¶ Welcome to eFIXX Electrical News Weekly
- In breaking news, the IET announced they're tidying up the wiring regulations. A probe is launched into the mysterious death of an electrician on a North Sea oil rig and new figures reveal that electricians earnings are rapidly catching up on plumbers. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly. Whether you're listening in the van, onsite or down at the whoelsale counter, I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble.
And as always, if you think you've spotted the two words I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. The IET have announced that they will release a corrigendum
¶ the IET announces that they will release corrections to BS7671
to the Second Amendment of the 18th edition of BS 7671. A corrigendum is not a whole amendment to a technical document, but simply a list of corrections that are issued as a separate document. Some key points that will be corrected include a clarification to the scope of regulations on cables and equipment in protected escape routes, a modification to the requirements for surge protection on safety services and examples of equipment in different categories of over voltage equipment.
Birthing pools are no longer clusters, baths in locations containing a bath or shower and a brand new regulation has been added to the section covering medical locations to modify the requirements for protected escape routes in healthcare facilities. The corrigendum will be free to download from the IET and the BSI on Monday the 15th of May and will take immediate effect on the same day.
Regarding the corrigendum, Mark Coles of the IET states, "The IET is the authority for electrical installations in the UK and ensures that the National Wiring Regulations Committee carefully considers all necessary updates to the regulations to ensure they best meet the needs of the industry. This corrigendum is intended to correct misunderstandings, remove perceived barriers and ensure that people's safety comes first."
Stay tuned to the channel for further updates, including a special guest from the IET on eFIXX TV on June the 14th who'll discuss it further with us. And don't worry, folks, you won't need to buy a new big Brown book.
¶ Investigation launched into death of electrician on an oil rig
An investigation has been launched into the mysterious death of a Scottish electrician on an oil rig in the North Sea. Walter Mann was found collapsed and unresponsive in a cabin by another member of the crew. Attempts to resuscitate the 48-year-old were unsuccessful and he was declared dead. Investigators from the Health and Safety Executive are looking into the case and preparing a report.
Meanwhile, an inquest into the circumstances around the incident was opened on Wednesday at Norfolk Coroner's Court. Mann was responsible for the electrical circuits on the floating rig, which was drilling for gas at the time.
¶ Local authority fails to check electrical safety on thousands of homes
In other news, a government watchdog has named and shamed a local authority over its failure to check electrical safety on thousands of its council homes. The Regulator of social Housing singled out the London Borough of Harrow saying that it failed to meet statutory health and safety requirements for electrical safety. The administration has not completed electrical safety reports for 3,500 of its council homes.
The watchdog said it launched its investigation after a complaint from a Harrow resident. The borough says it has now put a plan in place to address the issues.
¶ Electricians' earnings are rapidly catching up on plumbers
A comprehensive new survey of the self-employed has revealed that when it comes to earnings, electricians are rapidly catching up on plumbers. The average turnover of an electrician soared last year by 23%, whereas that of plumbers only rose by 14%. The average for a plumber is still ahead at 87,000 pounds while electricians bill just over 80,000 pounds a year. So just a spindly seven grand between them.
But sparks earn far more than other trades, such as carpenters, gas fitters, plasterers, and decorators. Big earning towns outside London included Cheltenham, Nottingham Chesterfield and Wolverhampton. Remember though, these are turnover figures and don't include lots of expenses such as vans, equipment and training.
¶ Tradesmen urged to check for testicular cancer
Both electricians and plumbers, as well as other trades are being urged this month to check your tools in the name of testicular cancer. The Oddballs Foundation is encouraging us to get hands-on and up close and examine that our gear is in good working order. If you can feel a painless swelling or lump, then it's worth getting it checked out. It can be about the size of a pea, but may be larger. The Oddballs people want to raise awareness and encourage open conversation among men.
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged between 15 and 49 with 2,300 cases annually. Despite being one of the most treatable forms of cancer in men if caught early enough, the illness still claims an average of 60 lives in the UK each year. I've popped the link to the NHS site for symptoms in the show notes. Electricians are also being urged this week
¶ Electricians also urged to check their clothing for shielding
to check their clothing. That's because in a work area with a risk of electric arcing, what you wear can help to protect you from injury. There are three categories of risk. The highest, category three, covers exposure to serious harm, which includes things like electric arcs and burns from molten metal splashes and liquid chemicals. The passive shielding that clothes provide is vital and it's measured in calories per square centimeter. You can also increase your protection with layers.
