Tinker with care

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34146, 6 May 1976, Page 14

Tinker with care

Once in the home, safe equipment can quickly become unsafe when tinkered with by the unskilled. The Electricians’ Act was amended in 1960 to permit unqualified householders to repair fuses and to connect plugs to flexible leads.

“It must be strongly stressed that persons who attempt this work should have received adequate tuition to carry it out safely,” said the then Chief Engineer (Electrical Services) of the N.Z.E.D., (Mr B. Rosenberg), in a submission to a working committee on electrical safety.

“Additional relaxation of wiring work to untrained persons cannot be recommened if this country’s high electrical safety performance is to be maintained.” he added.

While the incidence of fata ities caused by flexible cords and lessened some three years ago, the 1974

committee on electrical safety included this comment along with its recommendations:

“It was concluded that the public does not care how or why electricity works. They take this commodity for granted and are only aware of its importance to their daily life if a power failure occurs.

, “Furthermore, it is almost incredible to note the disrespect with which electrical equipment and appliances and particularly flexible cords and plugs are treated by the general public.

“There would hardly be a house, office or shop or industrial concern in which one could not find badly twisted and frayed cords, broken plugs and switch covers, etc.

“If any water pipe was treated with half the abuse that flexible cords receive the consumer would not get a drop of water and would quickly mend his (or. her), ways,” said the com-j mittee.

Yet such is the contrariness of human nature and our sense of values that a faulty water pipe usually receives quick attention before the house is damaged, but how often is anyone killed by a leaky water pipe'?.