do not comply with the current edition of BS 7671, but that does not necessarily mean the installation is unsafe. It does not mean that the installation has to be compliant with every aspect of the current edition of BS 7671 and it is not necessary or helpful to formulate a list of works required to meet the current edition of BS 7671.

I hope this helps.

Hi Simon

I am from the IET tech Regs team and I have been asked to provide some clarification. 

As already correctly pointed out by AJJewsbury, the decision to refer to the date of BS 7671:2018 specifically in The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, is intentional to avoid an ambulatory reference. An ambulatory reference is where a document is automatically updated each time the referred document is updated. This provides the opportunity for Government to consider amendments and new editions to BS 7671 and decide if it is necessary to amend the legislation accordingly. This is not unusual for Statutory Instruments, see section 3.17.1 of the Guide to Statutory Instrument Practice - 5th edition (November 2017).

The matter of which version is the correct version to use will depend on many factors, such as contract and workplace requirements. IET Guidance Note 3 Inspection and Testing provides guidance on inspection and testing but does not distinguish between privately rented properties and others. As already pointed out by Graham Kenyon, the IET guidance is that inspection and testing should be carried to the current edition of BS 7671. Essentially, the purpose of introducing amendments to BS 7671 is to increase the safety for users of electrical installations.

However, it is important to remember that the purpose of inspection and testing is to determine if the installation is safe for continued use. There may be observations noted which do not comply with the current edition of BS 7671, but that does not necessarily mean the installation is unsafe. It does not mean that the installation has to be compliant with every aspect of the current edition of BS 7671 and it is not necessary or helpful to formulate a list of works required to meet the current edition of BS 7671.

I hope this helps.

If say for example. The current Regs/AMMDs does not require AFDDs then the next AMMD does require them and we are now in the realms of either being considered "current" for a six month period then we might decide ti I & T with ref to the earlier version which still has time to run rather than make a comparison with the newer version and hence to record something about it. An ordinary person or indeed an over-enthusiastic clerk, insurance co etc etc might pull a non conformity decision with one but not the other. In other words being selective as to which version we decide to consider "current" might give us some leeway so as not to cloud the issues to those not in the know.