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Hazardous Areas Scheme

Covers electrical work carried out in potentially explosive environments.

Sometimes electrical work is undertaken in areas where gases, vapours or combustible dust particles are present. In hazardous circumstances, contractors need to meet additional requirements to ensure safety.

The NICEIC Hazardous Areas scheme is available to contractors who are already certificated on our Approved Contractor scheme and wish to demonstrate that they are competent to work in these high-risk situations.

Approved Contractors are electrical contractors who have been assessed as competent to deliver electrical work against the requirements of BS7671.

To learn about our Approved Contractor scheme and the application process, click here.

Speak to an adviser on
0333 015 6626

Enquire about
our Schemes
Approved Contractors can apply for an extension to their scope of certification to cover Hazardous Areas by calling Us on 0333 015 66256 or using the red ‘Enquire about our Scheme button’ above. An application form will be sent to you with guidance on the scheme requirements.

For more information about the scheme please refer to our Scheme Guide. 
To apply for an extension of scope to cover Hazardous Areas, you will need to demonstrate at assessment that:

  • Your business is currently certificated as an NICEIC Approved Contractor
  • Your business is directly engaged in electrical work in potentially explosive atmospheres (other than in mines, medical locations and locations relating to the manufacture and processing of explosives, and offshore)
  • You have undertaken electrical work in potentially explosive atmospheres for at least 6 months
  • You can arrange access to a range of hazardous area work sufficient for technical evaluation and assessment purposes
  • You have equipment appropriate to the range and scale of electrical work undertaken in hazardous areas (including, if appropriate, gauges such as feeler gauges)
  • You hold British Standards and other technical reference documents relevant to the range and scale of electrical work undertaken in potentially explosive atmospheres
  • You employ persons competent to undertake electrical work in hazardous areas, who are adequately and appropriately supervised
  • There are established and maintained training and experience records for each person who may be assigned to undertake electrical work in potentially explosive atmospheres (except for persons who will be subject to constant supervision)
  • There is one or more suitable Qualified Supervisors for Hazardous Areas
 

An extension of scope to cover Hazardous Areas will require an additional assessment.

  • Looking at the procedures involved in managing work undertaken in hazardous areas including certification of work
  • Reviewing competency levels and training records of staff doing the work
  • Checking access to relevant technical standards
  • Checking that the insurance provision for the business covers work in hazardous areas
  • Onsite evaluation of completed work to monitor adherence to relevant standards
At the end of the assessment the Assessor will give you feedback on how it went. They will then make one of the following recommendations:
 
  • Certification Recommended - your business will be recommended for certification if your office processes meet the requirements of the scheme

  • Certification Not Recommended - if your business does not fully comply with the scheme requirements but is likely to do so after addressing any identified issues, a recommendation will be made to further assess the organisation. Depending on the issues identified this may be addressed through submission of evidence or an additional assessment

Technical Review and Certification Decision
An independent technical expert from the audit team will review the certification recommendation to ensure nothing has been missed. This review will grant certification if you have been successful and you will be notified in writing.


You will need the following documents to apply for an extension of scope to cover Hazardous Areas:
 
  1. Hazardous Areas Scheme Guide
  2. Hazardous Areas Extension of Scope Application
  3. Hazardous Areas Qualified Supervisor Application to nominate additional proposed Qualified Supervisor(s) responsible for Hazardous Areas work undertaken by your business
  4. Fee Sheet

The following will help you prepare for your assessment

  1. Surveillance Assessment Guide - everything you need for your assessment
 
For information about the process we follow when we receive complaints from customers about contractors, please click here.