Fake electrical qualifications – can you afford to take the risk?

Clients with electrical maintenance or installation requirements usually contract for the services of qualified electricians. However, in reality, many are being provided with electrical workers who may be underqualified or unqualified.  These workers can often be concealed behind a few qualified electricians who front the day to day contact with the Client.

Most employers and Clients in the electrical contracting sector do not possess sufficient knowledge and/or resources to operate procedures to routinely scrutinise the qualifications of existing or new entrant workers. Electrical work, and in particular inspection and testing work, undertaken by those who rely on fake qualifications presents several significant problems for Client organisations including –

1. Quality and safety of work, accrual of latent defective work
2. Time and money linked to the assessment and cost of remedial work
3. Public safety and value for money concerns
4. Reputational damage, negative impact on public interest and user confidence

All electrical qualifications used to support electrical worker licence applications are scrutinised for authenticity and proof of ownership.  The SparkSafe team undertake forensic examination of electrical qualifications on behalf of Clients and contractors by using detailed, quality-controlled checking procedures. We provide this service to ensure that all Licence to Practise applicants hold relevant and authentic industry-approved qualifications.

Our team have detected a number of suspected fake electrical certificates which has resulted in Qualified Electrician licences being declined. The discoveries of suspected fake electrical certificates include NVQ Level 3, AM2, 2391 Inspection and Testing and 18^th Edition qualifications.

The authenticity of electrical qualification certificates cannot be taken for granted.  Most checks normally include a light touch, trust-based scrutiny, photocopying and filing exercises.  Even the most thorough employers and Clients can be duped by those in the supply chain who make use of high-definition colour photocopiers and document editing software.

Our team has more than twenty years of expert technical knowledge and experience regarding contemporary and legacy qualifications for the electrical industry. By specifying SparkSafe in tender and contract documentation, we provide Clients and Contractors with peace of mind by using our expertise to independently assess and validate the identity and electrical qualifications of each directly employed and subcontracted worker.

If you would like to learn more SparkSafe’s unique quality improvement system, please get in touch and we can arrange a short online system demonstration.