Stronger safety measures are needed to keep Australians safe from electrocution, especially in older homes.
“Many older homes in Australia that were built in the early 1900s or during the boom after World War II have original wiring that can be dangerous and many do not have safety switches installed to help protect the residents,” says James Tinslay of the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA).
“These original electrical installations are now powering a whole house full of modern appliances and old wiring can be dangerous if it deteriorates.”
NECA represents over 5,000 electrical contracting businesses and has been leading the call to make the installation of residual current devices (RCDs) or safety switches as they are commonly known mandatory in all homes and introduce other safety initiatives including periodic electrical inspections.