A downloadable, printable version of this article, taken from SA Electrical Contractor, September-October 2022 issue can be found here
By Juan Beyneveldt, Managing Director, Atom Electrical and ECA member
There are a few key factors to consider when choosing an electrical contractor to do work for you, whether it is at your house or in a business or industrial environment.
Electricians play a big part in today’s life when it comes to property owners’ safety and well-being. However, many property owners are unaware of the ‘rules and regulations’ that they need to know before they appoint an electrical contractor to do work for them. And, in most cases, they don’t know that it is their legal responsibility to ensure they appoint a registered electrical contractor, who may also issue a certificate of compliance for the work undertaken.
Illegal
Employing an unregistered electrician is not only illegal, but it could also lead to trauma and major loss in the blink of the eye … a burnt down house due to an electrical fault; the death of a child by electrical shock; a compensation claim from a worker who was injured on duty … and it doesn’t stop there. In recent times, insurance companies have put certain measures in place and will not cover certain electrical (and other) claims if certain criteria are not met.
And, if you used an unregistered electrical contractor, you may be found negligent.
The most important factor to consider before instructing any person who claims to be an electrical contractor to do any electrical work anywhere, is to ascertain whether that contractor is legally registered as an electrical contractor.
It’s also important to understand some of the legislation that compels you to use a registered electrical contractor, and what work the contractor may undertake according to the type of registration.
The law
Let’s begin by answering the question, “What is an electrical installation?”
As per the Electrical Installation Regulations (EIR) in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993), “electrical installation means any machinery, in or on any premises, used for the transmission of electricity from a point of control to a point of consumption anywhere on the premises, including any article forming part of such an electrical installation irrespective of whether or not it is part of the electrical circuit”.
This includes photovoltaic (PV) systems, generator systems and battery back-up systems, which are seen as part of the electrical installation.
”But excluding
- any machinery of the supplier related to the supply of electricity on the premises.”
This refers to electricity meters, ripple relays, Eskom power plants or, in the case of farms, transformers.
There are a few more exclusions that are not related to this article, which can be found in the above-mentioned regulations.
Accountability
The same regulations describe you – the user, lessor or lessee, as the case may be – as responsible for the electrical installation and therefore also accountable.
This is the reason that it is of utmost importance that property owners (or users) ensure that only registered electrical contractors work on the installation.
The EIR states:
“6. (1) No person may do electrical installation work as an electrical contractor unless that person has been registered as an electrical contractor in terms of these Regulations.“
It also says that the electrical contractor should be a registered person or employ a registered person on a full-time basis.
Registered persons
A registered person is someone who is registered by the Department of Employment and Labour as
- A Single-phase tester
- An Installation Electrician. or
- A Master Installation Electrician
When you need electrical work done, knowing which electrician to use, based on the limitations according to their type of registration, is also important.
Here is some guidance from Annexure M in SANS 10142-1:2021 Edition 3.1:
| Registration Type | Allowed to work on | Example | Not allowed to work on | Example |
| Single Phase Tester | Any electrical installation up to 230Vac. | House that uses 230V supply. | Anything more than 230 V. Any dc voltage installations. Issue Electrical Certificate of Compliance for installations above 230 V or dc voltages. | House that uses 400 V. Solar Panels, Battery backup systems, inverters for houses. Certification for newly fitted solar backup system. |
| Installation Electrician | Any electrical Installation. Issue Electrical Certificate of Compliance for 1500 Vdc and 1000 Vac installations. | Solar panels, battery backup systems, inverters for houses. House that uses 400 V, factories industrial shops, mining locations. Certification for newly fitted solar backup system. | Specialised installations | Hazardous: laboratories that use flammable or explosive chemicals and fumes. Medical: theatres and areas where explosive gases are used in hospitals or clinics. Explosive: Places that store or produce explosive materials, petroleum/gas- filling stations or storage facilities, paint storage, spray booths, explosive dust environments like silos and feed preparation, bakeries. |
| Master Installation Electrician | Any Installation | All the above |
Before allowing any electrical contractor to do work at your premises, ask the contractor to provide you with a document from the Department of Employment and Labour that confirms his/her registration as an electrical contractor as well as the type of registration they have obtained. This document not only declares that the contractor is legally registered but also provides you with the information of when the registration expires and the identity of the registered person in that company.
The next thing you should ensure is that the registered person who signs the certificate of compliance for an electrical installation has personally inspected that installation. The electrical contractor cannot do an inspection on behalf of the person signing the certificate.
In these times of loadshedding, many people are considering installing a backup system whether it is a generator, an inverter with batteries, or solar panels, but before you allow any person to do an installation it is imperative to ask that person for proof that they’re registered as an electrical contractor with the Department of Employment and Labour
The regulations are in place to protect people and their homes.
Remember, it is your legal responsibility to ensure that you appoint a registered electrical contractor who may issue a certificate of compliance for the work undertaken. It is your responsibility to obtain this certificate and the contractors’ responsibility to issue it.
More info: juan@atom-electrical.co.za
