Page 217 - The City and Guilds Textbook: Plumbing Book 1 for the Level 3 Apprenticeship (9189), Level 2 Technical Certificate (8202) and Level 2 Diploma (6035)

Chapter 4 Planning and supervision

There are four types of inspector:
1 health and safety inspector
2 building control inspector
3 water inspector
4 electrical services inspector.

The health and safety inspector
Also known as the ‘factory inspector’, the health and safety inspector usually
works for the HSE, but can also be employed by the local authority. It is the
inspector’s duty to ensure that all health and safety law is fully implemented by
the building contractor (this is covered in Chapter 1, Health and safety practices
and systems, page 15).

The building control inspector
The building control inspector (now more generally known as the building
control surveyor) works for the local authority and makes sure that each of the
Building Regulations documents is observed in the planning and construction
stages of new buildings. The Building Regulations are the statutory rules by
which buildings are constructed, covering aspects such as drainage, energy
efficiency, disabled access, etc.
Building control surveyors need to know the Building Regulations and how to
interpret them accurately as they have the power to reject plans that fail to
meet the Regulations. They may also have to use their professional judgement
and skill to offer advice on acceptable solutions to meet statutory requirements
should any problems arise. They will make site visits at different stages of
construction to ensure that all construction work is being properly carried out.

The water inspector
Water inspectors are employed by the local water undertaker. The key objective
of the water inspector’s role is to reduce the risk of contamination of the public
water supply from backflow of any fluid. They provide advice and guidance
on regulation compliance in new and existing premises. The water inspector
enforces the Water Regulations by inspecting a range of plumbing installations,
as follows.
l Hands-on inspections:
l in a percentage of new domestic premises
l in all new non-domestic premises/connections
l targeted inspections based on potential risk in existing premises.
l Reactive inspections:
l requests to inspect due to water quality problems
l requests from customers for advice and resolution of plumbing problems
with old or new systems.
The electrical services inspector
Electrical inspections must be made on all new electrical installations, but more
especially on commercial/industrial properties. They are undertaken by the
local electrical supply company but, because these are now privately owned, the

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