Refitting an earth wire in the kitchen - Part P?

[DIYinBerks]

I am replacing the worktops and tiling a kitchen for some friends. When I took the screws off the cooker switch plate, I noticed that the earth wire to the cooker was not in place. I am not a part P person, and a bit paranoid about what I can legally do these days. (Though I studied electrical engineering, did wiring in City & Guilds years ago, so know the basics.) Can I legally put that wire back in?
I also noticed two other issues: (1) the cooker wiring has been extended using a 32A junction box, which means that whoever bodged it years ago had to cut off a few strands of the 6mm and (2) a 2.5mm wire runs from the live side of the cooker switch to the garage, where it powers a socket or sockets. Is there any of this that I can legally rectify? - they already said they didn't want to pay an electrician. Assuming I do not do any of this I wonder how strongly I should tell them to get someone in. My friends argument is to leave it as it is since it has worked fine for years, but it looks very dodgy to me. Even though I am hired as the carpenter/tiler, do I have responsibilities to make sure they do the right thing?

 

[1john]

You could bring it to their attention and if really concerned, do something in writing. You have t wonder what else may be wrong in their house.

 

[electronicsuk]

From approved document P1:

Replacement, repair and maintenance jobs are generally not notifiable, even if carried out in a kitchen or special location or associated with a special installation.

So reinstating the earth connection would not be notifiable work. There is, of course, the issue of whether or not carrying out this work would be covered by your PLI in this ever increasingly ludicrous blame-claim society. However, if you're confident in carrying out the work and haven't been completely brainwashed by the H&S brigade, you'll probably just get on with the job like most sensible people would do and be satisfied that it's been left in a safer condition than when you started.

The connection to the garage does sound unsafe, but I wouldn't recommend touching it. Even if you could rewire it and make it safe while avoiding notification, it would still need testing. Just make recommendations to the client and let them go from there.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

My friends argument is to leave it as it is since it has worked fine for years.

Ask him how many years worth of car journeys he has done where he would have been fine not wearing a seatbelt, and if he thinks that means he doesn't have to wear one next time he gets into the car.

 

[seco services]

Even though I am hired as the carpenter/tiler, do I have responsibilities to make sure they do the right thing?

then do what your hired for.
your only responsibilities is keep your nose out other peoples business.
one day someone might knock it out of joint for you sniffing around.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Blimey, has Berksman upset you, Seco?
He's only asking a simple question.

 

[securespark]

Did seco do the job in question?

 

[Stoday]

Seco's right, keep your nose out of it or you might pick up a responsibility you don't expect. Here's a little story to show you:

Years ago (OK decades... ) Eastern Electricity used to employ inspectors. One of their jobs was to make supplies safe when a meter reader found the building was unoccupied. One day someone knocked down a building in Rayleigh. They didn't tell Eastern about it; it had a live service which killed someone. However, Eastern was held responsible because they had an inspector who hadn't done his job, even though he didn't know about it.

Eastern took legal advice. That said if they didn't have inspectors, they wouldn't have been liable. So that's what Eastern did. It no longer inspected redundant premises and left the service live until someone told than to disconnect.

 

[electronicsuk]

Seco's right, keep your nose out of it or you might pick up a responsibility you don't expect. Here's a little story to show you:

Interesting story, but do you think the OP would feel any better if someone were killed the next day because he didn't reconnect the earth wire, a simple job that would have taken him minutes?

Really, I do worry what this country is coming to. The blame culture we have is bad enough already, but exacerbated even more by the number of people who worry about it far too much in the face of extreme odds.

 

[LoveRocket]

Oh the joys of part P.

So, here we have someone who has found something quite clearly wrong (and potentially dangerous), is cabable of putting it right, but cannot (and is even being advised not too!) legally do so.

Just great.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Oh the joys of part P.

So, here we have someone who has found something quite clearly wrong (and potentially dangerous), is cabable of putting it right, but cannot (and is even being advised not too!) legally do so.

Just great.

But this is not about Part P. It is about if he is competent to do the work and then if his liability insurance would cover him if he did this repair and then something went wrong.

 

[LoveRocket]

Oh the joys of part P.

So, here we have someone who has found something quite clearly wrong (and potentially dangerous), is cabable of putting it right, but cannot (and is even being advised not too!) legally do so.

Just great.

But this is not about Part P. It is about if he is competent to do the work and then if his liability insurance would cover him if he did this repair and then something went wrong.

Sorry, my mistake. It's not just about part-P, it's also about us becoming a litigation nation and everyone being (rightly) affraid of being taking to cleaners by some pathetic council jobsworth over refitting a CPC.

The guy's doing some work in a mate's kitchen and wants to put right some dodgy electrics FFS!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

In what way could the council, whether manned by pathetic jobsworths or not, take someone to the cleaners over refitting a cpc?

 

[bongos]

Really, I do worry what this country is coming to. The blame culture we have is bad enough already, but exacerbated even more by the number of people who worry about it far too much in the face of extreme odds.

Exactly. People are far more worried about what they think might happen even though in reality it very rarely does.

Replace the cpc and get on with your life.

 

[holmslaw]

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