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Frequently Asked Questions

The below questions are commonly asked, whilst it is not an exhaustive list it will hopefully assist – please do not hesitate to contact MA with a question and we will be pleased to assist.

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NERS

The below questions are commonly asked, whilst it is not an exhaustive list it will hopefully assist – please do not hesitate to contact MA with a question and we will be pleased to assist.
The TA is an essential element of the LRQA NERS accreditation and relies upon the accredited organisation to establish a schedule for planning and completing the TA. The Audit is not an inspection and measures the person undergoing the TA against the NERS Management system. The TA will be scheduled to ensure that all activities and persons within the ICP Organisation are audited in accordance with the Organisations Policy and Procedure requirements.
Surveillance Visits are required to demonstrate that the accredited organisation is fulfilling the requirements of each scope and will involve the on-site presence of the LRQA Assessor and one of the key post holders such as the Assessing Officer, Project Manager to facilitate the surveillance visits.
The requirement of the technical audit is that it is carried out on each person in the team and not just on the team itself. This means that if it is a 2 man jointing team then both persons in the team will be separately audited looking at items such as competency, passports etc.

Electrical Safety Management

MA will support your organisation in the development and maintenance of an Electrical Safety Management System in accordance with the current legislation and Guidance.

The Electrical Safety Management System and the Document Register must represent the requirements of LRQA and it is unlikely that an existing occupational health and safety management system will meet the specific requirements although it will achieve much of the general health and safety requirements such as compliance and understanding of the CDM regulations 2015. MA has the personnel available to provide technical authoring skills and develop a full suite of documents that will satisfy the LRQA NERS Requirements along with version control management of all documentation and conversion to Adobe Acrobat PDF.
The Electrical Safety Management System and the Document Register must represent the requirements of LRQA and it is unlikely that an existing occupational health and safety management system will meet the specific requirements although it will achieve much of the general health and safety requirements such as compliance and understanding of the CDM regulations 2015. MA has the personnel available to provide technical authoring skills and develop a full suite of documents that will satisfy the LRQA NERS Requirements along with version control management of all documentation and conversion to Adobe Acrobat PDF.
It is a requirement that the competency of a person involved in certain tasks e.g. Cable jointer has been able to demonstrate knowledge and competence to the employing Company. The Assessing Officer and Authorising Officer would jointly issue the Competency Certificate. The Competency Certificate would be reviewed on an annual basis and would have a period of renewal Company.
The DSR is a document that commonly contains rules and codes of practices that have been developed over many years and is a practical means of working and complying with the Electricity at Work Act.
NERS G81Engineering Recommendation is a document produced by the Energy Networks Association (ENA) This document is intended to be used by Independent Connection Providers (ICPs) and Independent Distribution Network Operators (IDNOs) that undertake new connections under the Ofgem Competition in Connections regime.
The requirement of each person holding a passport is to ensure that they can demonstrate competencies and that their knowledge and competency is up to date. The review of the passport by each organisation employing the individual is to sign and witness prior to allowing them to commence works.
The LOA will be produced by the Authorising Officer and they will outline the responsibilities. These will be produced on Company Headed Paper and identify the person who is to be appointed and request that the document be signed and dated prior to commencing the role with the organisation.

NERS Requirement

The investment in becoming a NERS Accredited Provider is a major decision and MA are able to help develop the business plan.

The NERS Accreditation is awarded when an organisation has demonstrated that it has met the requirements of LRQA. On the event that a serious incident occurs such as an Health & safety or quality issue then this would need to be reported to LRQA and possible suspension of the accredited status occur. In addition during a surveillance visits it may be identified by the LRQA assessor that there are shortcomings which are significant and a temporary suspension will occur.
This question is often raised as there is a perception that the NERS accreditation can be shared by associate companies in the group structure. The requirement is that the Organisation who is seeking LRQA NERS Accreditation must demonstrate that it is registered at Companies House and is capable of taking on the obligations and responsibilities of the LRQA NERS scheme.
Quite simply the potential risk of not being compliant could be that the HOST DNO could reject all or part of the installation, this would create potential claims for damages between the parties and ultimately the utility of the development could not be enjoyed until the network connection is established and adopted by an appropriate body.
MA has a thorough and up to date knowledge of the LRQA NERS Requirements and is active within Organisations. The personnel involved have been involved in the successful achievement and maintenance of LRQA NERS Scopes.
The technical updates from each of the DNO are important in order to ensure that the scheme they are constructing is compliant with the HOST DNO.

