IET and BSI publish Amendment 2 (2022) to BS 7671:2018

Amendment 2 comes into effect immediately when published on 28 March 2022. The previous version of the British Standard, BS 7671:2018+A1:2020, will be withdrawn six months later.

This essential update to the IET’s Wiring Regulations will form the national standard to which all new electrical installations and additions, and alterations to existing electrical installations in the UK, are to comply. The IET and the BSI are now urging all electrical professionals to ensure they become familiar with the changes.

Significant changes include:

*a new requirement for AFDDs in some AC final circuits for installations in some types of higher-risk residential buildings

*the requirement for the fire safety design of buildings to be documented where specific conditions of external influence exist, such as protected escape routes and locations where there’s a risk of fire

*the method for determining the requirement to provide overvoltage protection

*changes to identification, labels and notices, such as for consumer units, affecting how safety information is provided to the user of the electrical installation

*a chapter on Prosumer’s Low Voltage Electrical Installations in a new part of the British Standard (ie Part 8)

Members of the Technical Committee (JPEL/64) responsible for the technical content of BS 7671 are not permitted to release any further information before the British Standard’s publication date.

Designing safe installations

Dan Palmer, associate director of committees at the BSI, said: “BS 7671 is one of the UK’s most important standards, providing authoritative requirements to promote electrical safety. The changes introduced in this new amendment will help electrical professionals keep up-to-date with new and innovative technologies, as well as ensuring that they have current knowledge about designing safe installations.”

Mark Coles, head of technical regulations at the IET, observed: “The IET is the authority for electrical installations in the UK and ensures that the National Wiring Regulations Committee carefully considers all necessary updates to the regulations to ensure they best meet the needs of the industry.”

He continued: “The amendment continues the thread of embracing new technologies, while Prosumer’s Low Voltage Electrical Installations is an exciting step into the future of renewable sources of energy and their integration into our lives. Further, focusing on high-risk environments with requirements for Arc Fault Detection Devices and the fire safety design of buildings is a major step forward in order to increase safety.”

Coles concluded: “Amendment 2 is an essential update to provide for the safety of electrical installations in the UK. It’s now imperative that the industry is ready to work to this amendment before BS 7671:2018+A1:2020 is withdrawn.”

CENELEC Harmonised Documents

Further changes are encompassed throughout all parts of BS 7671, including the incorporation of Amendment 1:2020 to BS 7671:2018 as part of the main document.

Post-Brexit, this amendment sees the further adoption of CENELEC Harmonised Documents as the UK continues the inclusion of standards for new and developing technologies.

*BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 is available for pre-order online at theiet.org/amendment2-wm

Preparation at NAPIT

In preparation for the release of Amendment 2, the National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers (NAPIT) is ensuring that members of the Trade Association have everything they need such that they’re up to speed with the changes.

Pre-orders for updated NAPIT and IET publications are now live on NAPIT Direct. In addition, the organisation is hosting a range of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) webinars to provide an overview of the amendment and what it means for NAPIT members. The webinars will take place on Tuesday 1 March, Tuesday 5 April and Tuesday 3 May at 6.00 pm with a live Q&A featuring JPEL Committee representatives Frank Bertie (NAPIT’s chief technical officer), Paul Chaffers and Richard Townsend.

NAPIT is also launching its new set of NAPIT EXPO Technical Roadshows with Amendment 2 CPD Masterclasses. Beginning in April, these events are open to all. Locations will be confirmed in due course. Attendees will enjoy access to face-to-face technical training and membership advice.

Frank Bertie explained: “This amendment is an essential update and is the result of years of work by the JPEL/64 Committee, the Technical Committee responsible for BS 7671, on which NAPIT has had strong representation for over 20 years. It’s important that our electrical members keep up-to-date with the ever-changing technologies and ways of working to ensure they’re operating to the safest standards. They can do so by viewing our webinars, attending our events and reading our updated publications.”