The checklists come off the back of rising concern over the safety of premises and the confusion that many businesses suffer in trying to establish their obligations under the eyes of the law.

So far in 2008, there have already been 48 entries made on the Cornwall County Fire Brigade Public Register, a public list which details information relating to issues of prohibition, alteration and enforcement notices. This comes at a time where we have also seen a number of high profile incidents in the county.

Many of the entries on the register show that local businesses are failing in their checks of equipment, a series of relatively simple procedures that will often identify minor issues that can be cost effective to put right but deadly should something happen.

TEE hopes that by high lighting the necessary testing and inspection routines required that many businesses in the region will get things right before they receive a visit from an enforcement officer, or worse still, an accident occurs.

David Freeman, Technical Director at TEE Limited said:

“It seems a shame that many businesses fail on small things that would be spotted in routine tests and are relatively easy to put right. Although it may be simple to put right, non-working emergency lights or unresponsive alarms can potentially jeopardise the health and well-being of staff or visitors.”

The company has currently produced three checklists covering; small businesses, private landlords and accommodation venues, such as caravan parks and hotels. Checklists are sent out to interested parties who complete the form on the website – <click here> to go to the form.

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Notes to Editor:

1. TEE Limited (Technical Electrical Engineering Limited) is an electrical contractor based in St.Agnes.

2. The company has been trading for over 20 years working within the domestic and business markets.

3. The safety checklists are part of an ongoing company commitment to raising safety standards and helping businesses identify and meet their obligations.

The survey, carried out by NICEIC researchers posing as potential customers, found 98% of unregistered electricians were willing to flout safety laws designed to protect consumer safety.

With more than 12,500 fires and 750 serious injuries in UK homes every year caused by unsafe electrics at home, consumers need to be very wary in their choice of electrician.

Stan Barlow, Marketing Director of TEE Limited, a NICEIC Registered Electrical Contractors based in St.Agnes, explains the benefits in using a registered electrician,

“When selling a home, owners need to be aware that regulations such as ‘Part P’ may require certification to be shown when selling their homes.”

“All the work carried out by a registered electrician is tested and certified as safe. Many homeowners may be baffled by the extensive range of legislation now in place to protect their safety; however, these laws have been introduced to remove known risks of electrical installations.” He continued.

Works that should not be carried out by unregistered electricians include installing new kitchen sockets or electric bathroom showers. In both cases any work carried out requires testing and certification from the local Building Control Department.

Homeowners should always be sure they are dealing with properly registered electricians, sourcing companies that display the NICEIC Approved Contractor and Domestic Installer logo in their advertising.

Consumers looking to find a local NICEIC registered installer can find further information on the Part P regulations or local electrician listings at www.findanelectrician.info/factsheets or call 0870 013 0382.

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Electrical company, TEE Ltd, based in St.Agnes see the recent death of Rhinna Hardie in Taunton, and in 2002 of Penzance woman, Sharon Minister, as an unnecessary waste of life that could have been prevented.

Both incidents cited issues with faulty thermostats playing a critical role in leading to the cataclysmic failure of their boilers, which led to gallons of boiling water being showered over them from above.

What makes these failures so devastating to those in the trade is that in many cases incidents such as these could have been prevented by a change in attitude towards health and safety and the costs of carrying out works in the home.

Although small parts like a thermostat often cost somewhere in the region of £20 companies are often tempted to opt for lower priced parts costing less than £5 in a bid to win contracts.

Stan Barlow, Director of TEE Ltd, said,

“We are always pushed, as many trade companies are, to achieve the lowest cost to carry out work on a property. Customers have no idea that in many cases that can lead to installation of cheaper parts or materials, with shorter working lives and less durability.

“Common attitudes towards health and safety as a nuisance, rather than protection of them and their family welfare makes it difficult for companies to persuade customers that paying that little bit more is really in the interests of their personal and family’s wellbeing.” He continued.

TEE Limited recommends to that regular inspections and safety checks are carried out on all electrics, with parts such as thermostats, replaced at least every 3 to 4 years. Further still, the company now installs more expensive types of thermostat as standard on all projects.

“It is not worth cutting corners when people lives are at risk.” says Stan “Local authorities have detailed specifications in place that insist on the use of these more expensive thermostatic products and this should be extended to all private homes through appropriate legislation so that we never hear of cases like these again.”

Homeowners worried about the safety of their own immersion boilers should look out for excessively hot water from taps, unusual amounts of noise or bubbling from hot water cylinders or hot water coming through cold taps. In any of these cases the boiler should be isolated and an electrician, gas installer or plumber called.

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A woman electrician is helping Cornish electrical company expand into Plymouth.

TEE Ltd, based in St Agnes Truro, has added to their Cornish franchise and opened a Mr Electric franchise in Plymouth and 27-year-old Chrissie Prosser will be one of the local faces working for the newly created branch.

Mr Electric is the fastest growing electrical installation and Repair Company in the world, and the Plymouth Company will combine these global resources with local knowledge and expertise.

The Plymouth branch will be run alongside the Cornish branch of Mr Electric. Stephen Barlow, General Manager of Mr Electric in the South West said: “Women are still under-represented in this industry and so we’ve been delighted to welcome Chrissie on board for this expansion. We serve both residential and business customers, and, particularly for home visits, I think having a skilled woman electrician will make many women feel comfortable using our services.”

Stephen continues She is an addition to our female electricians and joins Sarah Iddon who has been with us since joining us as an apprentice in 2005. Last year Sarah was the apprentice of the year at Cornwall College so she is showing want women can do in this industry and we have many customers complimenting us on her enthusiasm. Our staff enjoys having two keen and hard working women on the team.

Chrissie, who is a qualified electrician with eight years of experience will be working alongside electrician Dave Waters at the Plymouth franchise and will be dealing with electrical emergencies for many major insurance companies. As well as carrying out all the diverse work undertaken by MR ELECTRIC She said,

“People may be frightened to open the door to anyone that they don’t know. Mr Electric employs qualified, professional and ethical people who uphold the global service standards of the Mr Electric network – so everyone can have confidence that they will be treated courteously and fairly. I am pleased to be joining them.”

Some of the services Mr Electric offers to residential clients are electric showers, smoke and intruder alarms, electrical heating and lighting and outdoor lighting.

For commercial properties, Mr Electric offers periodic inspections, portable appliance testing, planned and reactive maintenance; telephone cabling, fire, smoke and intruder alarms and installation and repair.

The company has been working in Cornwall for five years and so has a good understanding of clients’ needs in the South West. Stephen continued: “I am looking forward to expanding into Plymouth and offering the best of both worlds to our customer; local faces with the backup of a global brand.”

Alongside the new franchise, Mr. Electric will also be offering the expertise of its sister company, Aire Serv. Aire Serv specialises in air conditioning, heating and refrigeration for commercial and residential buildings.

David Freeman and Stan Barlow the Directors of Technical Electrical Engineering Ltd. stated that the reason for buying into both the Mr. Electric and Aire Serv worldwide franchise system, is to have a brand leader helping with their local image and maintaining high levels of staff ethics and skills.

With TEE LTD now in their 21st year of trading they are convinced that the last five years have been helped with this partnership with these world class companies.

More information on Mr. Electric is available on 01872 553898 or by visiting www.mr-electric.co.uk.

Aire Serv can be reached at 01872 553898 or by visiting www.aireserv.co.uk