Personnel

One of the challenges to becoming LRQA NERS accredited is the need to access the personnel with the appropriate competencies and qualifications that can fulfil the roles determined by the LRQA Requirements – MA will be pleased to support you in this area.

The Assessing Officer is required for the assessment and maintenance of the operational safety systems specific to the LRQA Requirements. Typically the assessment of competencies for groups such as electrical cable jointers will be managed by the assessing officer. The assessing officer is a role which can be provided from an external consultant.
An Authorising Officer provides the necessary electrical overall management control of the LRQA NERS scheme for the organisation. The requirements are that the authorising officer should be directly employed by the organisation seeking LRQA NERS accreditation.
A Qualified Supervisor is required for Civil and Electrical Works and must be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of the civil and electrical scopes. It is not usual to have one person be responsible for both civil and electrical however if persons exist with the appropriate competencies which can be evidenced this may be considered by LRQA.
The Technical Advisor is required for the Project Management Scope and carries out an important role in ensuring an effective interface between the appointed construction provider and the Project Management Organisation. If the organisation has persons with appropriate competencies that can be evidenced they will be able to appoint them as the TA otherwise it may be necessary to appoint an external TA.
The production of a CV is required to substantiate the credentials of each of the key roles within the accredited organisation. For example the role of the Assessing Officer would have detailed knowledge of Electrical Safety Management Systems and may well have held electrical authorisations such as Senior Authorised Person and be familiar with Electrical Distribution Safety Rules (DSR)
The LRQA NERS Assessors are involved in reviewing organisations electrical safety management system and also on site works involving he design, construction of electrical networks and therefore will possess a comprehensive understanding of electrical distribution and transmission networks.

Scope

The benefits of becoming a NERS provider requires an understanding of the terminology contained within the LRQA NERS Requirements document and how that will be developed into the systems, processes and procedures – here are some of the key terms explained.

The development of the network known as the BNO is given to the connection which links the Supply Authority Cut Out to the Internal installation of the consumer. Currently this falls outside to the LRQA NERS Scope.
As a construction provider the accredited body has demonstrated that they have a management system and scopes that are either at partial or full e.g. Cable Laying. Once the scope has been achieved at full there will be scheduled.
Once full accreditation has been achieved the organisation can then seek works opportunities through tender or other means. The LRQA NERS website will be updated to show that the Organisation is now Fully Accredited for the Scope.

The process involves understanding the LRQA Requirements specific scope e.g. HV Cable Jointing and the Organisation IN THIS CASE WILL BE seeking Scope Extension for Project Management option where the labour will be supplied by an approved ICP Organisation that may already hold or use the opportunity to gain full accreditation themselves on this project. The development of a Schedule of Responsibilities that will identify the obligations of the PM and the Construction Provider will assist in identifying the categories which will be assessed by LRQA during the visit.

The organisation seeking PM approval must ensure that the first opportunity that arises will be used to carry out the physical assessment. Once the visit is complete the LRQA Assessor will produce a report with the findings against the Schedule of Responsibilities (SOR). There may be some points that need further addressing and once the assessor is satisfied that the organisations have fully demonstrated the compliance with the LRQA Requirements and HOST DNO Standards a recommendation will be made for Full Approval in that particular scope only

The use of subcontractors must be carried out in accordance with the LRQA Requirements and places obligations on the accredited organisation to ensure that the subcontractor is managed by the Construction provider.
The achievement of partial accreditation allows the organisation to be discoverable on the LRQA Website however until the full assessment takes place the organisation should not undertake any works were they may.
The NERS PM scope allows the accredited body to employ other groups of organisations that are LR to carry out the works. The PM has the option to use the Management System of the Construction Provider or alternatively use or develop their own management system and require the Construction provider to use them accordingly.
The Schedule of Responsibility (SOR) is developed when the Accredited Body is going to carry out the role of Project Management. The SOR identifies against each scope e.g. Civil Works for cable installation what will be the responsibilities of the Project Management Organisation and the Construction Provider Organisation. During the Scope assessment visits the LRQA Assessor will look for evidence against the Schedule of Responsibility.

The importance of a technical audit to ensuring the accredited body is maintaining its management system and scope between surveillance. During the surveillance visits the assessor will examine the Technical Audit and the management of the non-conformances identified.

Have more questions?

MA would be pleased to receive questions or feedback on any of the content that is contained within the website.

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