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Privacy Policy

The purpose of this privacy policy will explain how we use the personal data we collect from you when you use our services.  It will explain:

Who we are?

Safe Electric is a statutory regulatory scheme for electrical contractors and regulated electrical works.  Its national safety supervisory function aims to give assurance that not only are electrical contractors qualified and competent in working with electricity safely, but that the regulated works they have completed have been done in accordance with National Safety standards.  A subsidiary of SGS Ireland Limited, Safe Electric is operated by Walk Meadow Limited t/a Safe Energy Ireland, the designated Electrical Safety Supervisory Body (ESSB), appointed by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), Ireland’s independent energy and water regulator. Registered Electrical Contractors are required by law to register with the Safe Electric scheme, failure to do so will prevent an electrical contractor from performing regulated works.

For the purposes of data protection laws, Walk Meadow Limited t/a Safe Energy Ireland and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) will be “Joint Data controllers” with respect to the processing of “Scheme Data” in connection with delivery of Services and in relation to information held about you. CRU’s privacy policy can be accessed in the following link

Privacy Notice – Commission for Regulation of Utilities (cru.ie)

Walk Meadow Limited t/a Safe Energy Ireland adheres to the principles relating to the Processing of Personal Data set out in GDPR which requires Personal Data to be:

  1. Processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner
  2. Collected only for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes
  3. Adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purpose for which it is processed
  4. Accurate and where necessary kept up to date
  5. Not kept in a form which permits identification of Data Subjects for longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the data is processed
  6. Processed in a manner that ensures its security using appropriate technical and organisation measures to protect against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction, or damage
  7. Not transferred to another country without appropriate safeguards being and place; and
  8. Made available to Data subjects and allow data subjects to exercise certain rights in relation to their personal data.

Why we collect your information?

To carry out its functions, Walk Meadow Limited t/a Safe Energy Ireland (“the Company”) needs to collect and use personal information about the individuals who come into contact with us.  We collect data to ensure compliance with the Scheme.

Our website is regularly updated with current, valid registered electrical contractors’ data.

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:

  • Information requests or queries
  • Complaint resolution / Disciplinary hearings
  • Safety-related complaints received in relation to electrical works
  • Electrical Safety Supervisory Body (ESSB) activities, information queries and inspection of Registered Electrical Contractors (RECs)
  • Protected disclosures to the CRU or the ESSB

The information is collected when you contact us with a query or request; through forms you complete, when you give us information verbally or in writing or when you visit our office.

We also receive personal information indirectly.  This information is usually received from the entities we regulate and may happen in the following scenarios.

  • Applications through Safe Electric Scheme
  • Status of Registration
  • Certificates of completion
  • Notice of Hazard or Potential Hazard
  • Notice of Emergency Works
  • Audit and inspection of REC’s, complaints, investigations and/or disciplinary proceedings
  • Change of contractor
  • Information queries from the public
  • An employee of ours gives your contact details as an emergency contact or referee
Types of Data collected and processed

To carry out its functions, the Data processed by the Company as a joint controller will include:

