Importance of a Certificate of Compliance
YOUR RIGHT TO A SAFE AND HASSLE FREE INSTALLATION
The Occupational Health and Safety Act prescribes, through the Electrical Installation Regulations, who may carry out electrical installation work and in this way protects users of electricity. The Act also gives protection to the public by means of a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) which every user or lessor of an installation is obliged to possess, and should be provided every time a house changes ownership.
"I have a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) and the installation is not functioning properly.
What should I do?"
Proof of safety is the CoC issued by an accredited person ( accredited by the Dept of Labour)
This person will either be the proprietor, or an employee, of an electrical contracting business which must be registered with the The Dept of Labour (DOL) as an electrical contractor.
It is important to bear in mind that the CoC certifies the safety of the installation. It is possible that an electrical Installation is not fully functional (e.g. some lights or plugs don't work), but the installation is safe and the CoC is valid.
As homeowner, you can take the following precautions to ensure the electrician is permitted to perform the required work.
Request his or her registration card issued by the Dept of Labour. A date stamp will indicate whether the contractor is currently registered.
To ensure the person is qualified to do the electrical work and authorised to issue a CoC, request his accreditation certificate issued by the Dept of Labour.
This will show the accredited persons name, ID number and photograph.
The work itself may be carried out by the contractor's competent employees.
"Is my Certificate of Compliance (CoC) transferable?"
In terms of the Electrical Installation Regulations, the answer is yes. Provided that it is not older than two years and also if any additions and/or alterations were done, a certificate was obtained for such work and the electrical installation was properly maintained by the user or lessor.
The seller is obliged, by the Act, to sell an installation that complies with the Regulations. The CoC is the only recognised proof of this compliance. In addition, almost all property sale agreements provide for the seller to hand a valid CoC to the buyer.
"Are appliances covered by the Certificate of Compliance (CoC)?"
Appliances such as lights, geysers, stoves, airconditioning units etc, are not covered by the CoC
(See note 3 on front page of CoC). The non-working of appliances does not necessarily mean that the CoC is invalid
The CoC covers from the point of control (Main Switch in Distribution Board) to the point of consumption (socket outlets, terminals of lights, geysers, stoves etc.)
The CoC certifies the fixed wiring of the permanent electrical installation including all light switches, wall mounted isolators, distribution boards and socket outlets.
* Terms and conditions apply
ELECTRICITY AND THE HOMEOWNER:
RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION
The onus rests on you, as homeowner, to ensure that the electricity in your house does not pose a threat to you, your family, any other person or animal, or the property. This also places the responsibilty on you to prevent any hazardous situations that may trigger an electrical incident.
If any additions, modifications or alterations are carried out to your installation, you will require an additional CoC for such work or, if necessary, a new certificate for the entire installation.
Failure to aquire such additional certificate will mean that the entire installation is not certified and may render the original certificate invalid.
Should an incident occur, all involved parties will be investigated and the homeowner could attract liability if the installation is not safe or is not correctly used. It could also invalidate the insurance on the property
Save yourself the money and heartache that accompanies these incidents and "service" your electrical installation, appliances or any other hazardous source on a regular basis.
