Approved Document P
The building regulations establish standards that must be achieved in the construction of buildings.
Part P of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations requires that, ‘Reasonable provision shall be made in the design and installation of electrical installations in order to protect persons operating, maintaining or altering the installations from fire or injury.’
This applies to electrical installations intended to operate at low or extra-low voltage, that are:
- In or attached to a dwelling.
- In the common parts of a building serving one or more dwellings, but excluding lifts.
- In a building that receives its electricity from a source located within or shared with a dwelling.
- In a garden or in or on land associated with a building where the electricity is from a source located within or shared with a dwelling.
In order to meet this requirement, low voltage and extra-low voltage electrical installations in dwellings must be designed and installed to give appropriate protection against mechanical and thermal damage and not to present electric shock and fire hazards to individuals.
A series of Approved Documents set out what typically would be acceptable for compliance with the relevant requirements of Building Regulations. There is no legal obligation to follow the guidance in the Approved Documents.
Approved Document P - Electrical safety – Dwellings, describes methods for ensuring compliance with the electrical safety requirements for homes in relation to Part P of the Building Regulations. The most recent edition was published in January 2013 and came into effect in April 2013. It replaced Approved Document P (2006) which incorporated 2010 amendments. The main changes brought in by the 2013 edition included:
- A reduction in the range of the electrical installation work that is notifiable to a building control body.
- Installers not a registered a competent person are permitted to use a 'registered third-party certifier' to certify work, as an alternative to a using building control body.
- The technical guidance refers to BS7671:2008 Requirements for Electrical Installations, incorporating Amendment No 1:2011.
The content of the Approved Document includes:
- Section 1: Design and installation - There is a general requirement that electrical installations should be designed and installed in accordance with BS7671:2008.
- Section 2: Application of Part P – This section covers the types of buildings and installations that are covered by the Scope of Part P and the types of work that are notifiable and must be certified as complying with Building Regulations.
- Section 3: Certification, inspection and testing – Certification of notifiable installations is required, along with inspecting and testing in accordance with BS7671.
- Appendix A: Key terms.
- Appendix B: Standards referred to.
Parts A, B, C, E, F, L and M of the Building Regulations also contain provisions relating to electrical installations.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- 2021 PRS electrical safety standards.
- Approved documents.
- Approved inspector.
- BS 7671.
- Building control body.
- Building notice.
- Building regulations.
- Competent person schemes.
- Electrical contractor.
- Electrical engineer.
- Electrical safety.
- Electrician.
- Glossary of electrical terms.
- Low voltage.
- Mechanical and electrical.
Featured articles and news
Mental Health Awareness Week with ABS
Architects Benevolent Society programme of activity.
CLC publishes domestic retrofit competency framework
Roadmap of Skills for net zero.
May 13-19: Moving more for our mental health.
Understanding is key to conservation.
Open industry engagement survey seeks responses
Institutions and the importance of engagement.
National Retrofit Hub unveils new guide
Digital Building Logbooks and Retrofit: An Introduction.
Top 50 firms awarded 52bn of projects in the last year
New engineering data shows.
Enhancing construction site reporting efficiency
Through digitisation and the digital revolution.
Noise in the built environment
BSRIA guide TG 20/2021.
17,000 people suffer conditions as a result of exposure to excessive noise at work.
Turning down the noise: Auditory health
A pervasive risk with far-reaching consequences.
Getting the most out of heat pumps and heating
How heat pumps work and how they work best.
Plumbing and heating for successful retrofit and renovation
Low temperature underfloor systems and heat pumps.
Cost-of-living crisis and home improvement plans
Starting on the right footing and top tips for projects.
Delays on construction projects
Types, mitigation and the acceleration of works.
From Chaucer to Fawlty Towers.
Electrotechnical excellence, now open for entries.
Net zero electricity grids BSRIA guide NZG 5/2024
Outlining the changes needed to transition to net zero.
CIOB Global Student Challenge 2024
Universitas Indonesia wins for second year running.