Can you write a COC if you are just a instillation electrician or do i have to be a registered electrical contractor?
Can you write a COC if you are just a instillation electrician or do i have to be a registered electrical contractor?
To make a mistake is human, to learn from that mistake is knowledge and knowledge is strength.
You can register as a single phase tester, installation electrician or a master electrician, depending on you level of qualification and experience, there are threads on the forum which cover this information. You dont have to be a registered "electrical contractor" to be a registered person, however if you want to sign over COCs you would need to be employed by a registered electrical company or own a company which is registered with the ECB and others.
Yuri (31-Oct-12)
I am a registered installation electrician
My one friend is doing telecommunications work for vodacom and he is struggling to get COC ( vadacom only allow working on there systems at 22:00 ) so he asked me to help
I work in a factory. Do you think i can let him register his company as a electrical contractor company and put me up as the regestered person?
That'll be the Department of Labour from now on, although the ECB and some AIA's seem to offer 3rd party assistance.
The registered electrical contractor is the legal entity that contracts with clients - and can be a juristic person (as in my case where the company contracts with the client).
The registered person is the individual registered as the single phase tester, installation electrician or master electrician of the electrical contractor. Every registered electrical contractor must have at least one registered person (either as an employee or as a "working employer"), and where there are more than one registered persons in the employ of the contractor, one must be designated as the primary registered person.
This would be contrary to Clause 35(2) of the collective agreement which is as follows:
No employee whilst in the employ of an employer shall solicit, undertake or perform any work other than on behalf of his own employer in the Electrical Industry, whether for remuneration or not, during or outside of the ordinary hours of work or working days prescribed in clause 7 of this Agreement, save that such employee may carry out work on his own premises outside of normal working hours.
PJ's may be hard to trace, but becoming the registered person for a contractor would be very traceable.
Participation is voluntary.
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Yuri (31-Oct-12)
Hi guys, can any one advice me on the following: a coc is to be issued for any alteration I do to an installation if there is a coc already done for the hole house but what if the owner can't find that coc any more? Do I tell him I cant give him a coc for the alteration and say that a coc has to be done for the whole house? and what if he has the coc but it differs from how the installation looks now, thus making that coc null & void and then a coc must be done for the whole installation and include the alteration on it? should he refuse, I can do a coc on the alteration only and have him sign that he is aware of the installation not being up to standards and is aware that he is held responsible for the wiring on his premises according to the OSH Act?
Any advice will be much appreciated thanx!
Interesting question. Lets tear it apart and revisit it from all angles.
I am going to refer to The OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT, 1993 ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION REGULATIONS promulgated on 6th march 2009.
The regulations are available freely on the net so I have attached them for convenience.
Firstly lets assume the plans for the original installation were submitted and accepted prior to 23rd October 1992:
Prior to this date there would not be any requirement for an electrical certificate on the existing electrical installation, provided there was no change of ownership after 1 March 1994.
The regulations 7 part 3, would require that once the additions had been effected then a certificate would be required for the original installation as well as the additions, simple enough.
Next lets assume the plans for the original installation were submitted and accepted after 23rd October 1992.
Section 7 part 1, indicates that a valid certificate is required for the electrical installation and the user, or lessor shall be in possession of the certificate at all times. It therefore stands to reason that if the original certificate is lost then it must be replaced.
Furthermore, section 9 part 2 (c) of the regulations, states that an electrical certificate cannot be issued for any additions or alterations to an existing electrical installation unless the existing installation has been;
1./ declared reasonably safe in the case of an installation that existed prior to 23rd October 1992 and a certificate issued or
2./ certified to comply with the electrical regulations in force at the time of its erection and a certificate issued.
So even if a certificate did exist the remainder of the electrical installation has to be inspected and certified.
In short, yes you have the authority to see the original certificate and investigate its compliance, or issue a new one.
No you may not issue a certificate for the additions unless the original installation has been ruled reasonably safe or certified to comply with the SANS 10142-1:2009.
I hope this helps.
To make a mistake is human, to learn from that mistake is knowledge and knowledge is strength.
Dave A (28-Mar-13)
Thank you for the info, but what if the owner doesn't want a coc for the whole house and just wants it for the alteration. Because my friend who's also an installation electrician for a company had to issue 23 coc's for 23 prepaid meters he installed and asked the owners if they had coc's for the houses as it didn't look very good inside the db's. They replied yes but don't know where it is so he issued the coc's for the prepaid meters only from the point of supply to point of control. I told him to get it in writing as the owner is responsible for the wiring according to the Act and an anexture K should be issued to her and a copy given to the electrical inspector in kzn to do inspection which he hasn't done and now his worried something goes wrong and he gets the trouble. What can he do to cover himself?
Doesn't a letter stating that the owner has been notified in writing and sighned by the owner remove the liability side from us? For example the owner gives you white surfex to run on the wall for a light but it's not UV protected, black surfex would be the right choice according to the regulations, so the owner says i must use the white and she sigenes my annexture stating that I've told her it's not according to standard and that the owner takes responsibility for it. I won't issue a coc for it but i also can't be held liable cause of that annexture?
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