NICEIC finds that almost one in three people risk safety in the home with DIY electrical works

New research has found that almost one in three (30%) UK adults have attempted DIY electrical work in the home, potentially putting themselves and their families in danger of unsafe electrics. This is in spite of the fact that 89% of UK adults agree that undertaking domestic electrical work could be dangerous or life threatening.

The research was carried out by YouGov and commissioned by NICEIC, the UK’s leading certification and training body for the electrical industry, to investigate attitudes and opinions of householders towards electrical DIY in the home. It also revealed that 87% of UK adults believe that electrical work should be carried out by a qualified electrician. However, results suggest that some householders are still attempting electrical work themselves, risking potentially devastating consequences including injury or even death, as well as costly implications to repair any incorrectly installed work.

To tackle this, NICEIC, which is the UK’s largest register of certified electrical businesses, has launched the next instalment of its Don’t Do DIY Electrics campaign, to help inform householders of the dangers of using a non-registered business or attempting to complete electrical works in a domestic setting themselves.

Paul Collins, Technical Director at NICEIC, commented: “Whilst it’s encouraging to see that the public understands the dangers of undertaking electrical work, it is very concerning that almost one in three people are still attempting to complete works themselves.

“If not carried out correctly, electrical work can be very dangerous and could even result in injury or death, and while it may be tempting to carry out works to save money or time, it can ultimately cost more to put mistakes right.”

There are over 40,000 NICEIC-certified businesses that are regularly assessed to ensure that they provide quality work to the required standard. Using a certified business gives householders peace of mind that work is delivered in line with electrical standards and leaves them with electrics work they can trust is safe in their home.

Householders can find a NICEIC-certified business through the ‘find a trusted tradesperson tool’ on NICEIC’s website.

The Don’t Do DIY Electrics campaign can be seen across social media channels including YouTube and Meta, and the wider Google network, through a series of new digital adverts that highlight the invisible dangers of unsafe electrical work.

For more information, visit:

niceic.com/dontdiy/ to find out more about the Don’t Do DIY Electrics campaign.

niceic.com/find-a-tradesperson/ to find an NICEIC-certified business.