New domestic electrical work video

[edit] In May 2020, ECA, NICEIC and ELECSA launched a coronavirus precautions video for domestic premises.

A new short safety video for householders and electrical and other engineering contractors has been released by ECA, the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) and ELECSA.

Based on UK Government and Public Health England guidelines, the video outlines the important steps which contractors should follow to ensure essential domestic work can be undertaken safely during the pandemic. These include maintaining social distancing and thorough hand washing, along with other practical measures that range from taking electronic payments to not requiring the traditional ‘contractors cup of tea’.

The video also provides simple complementary advice for householders to follow, to help protect everyone involved from the spread of coronavirus.

ECA CSR Director Paul Reeve commented: “This concise video shows some of the key steps necessary to ensure that domestic electrical and similar work is undertaken safely. We urge electrical and other engineering services contractors to watch the video and read the ECA’s supporting guidance to help ensure the protection of contractors and the public during essential domestic maintenance or repairs.”

John O’Neill, NICEIC’s Technical Director, added: "This video aims to provide guidance for Registered Electrical Contractors who are required to undertake essential electrical repairs in domestic properties. We urge our contractors to use the video to educate themselves and their customers about working practices to ensure that emergency work can be carried out safely. In addition to this, we strongly advise our registrants to keep abreast of current Government guidance by visiting the Government's site regularly."

The video is supported by Electrical Safety First and the Electrical Distributors Association (EDA), with acknowledgement to the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum for producing the initial video for use in Scotland.

To view the video, click here.

This announcement was originally released by ECA on 5 May 2020. Further ECA coronavirus updates – which include guidance, webinars and news updates - are also available here, including a template for domestic contractors.

--ECA