According to Government statistics, each year on average 10 people die and about 750 are seriously injured in accidents involving unsafe electrical installations in the home.

Requirement P, covers fixed electrical installations in dwellings. It is intended to increase the safety of households by improving the design, installation, inspection and testing of electrical installations in dwellings when these installations are being newly built, extended or altered.

Approved Document P gives guidance on ways of complying that are based on the fundamental principles set out in Chapter 13 of BS 7671:2001.

The Approved Document includes:
- Guidance relating to the design, installation, inspection and testing of
electrical installations.
- Guidance on types of electrical work that would not normally need to be notified to building control bodies. Appendices that contain illustrations of the sorts of electrical services commonly required in homes, examples of model electrical installation certificates, and illustrations of what equipment may be encountered when work is carried out on older electrical installations.

Local authorities have the power to require the removal or alteration of work that does not comply with the Building Regulations.