  • Name of: (i) electrical contractor; (ii) qualified certifier, (iii) trainee or apprentice, (iv) customer, homeowner, tenant, person associated with property, witness, and other members of the public; (v) SSB staff or inspector; (vi) authorised officer; (vii) CRU staff;
  • Contact details for: (i) electrical contractor; (ii) qualified certifier, (iii) trainee or apprentice, (iv) customer, homeowner, tenant, person associated with property, witness, and other members of the public; (v) SSB staff or inspector; (vi) authorised officer; (vii) CRU staff;
  • Address of: (i) electrical contractor; (ii) qualified certifier, (iii) trainee or apprentice, (iv) customer, homeowner, tenant, person associated with property, witness, and other members of the public; (v) SSB staff or inspector; (vi) authorised officer; (vii) CRU staff;
  • Meter number (MPRN/GPRN);
  • Personal data contained in “Certificates of Completion” (e.g., reference number and details of certifier);
  • Notice of Hazard or Notice of Potential Hazard Reference Number;
  • Notice of Emergency Works Reference Number;
  • Status of Registration of an electrical contractor including, where applicable, registration number and certificate;
  • Level of insurance held by relevant electrical contractor;
  • Details of complaints received in respect of electrical contractor;
  • Details of disciplinary actions in respect of electrical contractor;
  • Details of educational records and employment history of (i) electrical contractor (including status such as whether an applicant, registered, suspended, or revoked); (ii) qualified certifier, trainee, or apprentice; (iii) SSB staff or inspector; (iv) aurthorised officers; or (v) CRU staff;
  • Details or identification confirmation of: (i) electrical contractor; (ii) qualified certifier; or (iii) trainee or apprentice; and
  • Findings of investigation and nature of enforcement action taken;
  • Status of Registration of: (i) qualified certifier; (ii) trainee or apprentice; (iii) SSB staff or inspector
  • Transaction information including VAT details, Bank Details, Credit Card details, PIN and other information required to complete transactions;
  • Medical information as is necessary or provide by you as and for the purpose so provided;
  • Website user statistics – Location, time, date, and details of visit to our website (as anonymous statistics;
  • Other personal information – Telephone recordings (made to our call centre); CCTV images at our offices; Information in relation to FOI / Data Protection requests (including proof of identity if required); Responses to Company surveys
Who we get your personal data from?
  • You, or your employer, provides your personal data to us.
  • If a complaint is made about any regulated works you have performed, the complainant will provide us with the information to identify you.
  • We receive current registration details and any history (including complaints, investigations, or audits) from another Electrical Safety Supervisory Bodies when you transfer registration to us.
  • We may make enquiries to verify application details, for example to verify any training you claim to have completed
  • From an electrical contractor, who is a member of Safe Electric, that you have employed to do regulated electrical works.  From you, if you contact us with a query about Safe Electric, or you make a complaint about the quality of a regulated electrical work, performed by a member of Safe Electric or from you in any other context including but not limited to application for registration, making a Subject Access Request (SAR) or application for membership of the scheme or for the purpose of seeking employment.
  • We also get personal data from you, when you apply for a role with us.  With your consent, from your previous employers when we perform a reference and background check to validate your previous employment history.  With your consent, from educational bodies you have attended or professional bodies you are a member of to validate any educational or membership claims
How do we use “cookies” and other tracking technologies? 

We may send one or more Cookies to your computer or other device.  We may also use other similar technologies such as tracking pixels, tags, or similar tools when you visit our Services. 

Cookies are small files created by websites, including our Services, that reside on your computer’s hard drive and that store information about your use of a particular website.  When you access our Services, we use Cookies and other tracking technologies to:

  • Estimate our audience size and usage patterns;
  • Store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize our Services according to your individual needs;
  • Contact you to provide you with information or services that you request from us;
  • Advertise new content, events, and services that relate to your interests;
  • Provide you with more personalized content that is most relevant to your interest areas; and
  • Recognize when you return to our Services.

You can manage your Cookies preference as described in the “Managing Your Cookies” section below.

How long do cookies stay on my device?

Some Cookies operate from the time you visit the Services until the end of that particular browsing session.  These Cookies, which are called “Session Cookies,” expire and are automatically deleted when you close your Internet browser.
Some Cookies will stay on your device between browsing sessions and will not expire or automatically delete when you close your Internet browser.  These Cookies are called “Persistent Cookies” and the length of time they will remain on your device will vary from Cookie to Cookie.  Persistent Cookies are used for a number of purposes, such as storing your preferences so that they are available for your next visit and to keep a more accurate account of how often you visit the Services, how your use of the Services may change over time, and the effectiveness of advertising efforts.

Managing your cookies

It may be possible to block Cookies by changing your Internet browser settings to refuse all or some Cookies.  If you choose to block all Cookies (including Essential Cookies), you may not be able to access all or parts of the Services

