Safety Switches A Must In New Homes
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday November 24, 1989
Special electrical safety switches will be mandatory in houses built in NSW from July next year, the Minister for Minerals and Energy, Mr Pickard, said yesterday.
Mr Pickard said the decision followed the release of figures showing that 22 people had died so far this year in NSW from electrical accidents.
Hundreds more had been seriously injured, including many young children.
He said his department believed that at least 11 of the 22 deaths could have been prevented by the safety switches.
The switches, which are also known as residual current devices or interrupters, are activated immediately there is a leakage of electricity or a short circuit in the system.
Installation of the switches can cost between $70 and $240, depending on whether they are installed in individual appliances or to cover the entire house.
"These safety switches are proven life-savers in around 80 per cent of the electrical accidents which occur in and around the home," Mr Pickard said.
"The other States are moving to make the installation of these switches mandatory by 1991, but we can see no real reason to delay this essential safety move in NSW."
Mr Pickard said that while it was not compulsory for existing houses to have the safety switches, he would like to encourage all householders to consider their installation.
Mr Pickard was speaking during the launch of a $1 million advertising campaign aimed at encouraging householders to take care when using electricity.
© 1989 Sydney Morning Herald