¶ Electrical News Weekly 24/02/2025
Coming up on this week's news The Apprentice system for recruiting electricians is broken says critics the government orders a major recall of three pin 13 amp plug supplied to the trade and an electrician's tools are stolen days after she attended the anti-theft rally in London welcome to Electrical News Weekly whether you're listening in the van on site or down at the wholesale counter I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news
to save you the trouble and if you think you've spotted the two words that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show with going to do things just a little bit differently this week our winner will exclusively be chosen from the correct guesses made on LinkedIn so if you're watching or listening anywhere else click the link in the show notes leave your guesses there and you could be in with a chance to win a prize the electrical apprenticeship system is broken that's
¶ Is the Electrical Apprenticeship system broken?
increasingly the verdict of Contracting industry organisations company bosses and Executives this week small and medium-sized firms took to the national press to complain that funds from the apprenticeship Levy a tax on businesses with a 3 million pound wage bill wasn't reaching them the Electrical Contractors Association echoed their concerns its chief operations officer Andrew Eldred said the levy paid for training but not for the Recruitment and employment of apprentices this
was a challenge for small businesses last week the ECA slammed the classroom route to becoming an electrician as a waste of money observers say the unusually strong language reveals increasing frustration with the system critics say that specifically the link between colleges and Contracting firms is ruptured they claim that further education establishments are simply a conveyor belt for students with most falling off the end students with level two and level
three qualifications are often left to their own devices to find placements in London there are eight youngsters in classrooms for every one learning on the tools and in a recent eFIXX survey we found one class of 50 students where just three youngsters went on to get apprenticeships College insiders say the institutions are paid for each individual in the classroom and not how many make it to apprenticeships the arrangement has created a culture of complacency
the key to changing it they say is to make the institutions incentivised to boost conversion rates Across The wider building trade the picture is Bleak despite the skill shortage there's been a 1.4% drop in New apprentices in 2024 that follows a 5% drop the previous year let us know your experience of the apprenticeship system in the comments below in other news a company boss has
¶ Company boss appears in court following electrocution
appeared in the dock following the electrocution of a father of four Christopher Auld admitted failing to ensure the health safety and welfare of his employees after 36-year-old Rodney Shirley was killed while on a cherry picker in 2021 Rodney worked for Auld's tree surgery company and was on a project at the time a joint investigation was carried out by police and the health and safety executive following the incident at Belfast Crown
Court last week Barrister Geraldine McCullough KC told Judge Philip Gilpin that a more serious charge of manslaughter was being left on the books and was not being proceeded with judge Gilpin set the date for the plea and sentencing as Thursday the 3rd of April an electrician who went on a rally to Parliament to protest about
¶ Electrician's tools stolen days after anti-theft rally
to left has had her tools stolen days after the event Gina York from Eastwood in Nottinghamshire had more than £3,500 worth of power tools and test equipment taken from her van the theft occurred the same week she joined a Trades United demonstration in London campaigning for more action over the problem the thieves gained access to York's van by drilling a hole in the door and unlocking it from the inside the electrician was forced to cancel various appointments and jobs as
a result now big-hearted colleagues in the trade have stepped in with a fundraising appeal which has brought in more than £4,000 but York is still upset over the incident she believes the thieves often sell the used tools at car boot sales and she says it needs to stop if you want to support the Trades United campaign I've popped a link to the Instagram feed in the show notes a new housing
¶ New housing estate will have centralised battery
Estate in England will see residents sharing electricity the 113 home site in Epping will have a centralised battery which property owners can draw off when they need it the battery is charged up by all the solar panels on the roofs of the houses residents on the development dubbed a micro grid Community by the Builder GS8 will have zero energy bills for at least the first 5 years that's the promise of energy supplier octopus it says the Epping estate will be the UK's
biggest zero bills site so far the company aims to deliver 100,000 zero bills homes by 2030 and if you thinking blimey it all sounds like a bit of a rigmarole Gordon and Gary visited a similar estate in Wales a few years back the Parc Eirin project by POBL homes features houses connected to three-phase their video explores the first fix for solar batteries heat pumps and EV chargers it's an interesting watch and the link as ever is in the
notes and speaking of all things renewable and EVs
¶ Are you ready to help power the future?
in particular are you ready to power the future of Transportation why not join Wieland Electric's free webinar smart charging power supply of E charging stations on Thursday February the 27th
00 a.m. discover how the Podis flat cable system simplifies the installation of EV charging infrastructure offering flexibility and efficiency for both new projects and retrofits ideal for municipal authorities energy suppliers planners and installers this session provides direct access to Industry experts ready to answer your questions don't miss this opportunity to enhance your expertise in e-mobility Solutions there's a link in the show notes to register
your spot along with a link to the video that we produced on the Podis system last year so you can get a head start on the webinar content next there's been a major recall this week of
¶ Major recall of 3 pin plugs
three pin 13 amp plugs supplied to the trade the product sold between September 2023 and December 2024 are under the trade fittings direct brand the office for product standards says the Chinese made batch represents a serious risk of fire and electrocution due to a fault in the fuse they overheat and the plastic melts Sparks may then develop leading to fire removing the plug from the socket may also pose a risk of electrocution the products do not meet the
plugs and socket safety regulations of 1994 it's understood that the perilous plugs have already been fitted by multiple installers to single ovens hubs and cooker Hood extractors in a number of new build houses some installers known to have made a purchase have been contacted but any electrician with concern should contact trade fittings direct I've put their contact details in the show notes
¶ Safety Alerts over telescopic ladders
the office for product standards has also issued no fewer than three safety alerts this week over telescopic ladders it follows our special report last week into the safety of the style all three are Chinese made and were on sale on Amazon's Online Marketplace all represent what the office calls a serious risk of injury the office has now stopped Imports of the units at the border and the listings have been removed by Amazon I'll put a
link to the three affected ladders in the show notes now do you ever struggle with diagnosing nuisance rcd tripping well meet the DCM300LEAK
¶ Do you struggle with nuisance RCD tripping?
