Electric cowboys can give you a shock!

Time and time again, warnings are issued against the deadly dangers of getting electrical work 'done on the cheap' by unqualified tradesmen with little to no electrical knowledge or training. Yet time and time again, horror stories emerge in the press when the warnings are disregarded and a terrible injury or loss of life is reported because of illegal electrical work being carried out.The temptation for some workmen to claim 'they can do the job and save you a fortune' is always there and it's up to every householder or business owner to avoid the temptation. All electrical work carried out work must be by a fully qualified electrician - NICEIC Part P registered. They must have been properly trained at a fully approved and NICEIC accredited training school like Able Skills, in order to obtain all the statutory City & Guilds NVQ electrical qualifications - to at least Level 3 -knowledge and training in order to demonstrate full competency for properly and safely carrying out electrical installation, repairs and maintenance. In addition, and equally as important, is the number of years of working experience gained after qualifying.The problem is that all too often handymen or other tradesmen think they can do electrical work because it seems that after simply watching an electrician install an outlet, switch or fixture, they think they are qualified to do the same.There are too many contractors will tell a homeowner that one of their men 'used to be an electrician' so they can get to do your electrical work and you the homeowner, will save money. Most handymen say the same and will take on just about any job a homeowner requests. Usually, they will finish and somehow make it work and the homeowner thinks they just saved a lot of money and got the job done.Unfortunately, when that same homeowner begins to plug things in and start using the electric, they find out they were mistaken. It's not as simple as connecting a few wires. Load calculations, wire size, proper devices, safe and secure connections are just a few of the important things that a trained and qualified electrician has to consider when doing work in your home.Most handymen and carpenters who attempt electrical work will use whatever they have or what they think will work. That usually means the homeowner will end up with incorrect and unsafe connections, junction boxes and circuit loading and a list of electrically unsafe conditions.