Sparkies need to be licenced

(CNS): All active electrical contractors need to submit an electrical contractor’s application to the Building Control Unit (BCU) by Thursday, 30 April 2009 the Electrical Board of Examiners  (EBE)  has said. According to the Electricity Law (Revision 2005) and the Electricity Regulations (Revision 2005) section 60(1) no one is allowed to trade as an electrician without a license and the requirement is being enforced as part of the phasing in of regulations.

The law states: “No person shall trade, contract or carry on business as an electrical contractor of any nature or employ staff for any such work unless he is licensed in that behalf by the Board (Electrical Board of Examiners) and also holds a licence as an electrician or contractor under the Trade and Business Licensing Law (2003 Revision).”

As of Tuesday, 19 May 2009, the Building Control Unit (BCU) will not conduct inspections for electricians who do not meet the requirements detailed in the regulations, section 60(2), as they would be operating illegally.              “Most applications received to date have been approved,” said EBE Chairman Robert Duty. “We expect that most contractors will be in compliance,”

The electrical contractor’s application is available on www.planning.gov.ky, and at BCU, in Regatta Office Park. There is no application charge at this time.                            The EBE will consider applications during its regular meetings, which normally are held the second Tuesday of each month.

The board is also advising those sitting the next Electrical Licensing Exam that it is scheduled for Friday, 29 May 2009 on Grand Cayman. People wishing to take the exam must submit their applications to the Planning Department no later than 12 noon, 8 May 2009. Application forms are available from the Planning Department website as above or from the office.

The exam is scheduled to take place from 8am to 12 noon in the training room at Innovative Management & Professional Training, located in Alissta Towers, Unit 201, 85 North Sound Road. Each applicant must pay two separate fees in order to sit the exam. The first fee of CI$25 is an application processing fee, which is payable by cheque or money order to the Cayman Islands Government. The second, is the US$60 exam fee which is payable only by a US currency money order to the International Code Council. Both fees are to be submitted along with the application by 8 May 2009.
The 2009 examination dates for Grand Cayman are as follows:

Exam Date                                         Deadline

29 May 2009                                     8 May 2009

28 August 2009                                 7 August 2009

27 November 2009                           6 November 2009

For further enquiries, please contact the Planning Department at 769-PLAN (7526), fax: 769-2228, e-mail: Building.Control@gov.ky visit www.planning.gov.ky, call EBE Chairman Robert Duty on 916-4891 or EBE Secretary Emerson Piercy on 526-1521.