The Importance Of Attending 17th Edition Training Courses - A Personal Experience

Do you know exactly how the 17th edition of the UK's Wiring Regulations differs from the previous version? With the many 17th edition training courses currently available there's a real opportunity to become fully up to date with the latest changes implemented and required, but whilst the opportunity is there, not everyone appreciates the need.

However, it's important to be aware that one of the prime elements focussed on by 17th edition training courses is how the new regulations have built on, moved away from and re-written quite significant sections of the old 16th edition. This is hardly surprising given the fact that it's been about twenty years since the last edition was published, and during those two decades a huge amount has changed in the world which affects how electrical wiring needs to perform.

Not only are homes now wired up more like offices or technology centres in some cases, but the advent of both wired and wireless networking in offices and homes has had a dramatic impact on how wiring needs to be installed, maintained, repaired and extended.

Just recently we changed the structure of our wireless network in the office and brought in an electrician to do the job of installing the cabling needed. Unfortunately he clearly wasn't aware of the changes made in the 17th edition, despite it having been out for a few years now. Had he attended one of the 17th edition training courses available he'd have known not to run electrical cabling parallel with network cabling. After he left we noticed a severe drop in network speeds, and at times the whole thing would crash.

A second electrician was brought in to assess the problem, and fortunately he was well versed in the changes included in the 17th edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations and immediately spotted the problem. The first electrician had a mains cable crossing over a network cable at a critical juncture, meaning that the network traffic was being regularly frazzled and disrupted. A few minutes repositioning the cables meant that our network was back up and running just as it should.

This is just one example of how important it is to be aware of the latest changes in wiring. In this case the problem was not endangering anyone's life, but it is perfectly possible that electricians today who are not trained or well versed in the 17th edition regulations could carry out work which might represent a danger. Certainly our office realised the importance of hiring an electrician who is fully up to date, and you can guarantee that next time we need anyone to come and do some work for us we'll be checking that he or she has attended a 17th edition training course and is fully qualified in working to the current standards and requirements.

If you're an electrical contractor, whether it's for the home or for businesses it's imperative that you make sure you're fully up to date with all of the changes made. Just having a copy of the 17th edition isn't enough, not only because many of the changes aren't obvious, but also because the actual structure, organisation and referencing within the 17th edition has changed dramatically since the last version. 17th edition training courses don't have to take you through every single element, especially if you have years of professional experience and a solid understanding of electrical installations. But being aware of how much things have changed is vital, and a brief course lasting a few days could make a big difference, not only to your saleability but also to the homes or businesses you visit.