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Latest news
Retailer fined for dodgy goods
By Naveen Kapoor , Compliance Officer
ESV has successfully prosecuted Melbourne-based retailer Midas Trading Pty Ltd , trading as Importers Salvage Centre , for supplying unapproved and non-compliant electrical equipment and accessories .
The company ’ s directors pleaded guilty in the Sunshine Magistrates ’ Court to the offences of supplying several unapproved and non-compliant powerboards and other electrical equipment . They were fined $ 5000 each and the company was fined $ 10,000 .
The supplier was also asked to pay ESV the costs associated with the prosecution .
It is the third time ESV has prosecuted the company , with previous court actions resulting in fines for $ 4000 in 2007 and $ 20,000 in 2009 . In sentencing , Magistrate Pithouse considered the early guilty plea by the directors and highlighted the importance of approval and compliance of electrical products .
ESV ’ s Manager of Equipment Safety , Adam Murdoch , said all suppliers , importers , manufacturers and retailers of electrical products neeeded to be aware of their obligations under the Electricity Safety Act 1998 .
“ Suppliers need to ensure that electrical equipment that is classified as prescribed electrical equipment is approved before being supplied or offered for supply ,” Mr Murdoch said .
“ All electrical equipment is required to comply with their relevant electrical safety standard . They also can ’ t rely on their overseas manufacturer to take responsibility for their products .
“ An unsafe product failure could put the Australian supplier at risk of an expensive product recall and / or further enforcement actions .”
Mr Murdoch said ESV wanted to reiterate the importance of good compliance management and advises companies , suppliers and retailers to be vigilant when obtaining the appropriate technical documentation from their local or overseas supplier .
“ Suppliers who do not understand potential risks with their products or do not have in-house inspection and testing capability may engage the services of a third-party consultancy service that has expertise in electrical equipment safety and understand your products ,” he said .
“ This may include inspecting and testing the products at a regular interval to ensure that equipment is the same as approved and continues to comply with the safety requirements for its class .”
Mr Murdoch said consumers were encouraged to verify compliance of the products before purchasing by using the public search function at www . erac . gov . au .
Further information on safety requirements for electrical equipment can be obtained by visiting www . esv . vic . gov . au or www . erac . gov . au .
Restricted electrical workers must use COES
By Neil Fraser , ESV Deputy Director
The Electricity Safety Act and Regulations require any electrical work to have a Certificate of Electrical Safety ( COES ) completed whenever electrical Installation work is performed .
This means that a Restricted Electrical Worker ’ s Licence ( REL ) holder , often referred to as D Licence , must purchase and complete a COES every time a piece of electrical equipment is reconnected to supply .
You can refer to section 44 of the Electricity Safety Act 1998 for further information .
When it comes time to renew their licence , all REL holders must demonstrate that the electrical installation work they perform is still ancillary to their primary work function , and that the need to perform electrical installation work is frequent enough and will remain so in the future .
The only way to demonstrate this ongoing need to perform electrical installation work , and that the frequency of this work justifies the renewal of a REL , is COES usage .
No COES usage indicates to ESV that no electrical installation work has been performed and therefore the REL will not be renewed .
State-of-the-art : Environment Minister Greg Hunt gets a tour of the new test chambers from VIPAC Chairman Wendy Smith .
Minister opens new test centre
By Michael Grubert , Compliance Officer Energy Efficiency
The Federal Minister for Industry , Innovation & Science , the Hon Greg Hunt , officially opened Vipac Engineers & Scientists ’ new Refrigeration Test Chambers during a tour of their Port Melbourne laboratories in December .
Refrigeration manufacturers from around the world will use these chambers to ensure their products meet Australian and International Standards .
Unlike other household appliances , refrigerators operate 24-hours-a-day making safety and energy efficiency critical to reduce our carbon footprint and household bills .
Technology has advanced so rapidly that a refrigerator considered energy efficient 10 years ago , may no longer be .
Vipac ’ s Chairman , Wendy Smith , said “ Manufacturers use the chambers to test newly proposed models before they go into full production to ensure standards are met in safety , energy use , performance and volume . Vipac also conducts random refrigerator tests direct from retailers to compare performance against energy labelling to give consumers greater confidence in what they ’ re buying .”
Features include two side-by-side chambers with six bays each to enable 12 refrigerators to be tested at any time , high-end instrumentation such as energy meters and data loggers , stabilised voltage system to allow independent control of each bay , and state-of-the-art chilled water cooling and airflow supply system design to ensure a temperature-controlled environment .
“ This new chamber will offer fast and professional turnaround , within an average of only three to four weeks ,” said Ms Smith .