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MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday,
November 11, 2008
Residents urged to check their electrical contractors
An alarming
rise in electrical safety incidents has prompted a call for home and business
owners in Beenleigh to always use
qualified tradespeople for electrical work.
MR SMOKEY, “A U Sparky”
has recently become one of the first contractors in Australia to achieve
accreditation as a Master Electrician.
MR SMOKEY, “A U Sparky”
spokesperson Les Hoppe said Master
Electricians Australia had recently identified an alarming increase in
electrical accidents, fatalities and shonky workmanship in Queensland.
Statistics
from the most recent financial year showed a serious electrical incident takes
place in Queensland every working day on
average. The state has also
experienced an increase in general electrical fatalities and electrical worker
fatalities in recent years.
Dangerous
electrical events have also risen dramatically – up by more than 10 per cent in
just two years.
A serious
electrical incident is when a person is killed by electricity or receives a
shock or injury from electricity. A
dangerous electrical event covers a variety of circumstances, from issues with
high voltage electrical equipment to electrical work being performed by someone
without an electrical work licence.
Master
Electricians CEO Malcolm Richards urged Queensland
households and businesses to ensure they used only licensed contractors for
electrical work.
“In 2008 we
simply should not be seeing increasing numbers of electrical accidents and
fatalities. Sadly we are, and in
many cases it reflects a lack of experience or attention to detail on the part
of some tradespeople,” Mr Richards said.
Leslie Hoppe
said the simplest way for consumers to be certain they were dealing with a
qualified professional was to choose a Master Electrician.
“Master
Electricians are accredited to deliver the highest standards of safety, quality
and professionalism, and we back it all up with a 12-month guarantee on our
workmanship,” Les Hoppe said.
“Consumers
can be sure they will be getting the job done properly and safely if they ask
for a Master Electrician.”
More
information on Master Electricians can be found at www.masterelectricians.com.au
For more
information contact MR SMOKEY, “A U Sparky” on
3200 7111
Electrical
Safety Facts
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Queensland
recorded 275 serious electrical incidents and more than 3000 dangerous
electrical events during 2007-08.
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The
number of serious electrical incidents per million population jumped by more
than 50 percent, from 39 to 65.
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The
number of dangerous electrical events per million population has increased
from less than 680 two years ago to nearly 780.
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The
state suffered five electrical fatalities, down slightly from six in the
previous year but higher than the levels recorded in 2001-02 (3 fatalities),
2002-03 (1), 2003-04 (2) and 2005-06 (3).
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While
Queensland’s five year average of
electrical fatalities is lower than the Australian average, it has increased
over the last three years compared with a downward trend for the national
figures.
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The five
year average of electrical worker fatalities has also increased since
2005-06, compared with a downward national trend over the same period.
(Source:
Queensland
Electrical Safety Office)
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