Our reason for holding your personal data
  • Your contact details, insurance coverage, qualifications, history of complaints, investigations and audits are held on a statutory basis specified by the provisions of the Electricity Safety Supervisory Criteria Document issued by CRU under the Energy Act 1999 Section 9D, 5(b)
  • Your contact details are included on the Completion Certificate in accordance with Electricity Safety Supervisory Criteria Document issued by CRU to fulfil the requirements of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 Section 9D, 18(b)
  • We retain contact information in relation to potential electrical hazards to facilitate inspection that the hazard has been safely dealt with as required by the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 Section E(a).
  • We retain contact information for complaints by consent of the complainant.  If the complainant does not wish to provide contact details, we are unable to progress their complaint.
  • Where a complainant consents but then wishes to withdraw consent, we will abandon the complaint unless doing so interferes with the contractor’s fundamental right to defend their good name or where the complaint causes a potential electrical hazard to be identified.
  • We may hold this information to facilitate entering a contract with your organisation or to facilitate the performance of our contract with your organisation.
  • Complying with our legal obligations, such as, complying with your information rights, complying with binding requests from regulatory bodies, facilitating the making of a Protected Disclosure, complying with court orders arising in civil or criminal proceedings.
How we use your personal data
  • We publish a publicly accessible register of currently registered electrical contractors to enable members of the public to verify that an electrical contractor is qualified, competent, and insured to undertake electrical work.  This register can be inspected online.
  • Your data may be used to contact you for processing of applications, suspensions, revocations, inspections, installations, grant applications, investigations, renewals, subscriptions, appeals, to raise awareness of issues, complaints, hazards, or other incidents or to notify you regarding Annual General Meeting (AGM), roadshows or other publications.
  • Your data is used to raise awareness of industry safety campaigns, to contact you in relation to your membership, registration, to investigate complaints made about regulated works you have performed.
  • Your financial details are used to collect annual subscriptions, purchase of completion certs or for any other service we provide.
  • Your contact details will be used to organise an inspection of regulated electrical works carried out, to inform you of any steps you need to take to make your electrical installation safe, or to update you on the progress of your complaint.  Your personal information is used to process queries, complaints, notice of potential hazard, registration applications, Safety notices, suspensions, revocations, membership renewal, Subject Access requests, employment applications, employment, publication list of registered contractors and and/or any other requirements of the scheme.
Who we share your information with?
  • We publish details of your current registration with us to a publicly accessible register which can be inspected online or in paper form by any member of the public.
  • We provide details of your current registration and any history (including complaints, investigations, and audits) to CRU on request to provide assurance to CRU that the registration scheme is operating within the terms of the Electrical Safety Supervisory Criteria Documentation.
  • We will transfer your current registration and any history to another Electrical Safety Supervisory body when you transfer registration to a different Electrical Safety Supervisory Body.
  • We publish notices of Potential Hazards and Emergency Works to electricity supply networks and licensed Distribution Supply Operators
  • We do not disclose your personal data to anyone else without your consent, unless required to do so by law or court order
  • If you make a complaint, we will normally disclose your identity to the person you are making the complaint against.  This is to ensure fairness in the process
  • If a serious electrical hazard is identified, for your safety and the safety of other members of the public, we will use your electricity meter number to identify your premises to your electricity supplier to de-energise your premises until the hazard has been safely dealt with.
  • We will also provide your contact details to the supplier so they can contact you to try and minimise the disruption of being de-energised.
  • We provide a summary of your personal data to the CRU to enable them to audit that as an organisation our staff are competent and capable in the areas, they are employed
  • In certain circumstances, we may share and / or are obliged to share your Data with third party statutory or regulatory bodies in accordance with Data Protection Legislation.  These may include the courts and those appointed by the courts, government department, statutory and regulatory bodies including:
    • The Data Protection Commission
    • The Office of the Information Commissioner
    • An Garda Siochana
    • The Revenue Commissioners

The Company will comply with Freedom of Information (“FOI”) and GDPR legislation

How Data is protected?

The Company implements appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised, accidental, or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, misuse, disclosure, or access and against all other unlawful forms of processing.  These security measures have been implemented taking into account the state of the art of technology, their cost of implementation, the risks presented by the processing and the nature of the personal data, with particular care for sensitive data.  In particular, adequate awareness, confidentiality undertakings and training are in place to ensure that Data is not shared or disclosed to unauthorised persons.

How long Data is stored?

The Data will be stored on paper and/or electronically for only the time necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, respecting the principles of limitation of conservation and minimisation.

The Data will be kept to comply with regulatory obligations and to pursue the above-mentioned purposes, in compliance with the principles of necessity, minimisation and adequacy

The Company may retain Data after termination of the contractual relationship to fulfil regulatory and/or contractual and tax obligations or in case of legal claims.  Subsequently, when the reasons for the processing will cease, the Data will be anonymised, deleted, or destroyed.

