Earlier this week it was announced that The Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) and the Electrical Safety Council (ESC) have created the new Electrical Safety Register – click here for full story.

It was also revealed that from April 1st 2013, the NICEIC and ELECSA will be operated by a brand new organisation called Certsure in order to increase benefits to its customers and give the industry a stronger voice.

In a response to this announcement, NAPIT (itself having recently launched its own voluntary register, ElectricSafe) has denounced this new scheme as “an attempt to monopolise the representation of the UK electrical industry.”

NAPIT chief operating officer, Martin Bruno, commented, “ElectricSafe has been designed to create a single, industry wide, consumer facing brand and register. It is free to join and open to all electricians who have been registered as competent – under any scheme provider. The launch of the Electrical Safety Register shortly after – a register which is closed to six of the eight UK Competent Person Registers – has distorted this concept.

However, Emma Clancy, CEO of Certsure (pictured), stated, “The ECA and ESC have been working for nearly two years to form a meaningful partnership with joint governance over the NICEIC, ELECSA and ECA Certification schemes.

“It was a move brought about by a need to bring the industry closer together. Government, consumers and specifiers of work always said that our sector was too disparate and that we needed to be more joined-up to promote the industry and the many great electrical contracting companies involved in it.

“The new joint venture does this – 80% of all electro-technical Competent Persons Scheme registrants are now on the one register and are responsible for more than 90% of all building control notifications. The Electrical Safety Register is a one-stop-shop for consumers and specifiers featuring more than 36,000 electrical firms registered with the NICEIC, ECA and ELECSA certification schemes.

“ESC have, in the past, attempted to create one register for the promotion of contractors from all schemes, but were unfortunately unable to secure mutual agreement amongst all parties.

“The Electrical Safety register was therefore developed. It costs nothing to NICEIC, ELECSA and ECA members to be included and is the first of many benefits that we believe this new collaboration will bring to both contractors and consumers.”