FAO DIYers

[Andy78]

Press Releases News : Electrical Safety Council


An article from the Electrical safety council about the dangers of overconfidence and lack of knowledge when it comes to electrical work in the home.

Electricians say they are spending an increasing amount of time repairing such blunders and are concerned that ‘Dive-in DIYers’ are endangering themselves and their families. This is a serious concern – someone dies as a result of an electrical accident in their home every week in the UK, and electricity is the cause of 350,000 serious injuries each year, as well as half of all house fires.


And FAO forum members

The overconfidence partly comes from relying on the advice of unqualified friends or family (half of those surveyed said they do this) or seeking help online where the advice might not be appropriate – two fifths of people say they use Google to get tips and the same number use online video tutorials, such as on YouTube.

 

[decolad69]

I don't have a problem with someone electrocuting themselves, however i do have an issue when a DIY site tells them how too.

Decolad69

 

[telectrix]

advising a DIYer on a simple job that should be within his capabilities is fine. it's where you draw the line. i generally advise to get a spark in if i think it's beyond the poster.

 

[sean_ork]

Agree, especially when they know that SOME members of this forum will rush in an effort to be the first to answer there questions even when its obvious they are DIYers.

exactly, and if you don't win the race to be first with an answer, the rest of the thread will be filled with the slow coaches preaching that the OP should get a spark in - it's the same on builders forums, mechanics forums and especially forums where ''gas engineers'' grace us with their presence

which begs the question, who and what are these forums for ?

 

[micknew]

I don't have a problem with someone electrocuting themselves, however i do have an issue when a DIY site tells them how too.

Decolad69

Well this site is is a gift to some DIYers who pretend to be electricians and get advice.

 

[decolad69]

advising a DIYer on a simple job that should be within his capabilities is fine. it's where you draw the line. i generally advise to get a spark in if i think it's beyond the poster.

Sir, you are a very natural tutor and a credit to this forum.

Decolad69

 

[ayjay]

how many of you lot have done work on your own motor vehicle ?

i own a citreon 2cv
all the work on it is done by me

 

[decolad69]

Is it earthed ?

 

[Andy78]

I knew this would spark a bit of debate up. It would be great if we had to get a "license to operate" in our trade, but as yet such a system is not around. It would be great if all DIYers knew their limits, but they never will.

In the meantime however we can do little positive things to help educate the public, like getting behind the campaign I linked to in the first post. Stick a link to it on your facebook page, post it on your company website.
It's a well written piece that stops short of scaremongering but highlights the dangers. As an industry we should be aiming to educate and inform our customers, and help improve their safety.

It's not a lot, but any chance to promote our industry should be taken as I see it.

 

[decolad69]

I knew this would spark a bit of debate up. It would be great if we had to get a "license to operate" in our trade, but as yet such a system is not around. It would be great if all DIYers knew their limits, but they never will.

In the meantime however we can do little positive things to help educate the public, like getting behind the campaign I linked to in the first post. Stick a link to it on your facebook page, post it on your company website.
It's a well written piece that stops short of scaremongering but highlights the dangers. As an industry we should be aiming to educate and inform our customers, and help improve their safety.

It's not a lot, but any chance to promote our industry should be taken as I see it.

Sadly, its a marketing ploy in your eyes. Print some leaflets ........

 

[Andy78]

Sadly, its a marketing ploy in your eyes. Print some leaflets ........

That's very cynical. I see this as an opportunity, a rare one, to have some backup for the boring droning on about safety that I do to customers. I don't see this as marketing at all. I take my job very seriously and consider it my first duty to look after the safety of my customers.
I refer people to the ESC website all the time. It explains things to the lay person better and plainer than I can. I do use printed leaflets from it to show to customers too.

 

[decolad69]

Iam delighted to say i have been suspended for a DIY forum, not for any other reason than asking the qualifications of the contributors.

 

[sean_ork]

Iam delighted to say i have been suspended for a DIY forum, not for any other reason than asking the qualifications of the contributors.

yet on here you appear happy to give info out without asking the same question, what is different about this forum, it's still public and frequented by folks with many differing skills

is there any merit in proclaiming you have been suspended ?

 

[sean_ork]

It would be great if all DIYers knew their limits, but they never will.

the same can be said about many electricians - everyday should be a learning day but even in this age of not quite enough work to go around there are far too many electricians taking on work that they do not have the experience or skill to complete

 

[Engineer54]

Point one, ...don't believe everything that is stated in Reports, especially anything to do with statistics!! You can make the same figures say whatever you want them to say!! Also remember, the organisations that issue these reports are not always as independent, as they would like you to believe!!


Point two, ...How do you distinguish between a 17 day/electrical trainee and a capable DIY'er?? You have to get rid of the rot in the present day electrical industry, before you can start pointing the finger at the DIY'er. Get rid of the DIY'er and you'll also see an even bigger decline in the domestic work availability, it's one of the mainstays of the domestic self employed electricians income!! Not that you'd ever be able to stop electrical or any other DIY work, that's just pure wishful thinking!! lol!!

 

[Deleted member 9648]

The point about motor vehicles is a very good one......an awful lot of the sparkys throwing their hands up in horror at anyone doing DIY electrics will have changed the brakes on their cars/vans at some point to save a few quid. It's a NIMBY mentality,the hypocracy of their stance seems to be lost on them.