from ENW sponsor KPS the Bluetooth TRMS leakage clamp meter designed for Ultra precise AC leakage detection with true RMS accuracy selectable high frequency rejection and a range from 6 milliamps all the way up to 60 amps AC current capability it's the tool you need for both domestic and industrial jobs a built-in torch light keeps you working in low light conditions while the KPS link app lets you Monitor and export data remotely plus enjoy a 3-year warranty and
lifetime support now Welcome to our electrical news weekly feature where we focus on a specific
¶ Circuit Protection innovations
product area this week we're making a racket about protection circuit protection that is Innovations due to hit the market include Niglon second generation of protection kit this includes the Protego 125 3-phase range which we're told will be on wholesaler shelves in April the 125 amp boards will feature a wide selection of B C and D curve devices including a triple pole RCBO range you can also integrate surge protection directly in the board other features include a
reversible door a half rail for populating the board quickly fully shrouded terminals in busbar and rolled edges to the gland plate entry so that the cables are protected a type three surge arrester from CPN Cudis is your go to solution for safeguarding fire alarm panels CCTV cameras lighting and more working alongside type 2 devices for comprehensive surge protection nicknamed The Black Box its compact size fits even the tightest spaces and with a 10 m protection
radius your equipment stays safe plus a really Innovative feature it has an audible alarm that lets you know when it's time for a replacement IP50 rated and built to withstand surges up to 1.5 Ka it's reliable durable and compact Siemans has unveiled a single model afdd rcbo rated at 10ka Short circuiting capacity the units have a switch neutral and are compatible with all of the brands Alpha BS2 MCB disboards Lewden has launched single
and three-phase surge protection devices for its 20 25 consumer unit range for both single and three phases there's a type 2 device and a type 1 and two device also out recently from Lewden are cover lock kits and surface mount pattresses click Scolmore has introduced three-phase distribution boards for its popular Elusian range there are seven boards available from 4 to 24 Ways the four and six-way boards are designed specifically to
only work with a 125 amp incomer whereas 8 to 24 way boards offer a choice of rccbs and either a 125 amp or 250 amp isolator the doors are fitted with spring clips making them easy to remove surge protection devices for the four and six-way Boards can be installed on additional phase connectors on 8 way and larger boards it can be integrated into the main switch or busbar that's our electrical news weekly Roundup of products that we think deserve some attention
next week all things EV and off the back of circuit protection we've got our results from
¶ Question of the week
last week's question of the week now for reasons I cannot begin to comprehend the scheduled post on YouTube didn't go out but we've still got the results from LinkedIn the question came from our free training package on torque settings we made an association with Wiha and asked the industry convention for how often to calibrate a torque setting device is what the correct answer is every 5,000 clicks and while the results were low in terms of getting the right answer we always
love it when you err on the side of safety so the result of 72% getting it wrong at least suggests everyone's getting their screwdrivers calibrated too often there is a little more to the 5,000 clicks figure than covered in this simple question so check out that free training package we made with wiha for more information and finally an electrician who was ejected from a pub got his
¶ Electrician charged with cutting pubs' power
own back by shutting off power to the premises Matthew Phelps an employee of Nashville Electric Service used his technical knowledge to close down Shooters bar in Tennessee the bar owners say the power outage damage speakers worth £3,000 as well as an arcade game Phelps has now been charged with vandalism and released on bail of £20,000 that's some hangover before we go a shout out to Hochiki which this week celebrates the first year of its excellent Training Academy the Kent
based facility Blends online modules webinars and in-person training all about fire protection and emergency lighting congratulations guys now our usual reminder that we're in the market for your
¶ Send us your news
stories your projects and your recommendations as we'd like to share them with the wider eFIXX community over the next few weeks we'll be featuring all things EV wiring accessories and electrical Innovations so send us pictures of your installs or let us know if you've come across any new kit that's making your job easier or any products that you think deserve a shout
¶ Thanks to our premium partners
out and just before we get to your favourite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners we want to thank our premium Partners we couldn't make the news without you first up they're the people who've created the Swiss army knife of solar inverters along with all weather batteries very much the Boy Scouts of the solar industry it's Sunsynk and speaking of solar with manufacturing powered by a massive 250 megawatt solar PV array they're literally
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Brands big thanks to you all we really appreciate your ongoing support for the news if you think
¶ Challenge words and winners
you know the words that I've smuggled into this week's show click the link in the show notes to go to the LinkedIn version of this video and leave your guesses in the comments there we'll take all the correct guesses from that platform and select one at random to be the winner of an eFIXX goodie bag prize answers submitted after about lunch time on the Thursday after release will not be entered into the draw now let's reveal the winner
of last week's challenge word competition last week's words were tariff and cringe and the person to be selected from our electronic hat this week was Harry scrimshaw 6654 so well done to you make sure you click the get involved Link in the show notes to claim your prize thanks for listening to this episode of electrical news weekly make sure you subscribe to receive the next update thanks for listening and until next time have a great week stay safe out there and remember
there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm