Electrical work radio ad

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Electrical work radio ad - Misleading?

tchart

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#204409 30-Sep-2016 11:31

So there is an advert that has been playing on the radio on the way to work (Edge Wellington is you must know).

The ad suggests that changing a lightbulb is okay but for anything else you should consult a master electrician.

Wording is similar to this (from http://www.masterelectricians.co.nz/) ;

Q: HOW MANY ELECTRICIANS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHTBULB?
A: NONE YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF

But for most other jobs, you must use a licensed registered expert who can give you certification.

The ad also mentions "new" regulations etc. but AFAIK there are no new regulations (since 2010?)

When I first heard this I thought this is scare mongering and frankly misleading.

Is it just me?

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#1643229 30-Sep-2016 11:34

....you should consult a master electrician...

I should give up buying a pie once a week from the bakery up the road. Doesn't mean I am required to by law.

It's far from fabulous, but not completely deceptive either.

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Dunnersfella

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#1643233 30-Sep-2016 11:35

If you have an issue, complain to the ASA (advertising standards authority).

tchart

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#1643237 30-Sep-2016 11:40

Dunnersfella:

If you have an issue, complain to the ASA (advertising standards authority).

Yeah crossed my mind but wanted consensus if its just me or not...

tchart

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#1643240 30-Sep-2016 11:42

Dynamic:

....you should consult a master electrician...

I should give up buying a pie once a week from the bakery up the road. Doesn't mean I am required to by law.

It's far from fabulous, but not completely deceptive either.

@Dynamic the website wording is slightly better, the radio ad (like I mentioned) goes on about new regulations etc which is the thing that annoys me since AFAIK there have been no changes.

I guess the flip side is possibly that uninformed people probably shouldn't be doing electrical work anyway!

Dynamic

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#1643250 30-Sep-2016 11:53

I have a similar issue with the Test & Tag industry (not trying to pick on Sparkys today). Nowhere in the legislation (that I have found, and I have looked) does it say you must test and tag. It is one option available in a general Electrical Health & Safety strategy, but anybody infected with marketing-speak will imply it is compulsory.

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gregmcc

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#1643271 30-Sep-2016 12:39

Talk to most sparkies, testing and tagging is a PITA, it's a mind numbing boring job. it may not be in the legislation, but there is a testing and tagging standard AS/NZS3760

it's a bit like a WOF, a test at a point in time proves it is safe to use with a set time for the next test depending on how it is used. Between tests it may become unsafe, but this shows that there is a testing program in place, so this show health and safety compliance.

Rikkitic

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#1643276 30-Sep-2016 12:56

Forgive me but I have to ask if it was a 'master' electrician who wired that water heater backwards a few years ago that electrocuted the home owner, and if it was another master electrician who certified the job.

I have a friend who had a new house built a few years ago. The electrician used by the builder (don't know what his qualifications were) miswired half the house. I had to go through it all and redo the backwards switches and many other things that were simply wrong, and in at least one case, actually unsafe. I don't have qualifications, but I do at least know the difference between phase and neutral.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

Stu

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#1643288 30-Sep-2016 13:05

I may not be well grounded, but as far as the advertisement is concerned my thoughts are rather neutral. In saying that, I could just be going through a phase.

Now, back to my rock....

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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tchart

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#1643295 30-Sep-2016 13:12

Stu:

I may not be well grounded, but as far as the advertisement is concerned my thoughts are rather neutral. In saying that, I could just be going through a phase.

Now, back to my rock....

LOLZ

Dynamic

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#1643297 30-Sep-2016 13:12

I'm all of a sudden feeling the need to petition frietasm for a *groan* button to go beside the +1 button.

“Don't believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.” Douglas Adams

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MadEngineer

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#1643301 30-Sep-2016 13:28

tchart:

So there is an advert that has been playing on the radio on the way to work (Edge Wellington is you must know).

The ad suggests that changing a lightbulb is okay but for anything else you should consult a master electrician.

Wording is similar to this (from http://www.masterelectricians.co.nz/) ;

Q: HOW MANY ELECTRICIANS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHTBULB?
A: NONE YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF

But for most other jobs, you must use a licensed registered expert who can give you certification.

The ad also mentions "new" regulations etc. but AFAIK there are no new regulations (since 2010?)

When I first heard this I thought this is scare mongering and frankly misleading.

Is it just me?

Ring and ask them what they new regulations are that their advert is referring to?

Dynamic:

I have a similar issue with the Test & Tag industry (not trying to pick on Sparkys today). Nowhere in the legislation (that I have found, and I have looked) does it say you must test and tag. It is one option available in a general Electrical Health & Safety strategy, but anybody infected with marketing-speak will imply it is compulsory.

AS/NZS 3760:2010?

Good luck bringing a non-tagged plug in appliance onto a school or hiring one out. Bringing one onto a construction site especially is a great way to get yourself promptly and forcefully removed. For places of employment it's one method used to help ensure the employer has taken steps to help safety.

The environment and the portability of the equipment sets the frequency that the equipment MUST be checked and varies from prior to every hire to once every five years.

The testing must result in a tag being attached.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

Dynamic

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#1643306 30-Sep-2016 13:41

MadEngineer:

AS/NZS 3760:2010?

This is a standard. If testing is done, it is to be done to this standard.

Good luck bringing a non-tagged plug in appliance onto a school or hiring one out. Bringing one onto a construction site especially is a great way to get yourself promptly and forcefully removed. For places of employment it's one method used to help ensure the employer has taken steps to help safety.

The environment and the portability of the equipment sets the frequency that the equipment MUST be checked and varies from prior to every hire to once every five years. The testing must result in a tag being attached.

I can absolutely understand this where items are subject to (ab)use like construction and hiring. For schools and offices it is vast overkill in my opinion.

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gregmcc

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#1643337 30-Sep-2016 14:17

Rikkitic:

Forgive me but I have to ask if it was a 'master' electrician who wired that water heater backwards a few years ago that electrocuted the home owner, and if it was another master electrician who certified the job.

I have a friend who had a new house built a few years ago. The electrician used by the builder (don't know what his qualifications were) miswired half the house. I had to go through it all and redo the backwards switches and many other things that were simply wrong, and in at least one case, actually unsafe. I don't have qualifications, but I do at least know the difference between phase and neutral.

"Master Electrician" is not a trade association, it is a business association, it's there to look after electrical businesses, but anyway I could not tell you one way or another if they were a master electrician, and as far as wiring a water heater backwards what do you mean? or do you mean transposing the phase and neutral?

Rikkitic

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#1643343 30-Sep-2016 14:32

gregmcc:

"Master Electrician" is not a trade association, it is a business association, it's there to look after electrical businesses, but anyway I could not tell you one way or another if they were a master electrician, and as far as wiring a water heater backwards what do you mean? or do you mean transposing the phase and neutral?

I'm not certain exactly what was done wrong since I only had the media reports at the time to go on, but it sounds like that. Apparently the (supposedly qualified) electrician wired the heater up so the "earthed" tank was live. I assume this was an old installation with neutral common to earth. Then the finished job was passed by a qualified inspector. There was a leak in the tank and the home owner went underneath the house to try to trace it. When he touched part of the tank, he died. In the process that followed, both the electrician and the inspector were ordered to redo some part of their training. That is how I remember it from the reports at the time.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

MikeB4

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#1643348 30-Sep-2016 14:52

Stu:

I may not be well grounded, but as far as the advertisement is concerned my thoughts are rather neutral. In saying that, I could just be going through a phase.

Now, back to my rock....

It's shocking how folks charge into a current thread with dad jokes, damn bright sparks, but it generates smiles.

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