The more layers you have, the better as those air gaps are key. Each air gap adds an extra five calories. Industrial clothing manufacturers, such as Snickers recommend that in high-risk zones, you should never wear garments that offer total protection of less than 11 calories per centimeter squared.
¶ Lewden take part in Soapbox race
Another group of people who definitely need personal protection is the team at Lewden. In an act of quintessential English eccentricity, they have just barreled down a steep hillside in homemade go-karts. It was all for charity, of course. The company took part in the famous Great Dunmow Soapbox Race. It's a high speed competition featuring vehicles of bonkers shapes and sizes. Lewden says the event was an opportunity for its team to showcase its creativity, teamwork and innovation.
Well done to Lewden for surviving the event. In product news, Luceco has come up with an alternative
¶ Luceco comes up with an alternative for boring recessed lights
to boring recessed lights in office ceilings. The Octa range is a linear low glare LED fitting, which you suspend in the space. As well as providing downward light, it also illuminates the ceiling to give a diffused effect. I had to play around with one recently and you can check out my video on the Octa in the show notes.
¶ Megger unveils fuse locator for identifying which device protects which circuit
Megger has unveiled a fuse locator to help you identify which device is protecting which circuit.
a transmitter, and a handheld receiver. To use it, all you do is connect the transmitter to the 240-volt circuit you're working on, using the crocodile clip supplied. You can also plug it into a socket with the relevant adapter. You then sweep the receiver over the fuses or breakers in the distribution board. The receiver will beep and light up when it identifies your circuit. Simple. The sensitivity is automatically adjusted to give you the best results.
¶ Martindale unveils its latest testers
Meanwhile, Martindale has unveiled the latest version of its phase sequence checker. This clever bit of kit verifies the phase sequence or rotation of three-phase circuits. Getting the sequence wrong can have devastating consequences for plant and machinery with serious implications for machine safety from motors running backwards through to cooling systems underperforming. One wrong connection can lead to a major maintenance headache.
Martindale says it's PSI 4,000 non-contact phase sequence indicator can quickly and accurately identify three phase sequences for motor installations and other systems. The brand has also introduced a new socket tester. The BZ701 detects 28 different socket wiring fault conditions and checks the mains voltage level. It can also identify if live and neutral are reversed, a function that's rarer on these types of testers.
The polarity swap test detects fault conditions on PME TNCS systems that cannot be identified by normal socket testers says Martindale. And finally, there's a new entry in the annual list
¶ New entry in the list of annoying customer habits
of annoying customer habits. This is what homeowners do or don't do that really gets the goat of electricians. Number one for 2023, as always, is not being home when I turn up. This is followed by constantly asking for progress reports. Third is adding in sneaky extras, and that's followed by not being offered a cup of tea or coffee. What is the world coming into? But a new entry for this year is being harassed by an attention-seeking pet. Pandemic pooches are a particular problem.
Respondents report that it's no fun getting licked and sniffed while performing an earth leakage test. And many dogs appear to think that barking at sparks is a right lark. And I'm going to park this here before I go barking mad myself. Top work from our scriptwriter there. So just before we get to your favorite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners.
¶ Thanks to our premium partners
We couldn't make the news without you. First up, for all your circuit protection needs, they're like having an Italian star striker and your Premiership team, it's Lewden Palazzoli. And the best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, it's Doncaster Cables, the home of EV-Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality cables.
And one of the biggest lighting companies in the world because their capital is always Dublin, it's Irish lighting manufacturer ROBUS, home of great quality and innovative lighting products. Big thanks to you all. We really appreciate your ongoing support for the news. If you think you know the words that I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments and we'll dig out a goodie bag prize to the first to get the right answers. Last week's words were dastardly and humongous.
And the first person to get both right was Cole Foster. So very well done to you, Cole. Please click the link in the description below 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.