https://sparksafeltp.co.uk/news-item/what-is-the-difference-between-3rd-party-electrical-certification-schemes-and-sparksafe-licence-to-practise/
SparkSafe is a unique quality improvement measure aimed at reducing the risks, which arise from using unqualified, underqualified and self-designated electrical workers.
The SparkSafe system provides Clients with an easy to use, online resource which authenticates the identity of each worker and their electrical qualifications, before they commence work on the Clients project.
The system places a Client obligation on main contractors to only employ electrical contractors who in turn only employ licenced electrical workers. This means that an online summary of the electrical contractor’s workforce by licence type can be accessed and monitored by project stakeholders from commencement to commissioning and final handover.
SparkSafe provides Clients with a unique insight into the online identity and competency of individual electrical workers involved in each project. With SparkSafe, Clients can view the occupational identity of each electrical worker and determine if the collective workforce is sufficiently competent to undertake the work on the Clients project.
Our team has more than twenty years of expert technical knowledge and experience regarding contemporary and legacy qualifications for the electrical industry. We provide Clients 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.
Central to the SparkSafe system is the Workforce Composition Report (WCR). The WCR summarises the make-up of the electrical contractor’s workforce by licence type, helping Clients to determine if their project is being well served by the construction team. The WCR provides visibility, transparency and individual assessment of those who carry out electrical work on projects.
SparkSafe’s online and onsite compliance auditing service is aimed at preventing the supply chain from resourcing Client projects with unlicenced electrical workers. SparkSafe compliance auditing provides an opportunity to improve quality and raise standards before things start to go wrong.
3rd party electrical accreditation schemes – such as those operated by NICEIC and NAPIT provide distinctly different services than the SparkSafe LtP initiative.
Most subscribers appear to value the accreditation for the third-party certification credentials that these organisations provide to the electrical contracting industry on behalf of Clients.
The initial enrolment process for new applicants is understood to be rigorous and comprehensive. Existing subscribers are subject to an annual quality control inspection that includes desktop and on-site assessment processes.
Most SME contractors employ or make use of at least one Qualifying Supervisor (QS). Larger enterprises may employ more than one QS. The work of the QS includes, but is not limited to, overseeing or directly gathering electrical inspection and testing data. The QS is also responsible for validating this data using branded forms based on the BS7671 Wiring Requirements.
As the UK electrical contracting industry is permitted to self-certify, many Client organisations choose to specify the services of the NICEIC and NAPIT to provide a level of quality assurance in the form of a third-party accreditation scheme.
SparkSafe does not provide a third-party certification service similar to the NICEIC or NAPIT.
The SparkSafe system provides a project-specific, end to end, online service which assesses and categorises all workers engaged in the installation of the client’s electrical services by Licence type. The Licence to Practise system reports on all of the electrical workers who install the containment, wiring and perform the connecting, fit out and commissioning tasks.
Whereas 3rd party certification schemes provide a quality assurance service on the electrical contractors systems, processes and equipment, as well as assessment of the Qualifying Supervisor who oversees the electrical inspection and testing of a Client’s property.