  • All data captured in Safe Electric Scheme Application for registration process shall be retained for 3 years plus 1 day
  • All data captured in the Safe Electric Scheme Registration process shall be retained for the duration of a RECs registration plus 7 years plus 1 day
  • All data captured in the Safe Electric Scheme Certificate Management process shall be retained for 3 years plus 180 days
  • All data captured in the Safe Electric Scheme Audits & Inspections Management process shall be retained for 7 years plus 1 day
  • All data captured in the Safe Electric Scheme Change of Contractor process shall be retained for 3 years plus 180 days
  • All data captured in the Safe Electric Scheme Notice of Potential Hazard and Emergency works process shall be retained for 3 years plus 1 day
  • All data captured in the Safe Electric Scheme Complaints and Disciplinary management Complaint’s process shall be retained for 3 years plus 180 days
  • All data captured in the Safe Electric Scheme Complaints and Disciplinary management Disciplinary hearing process shall be retained for 6 years plus 1 day
  • All data captured in the Safe Electric Scheme Suspension, Revocation and Termination Suspension process shall be retained for 3 years plus 180 days
  • All data captured in the Safe Electric Scheme Suspension, Revocation and Termination, Revocation & Termination process shall be retained for 3 years plus 180 days
  • Contact details from general public collected in customer queries, requests for information and general emails received by Safe Energy Ireland shall be retained for 12 months from closure of query or earlier if ceases to be of administrative use
  • Applications for Recognition of EU Professional Qualifications (Electrical Contractors) shall be retained for 5 years from date of receipt of application
  • CCTV footage for the safety of our staff and security of our premises, access to recorded footage is strictly limited to authorised personnel. Footage is retained for 28 days, except where incidents or accidents have been identified in which case such footage is retained specifically in the context of an investigation of that issue.
  • Voice recordings, all voice calls to Safe Energy Ireland are recorded, retained for 28 days, recordings are strictly limited to authorised personnel. Voice recording are used to substantiate and document complaints and to identify ways for Safe Electric to improve its quality of service.
International transfer of Data

When Data is transferred, the Company will ensure that we have taken steps to protect the Data before transfer. We may transfer or allow the transfer of information about you only when, this is justified for business purposes, and safeguards have been implemented to ensure that Data will continue to be protected at a minimum with the same level of protection required in the jurisdiction of origin.  To ensure this level of protection for your personal information, we may use a data transfer agreement with the third-party recipient based on standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission or ensure that the transfer is to a jurisdiction that is the subject of an adequacy decision by the European Commission. 

Any transfer of the Data to international organisations and/or non-EEA countries will take place according to one of the methods permitted by current legislation

Data Subject rights

Your rights under data protection law may include the following (where applicable). You may contact us using the contact details provided below to request:

The right to access – Subject to certain conditions, you can obtain information relating to the processing of your Data and a copy of such Data.

The right to rectification – Where you consider that your Data is inaccurate or incomplete, you can request that such Data be modified accordingly

The right to erasure – You can request the deletion of your Data, to the extent permitted by law.

The right to restrict processing – You can request the restriction of the processing of your Data, subject to certain conditions

The right to object to processing – You can object to the processing of your Data, on grounds relating to your particular situation.  In cases of opposition to the processing of data, the Company reserves the right to assess the application, which will not be accepted if there are legitimate reasons to proceed with the processing that prevail over your freedoms, interests, and rights.

The right to withdraw consent – Where you have given your consent for the processing of your Data, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer the data we have collected directly to you, which is processed by us by automated means, in a commonly-used machine readable format, subject to certain conditions

If you make your request electronically, we will, where possible, provide the relevant information electronically unless you ask us otherwise.   

The company will comply with any Freedom of Information Requests (“FOI”) and GDPR legislation

Privacy Notice Status and update

We may update our privacy notice from time to time.  Any changes we make to our privacy notice in the future will be made available on this web page and, where appropriate, notified to you by e-mail.

How can you contact us?

If you would like to contact us in relation to your rights or if you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you may contact us by sending a letter:

Data Protection Specialist

Walk Meadow Limited t/a Safe Energy Ireland

Ground Floor

Hazel House

Millennium Park

Naas

Co Kildare

Or sending an email to privacy.ireland@sgs.com

How to contact the appropriate authorities

If you are not satisfied with our response to any complaint or believe our processing of your information does not comply with data protection law, you can make a complaint to the Data Protection Office:

Data Protection Commissioner                              

Dublin Office    

21 Fitzwilliam Square

Dublin 2

D02 RD28

Telephone:        +353 0 761 104 800 or Lo Call Number 1890 252 231

Email:                 info@dataprotection.ie

Website:              https://www.dataprotection.ie/docs/Contact-us/b/11.html

The Safe Electric Scheme is sponsored by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU)

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