Are your BS 7671:2018 and associated guidance publications genuine? And what are the dangers if they're not?
Fake versions of BS 7671:2018, the On-Site Guide, along with the Electrician’s Guide to the Building Regulations and other books that have been identified aren’t just exact copies of the originals. They often contain mistakes that can potentially have catastrophic consequences if fake guidance is followed.
If pages are missing or information has been corrupted, following the guidance in these books could lead to unsafe work – potentially resulting in fire, electric shock or even death.
If an electrician were to use a fake IET publication bought from an unknown seller on a market place to design and install an electrical installation and something went wrong, it would be the responsibility of the installer even though they had followed what they thought was genuine information. This is why it is really important to make sure that you purchase from recognised sellers who can guarantee that you are purchasing a genuine copy.
About the fake version of the On-Site Guide
The fake copies of the On-Site Guide to BS 7671:2018 that we’ve seen so far have been quite easy to spot when compared to a genuine copy as the blue of the cover is different and there is information missing from some of the tables. Although there is a hologram inside the front cover which initially looks accurate, the vast number of other differences are extremely worrying.
About the fake version of the Electrician’s Guide to the Building Regulations
The fake copies of the Electrician’s Guide to the Building Regulations that we’ve seen so far have also been quite easy to spot when compared to a genuine copy as not only is the colour of the cover different, but the colour and quality of the paper is poor and more importantly information contained within some of the diagrams is incorrect.
How to ensure you buy a genuine copy
There are easy ways to make sure that you buy genuine copies of IET books. A list of verified sellers can be found on the IET website at www.theiet.org/fake-regs along with more information about the dangers of counterfeit books.
Avoid buying your books from auction or market place sites as the IET cannot verify that the sellers on these are genuine. If the price of a book looks too good to be true, there is a very real chance that it is.
More information can be found at www.theiet.org/fake-regs