CERTIFICATE OF
COMPLIANCE
ELECTRICAL
INSTALLATIONS
AND
THE HOMEOWNER
INFORMING THE PUBLIC
Website: www.ecasa.co.za
E-mail: info@ecasa.co.za
THE HANDS OF SAFETY
ELECTRICITY:
YOUR RIGHT TO A SAFE AND HASSLE-FREE INSTALLATION
The Occupational Health and Safety Act prescribes, through the Electrical Installation Regulations, who
may carry out electrical installation work and in this way protects users of electricity. The Act also gives
protection to the public by means of a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) which every user or lessor of an
installation is obliged to possess, and should ideally be provided every time a house changes owner-
ship.
“I have a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) and the installation is not functioning properly. What
should I do?”
Proof of safety is the CoC issued by an accredited person (electrician accredited by the Department of
Labour). This person will either be the proprietor, or an employee, of an electrical contracting business
which must be registered with the Electrical Contracting Board of South Africa (ECB) as an electrical
contractor. It is important to bear in mind that the CoC certifies the safety of the installation. It is possible
that an electrical installation is not fully functional (e.g. some lights or plugs don’t work), but the installa-
tion is safe and the CoC is valid.
As homeowner, you can take the following precautions to ensure the electrician is permitted to perform
the required work.
• Request his or her registration card issued by the ECB (Electrical Contracting Board
of South Africa). A date stamp will indicate whether the Contractor is currently registered.
• To ensure the person is qualified to do the electrical work and authorised to
issue a COC, request his accreditation certificate issued by the Department of
Labour. This will show the accredited person’s name, ID number and photograph.
The work itself may be carried out by the contractor’s competent employees.
• When looking for an electrical contractor to carry out your wo