After completing ten successful years as Chair of the Electrical Safety Roundtable in the Home, Chris Bielby has fulfilled his period of office and is stepping down. With his multitude of industry knowledge and experience following a career committed to enhancing safety, the Roundtable thrived under his leadership.

Over the last ten years, the Electrical Safety Roundtable has developed from a standalone meeting, arranged to explore whether there was an interest within the industry in collaborating to improve electrical safety in the home, focusing in particular on how to address the poor promotion of competent registered electricians and enhance the enforcement of Approved Document P of the Building Regulations, to a fully-fledged stakeholder group with a Board of Directors and over 50 participant organisations.

 Notable achievements of the Roundtable include:

• Supporting the creation of a unified mark and register of electricians registered with a UKAS accredited, Government Authorised electrical Competent Person Scheme Operator- to make it easier for householders and landlords find an electrician who can work safely and to legally required standards- Registered Competent Person Electrical
• Creating a suite of Home Safety Certificates and checklists to help raise safety standards in the Private Rented Sector
• Expanded its influence to provide a voice for the promotion of Electrical Safety in the Workplace and a sub-group, looking specifically at Social Housing as well as Electrical Safety in the Home
• Published a Code of Practice for the Management of Electrotechnical Care in Social Housing
• Hosted their first Virtual Conference in 2021, with close to 200 registrants
• An investigation into the enforcement of Part P of the Building Regulations in England and associated report

Under the Chairmanship of Chris Bielby participation levels grew and the Roundtable has become a well-respected and revered stakeholder group by Government. The Electrical Safety Roundtable has played a significant role in providing a unified industry voice and in 2019, it was asked to lead a Working Group, set up by Government to consider the introduction of mandatory electrical safety checks in the private rented sector, which went on to become the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020.

The knowledge, experience and associates that Chris brought to the role has been of huge benefit to the Roundtable, and his passion has been a driving force for change. Commenting on his time as Chair of the Electrical Safety Roundtable, Chris Bielby said: ‘I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as Chair of the Electrical Safety Roundtable. It has been a pleasure to work with such a variety of knowledgeable and passionate industry stakeholders. Over the last ten years the group has achieved so much in its journey to promoting the importance of electrical safety. We have provided a unified voice and the ESR has become a go to group for informal and formal Government consultation. I wish the ESR continued success in the future and will follow its progress with interest.’

Looking ahead, the Roundtable will continue to be a strong voice for industry change, pushing the boundaries and challenging industry and Government to look for ways to further improve electrical safety.