Would you? or what would you?

If you came across a domestic installation, that had previous work done by an electrician and found that the work done was not satisfactory and not compliant to the existing standards when installed.
And say this electrician was at the time and still is currently a registered member of a recognised scheme provider.

After firstly asking the client for related documents of the system and recent alterations/additions done. (Then say the home owner informed you they had no such documents). Then on informing the home-owner, that existing work was not satisfactory and non-compliant even when originally installed, that certificates should have been issued and an application to building controls made.

What would your actions be with regards to the electrician?

I'd like to say shop him in an ideal world, but it the real world you're just wasting your time as nothing will be done about it.

I'm thinking that any complaint will have to come from the customer. I don't think that LABC, or the scheme, will act otherwise.

I was always wary in case the person doing the job was from my own firm. Clearly any faults should be done in house. The same really applies if from the same scheme provider as your self. I would ring the scheme provider and tell them what I had found and ask for advice. Let them deal with it in house.

One of the problems with reporting and not reporting is the health and safety laws. In theory anything about health and safety MUST be in writing an email is OK a phone call is not. So you would need to send a supporting letter, email, or SMS to ensure your not breaking the law.

The question you must ask yourself is if I don't report it could I be blamed for the work or just as bad in a way blamed for not reporting it? Clearly depends how bad but for example a missing earth to a socket could be lethal and if you write it down on paper work and do nothing else then should some one be killed you would end up in court explaining why you did not report the work to the appropriate authorities.

I would write down a fault and pass the slip of paper to my boss to which he would say "What do you expect me to do about it." to which I would answer likely nothing but I am duty bound to tell you.

Sending an email to the LABC even if they do nothing means should something go wrong you can pass the buck which is what it is all about.

With the electrocution that was big news at the time where a woman got killed in her new rented house although her husband knew there was a fault and the fault was in an appliance owned by the tenant it was the owner who was taken to task. Lucky for owner they had engaged an electrician who just had not got around to starting the work.

You read the report and ask why did they move in when there were know faults? To my mind they should have never moved in. But court did not even question that.

So yes I would report and I would if I had been given permission to switch off the faulty section would refuse to switch it back on. I would likely say I can't stop you switching it back on but neither am I allowed to re-energise the circuit.

We are not allowed to make a home uninhabitable without arranging for alternative accommodation so one does need to tread careful. It does not say who pays for the alternative but doing things like saying the gas fire is faulty and sealing it off without some alternative heating is just not permitted. Although I have seen it done. It is really there to protect the tenant but it does not say that.

If the faults are minor i.e. would comply with previous edition then a completely different case. I would just note the faults on paper work and tell the owner and suggest they contact the guy who did the work or his scheme provider and I would not get involved.

ericmark said:

... doing things like saying the gas fire is faulty and sealing it off without some alternative heating is just not permitted.

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Actually, if the fire is faulty/dangerous then a gas qualified person is required to turn it off regardless of whether there is alternative heating available. I believe the two categories are :

At Risk. They will turn it off and apply a big red sticker to say it's dangerous and shouldn't be used. Of course, the user is at liberty to turn it back on if they wish - but they would be doing that at their own risk.

Immediately Dangerous. They will turn it off and disconnect the gas supply to prevent it's use.
If the fault is such that they can't disconnect just that bit, then they'll turn off and disconnect the supply at the meter.

I would say that you have a moral obligation to report it.

Find out who the installer was, if they have a scheme membership then write a letter to their provider (anonymous if you want) and ask them to include the installation in their next annual visit.

I ask the question because is becoming all to regular that I come across installation where there is evidence of recent work. In general it is normally a DIY botch or Bill the Kid has installed the work.
But occasionally I have come across installation that have been installed by installers that are registered as competent persons.
Unfortunately quite often these installations are not satisfactory and a staggering number of non-compliances can be identified.

I recently visited a property to do some unrelated work, when I stumbled upon a recently installed power source to an outbuilding. On a simple visual investigations, I could identify 12 non-conformities. The work done also required notification plus the certificates, which neither were issued.
Although some of the non-compliances where part of an exiting circuit, this was never mentioned to the home owner by the installer, even though the the non-conformities were glaringly obvious and the fact no certificates where issued, there was then no written documentation of the electricians findings and remarks.

The home-owner naively paid the money quoted and the installer drove of in to the horizon.

PrenticeBoyofDerry said:

I ask the question because is becoming all to regular that I come across installation where there is evidence of recent work. In general it is normally a DIY botch or Bill the Kid has installed the work. But occasionally I have come across installation that have been installed by installers that are registered as competent persons. Unfortunately quite often these installations are not satisfactory and a staggering number of non-compliances can be identified.

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Unfortunately, there will always be some of that in any walk of life. From what I hear, a common compounding problem is often that such 'cowboys' often leave absolutely no paperwork or any way of identifying/tracing them (and it's amazing how customers often forget how they contacted the person in the first place!), which frustrates any attempts one might make to do anything about it.

Kind Regards, John