Electrical Safety Council calls for mandatory Home Condition Reports

Home Condition Reports should be made mandatory, according to the Electrical Safety Council (ESC).

The Council also urged that these reports should include electrical condition, and called for better enforcement of existing legislation to regulate electricians and a zero fatality target for domestic electrical related deaths.

Research by the council shows that the majority of consumers approve of Home Condition Reports.

The ESC made its appeal at a reception to mark its first year, which was attended by MPs and representatives from the electrical industry.

Every day, 24 families in the UK are exposed to the potentially devastating consequences of electrical fires in the home and another 12 people suffer electrical injuries. Last year, around 30 people were killed by electrical fires and accidents in their houses.

Despite this, research by the ESC showed that only 35% of people in England and Wales would use a registered electrician to carry out work in their homes and, of the 39% of people who have had electrical work carried out in their homes in the last two years, only 48% ensured they got certification to prove that it was safe.

Enquiries also revealed that 90% of people are unaware of the current legislation that requires certification of electrical work.

Phil Buckle, director of the ESC, said: “Clearly there is a great deal of work to be done in educating consumers and improving their safety. But there is also a lot that could be done to improve these statistics through better enforcement of existing regulations. In the last two years, only four electricians have been prosecuted for not complying with legislation.

He added: “We would like to see much more action being taken to stamp out unregulated work.”