Second Hand or Cheap Electrical Goods

[FRESC]

Hi all

I’m getting in touch on behalf of the Electrical Safety Council – the UK charity dedicated to reducing electrical accidents and deaths in the home. Electrical accidents currently kill around one person every week in their home and injure 350,00 a year.

We’re currently running a campaign about faulty electrical goods and we need your help. Have you or a family member ever bought second hand or cheap electrical goods online or at a market stall and run into problems? Or have you been called out to help a customer? Perhaps the product didn’t work, overheated, or even caught fire. If so – we’d love to speak to you. If we use your story you could get a reward.

 

[trev]

How about you run a campaign promoting the benefits of using CPS registered electricians to carry out work rather than a cowboy who you know at the pub. How about a campaign highlighting the fact that electricity is dangerous and despite being able to buy accessoriesin the sheds you really shouldn't be messing with it unless you're properly trained.
How about getting the grass roots of the trade involved in a campaign to tell the government that Part P is not working as intended no matter what the scheme operators tell them.
I'm not just talking about your website because to be brutally honest, Joe Public doesn't know you exist.

 

[oldtimer]

I hear what you say and yes electrical safety should be promoted at all times but there is problems with individuals who will pay £60 to valet their car but not £2.50p to replace the battery in their smoke alarm so its down to priorities you could also highlight with regards to immigration into the UK that some bring their cultures with them.


I will look through my stuff and pm you if I see anything

 

[trev]

Hi Fresc, yeah it's me again. I'm sorry but the ESC has far bigger fish to fry than this and if I'm brutally honest I think it's a bit insulting that it's being done especially coming on a forum like this to ask for storys.
You have a shop which I probably can't name in open forum selling things with illegal plug tops made in China on them and nothing gets done, you have every major store in the country selling socket covers which put children at more risk than they would be if they weren't there but every new parent, my own daughter included, buys into the myth. These things damage the internal workings of perfectly safe socket outlets risking fire and shock but what does the ESC say about them? Not a great deal from what I've seen.
You have a situation where people have been on the periphery of the industry and now think they know it all sitting in bars claiming that "Oh it's only a few wires, I know what I'm doing" robbing honest well qualified people and homeowners by doing dangerous work which is often illegal because of the lack of testing and certification/notification and what are your organisation doing about it? Well there's a bit on your website but you walk down your local high street and ask 100 people what the ESC does and I'll bet more than 75% wouldn't have a clue because you don't publicise your existence as I said in my earlier reply.
What about all these training centre's spitting out "qualified domestic installers" week in week out promising them the earth (pardon the pun) on a silver plate and delivering them a level of understanding of electrical systems which is barely above that of an enthusiastic DIYer.
As an organisation, you must try harder.

 

[Knobhead]

I can’t think of a campaign I’ve come across run by the ECC that’s done any good. As for persuading people to not buy goods because they might be faulty I wish you luck.
I personally think you are tilting at windmills.

 

[1shortcircuit]

I'm interested to see if there will be a response :toetap05:

 

[oldtimer]

I think you need to emphasise the dangers of DIY electrics don't get me wrong you will not stop it and you cannot put a gun to peoples head by saying you must use a qualified electrician when they can buy what they want from a DIY shed no you need to aim at awareness that reduces the accident or death rate.

 

[amlu]

Hi all

I’m getting in touch on behalf of the Electrical Safety Council – the UK charity dedicated to reducing electrical accidents and deaths in the home. Electrical accidents currently kill around one person every week in their home and injure 350,00 a year.

Where do this stats come from? Is it for UK or whole world?

 

[Octopus]

Electrical Safety who??

 

[Engineer54]

Electrical Safety who??

It maybe has ''charity'' status, but is funded by all the major manufactures etc, so it can't be exactly classed as unbiased!! In fact i would question the 52 deaths a year, as i understand it, it's more like around 19 or 20!!!

How about getting the grass roots of the trade involved in a campaign to tell the government that Part P is not working as intended no matter what the scheme operators tell them.

Can't do that Trev, as they are part of the problem!! lol!!!

​

 

[sparks1973]

the `magic` RCD saves the day though.....doesn`t it?...

 

[trev]

Can't do that Trev, as they are part of the problem!! lol!!!

Of course, how stupid of me to think we could be part of the solution when it's really our fault all along. Sorry.
I see we're still waiting for a response from the OP, maybe I can smell a wind up

 

[sparks1973]

Of course, how stupid of me to think we could be part of the solution when it's really our fault all along. Sorry.
I see we're still waiting for a response from the OP, maybe I can smell a wind up

the only attachment of blame is that the industry has allowed these stealth tactics to creap up unmolested....

 

[telectrix]

only part of the problem?

 

[Guest111]

Part of the problem as I see it lies with the distribution of those little booklets from the ESC that you find in professional electricians magazine.Whilst there are some interesting and informative articles in them I feel that they should be available in the diy stores etc where joe public will have ready access to them,after all electricians are a bit like firemen most people only meet one when they need one which limits our chance to pass on any usefull info which may be in the booklet.
regarding faulty electrical goods I think trading standards also needs to be more proactive,a couple of years back I purchased a mobile phone(known make) from a store in a town I was visiting some miles away.Several days later the charger parted leaving exposed live pins in the socket,as it was approaching christmas and I was aware the store had sold a good number of these phones (christmas presents?) I rang trading standards to alert them to the problem in the hope they could maybe do a recall in the paper.However I was told to simply return the phone to the store for a refund,I rang the store and they were equally complacent.A similar thing applies with the fatally flawed campaign.Surely if someone was to highlight the dangers of socket covers in the national press then more people could make an infomed decision,whereas at the moment most people are blissfully unaware of the potential dangers of these so called safety devices.A job for the ESC perhaps?