Report to urge switch to home safety switch
February 4, 2004
Thousands of Victorian property owners would have to install safety switches starting from $200.00 before selling their house or flat, under proposals to
be presented soon to the Bracks Government.
The Age
believes the recommendation is contained in a confidential report
prepared by Victoria's Chief Electrical Inspector, Ian Graham.
About 56 per cent of Victoria's 1.6 million properties have safety switches.
Office
of the Chief Electrical Inspector spokesman David Guthrie-Jones would
not reveal the details of the report, which suggests different options
to increase the installation of safety switches in homes across
Victoria. But he said the Office believed the take-up of safety
switches in Victorian properties was not quick enough. "We've prepared
this report with a number of options for increasing the take-up of
safety switches," Mr Guthrie-Jones said. "There is a gradual take-up,
but 90 per cent of all household electrical accidents could be avoided
if safety switches were installed." Safety switches are
mandatory in new Victorian premises, and buildings undergoing major
renovations. The switches - different to circuit breakers and surge
diverters - monitor the electrical current and disconnect power in a
fraction of a second if appliances are faulty or wiring incorrect. They
must be installed by a qualified electrician and cost about $200.
Energy Minister Theo Theophanous said 16 electricity-related deaths
could have been prevented in Victoria in the past five years had safety
switches been installed.
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