- Coming up on this week's news,
an electrician cheats death
after falling into molten aluminium
at an incredible 720 degrees Celsius.
We name the UK's best and worst city
in which to be a self-employed electrician,
and short electrical courses are under fire.
An industry leader slams so-called, six-week wonders.
Welcome to Electrical News Weekly
in association with myenergi.
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 as always, if you think you spotted the two words
that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show,
comment with them below for the chance to win a prize.
A 25-year-old electrician had a serious brush
with death after falling into a vat of molten aluminium
at a temperature of 720 degree Celsius.
The unnamed man fell through a trap door
into the furnace, where he became immersed
up to his knees in the super-hot liquid metal.
However, he retained his composure
and still managed to pull himself out,
despite suffering horrific burns.
He was working with a colleague at the factory
in St. Gallen in northeast Switzerland,
when he fell into an opening at the top of the furnace.
Air rescue paramedics gave him first aid
before flying him to a hospital in a helicopter.
Swiss police are investigating how the accident happened.
It's hoped that he'll make a full recovery,
and the thoughts of the eFIXX team are with him.
In other news, France has brought in a law,
requiring all large car parks
to be covered by solar panels.
President Emmanuel Macron said,
"Facilities with capacity for more than 80 vehicles
must be covered with PV within five years."
The French government believes the measure
could generate up to 11 gigawatts of power.
Here in the UK, the Metrocentre has taken inspiration
from the French with a huge array of PV panels on its roof.
The shopping center has spent almost 3 million pounds
on three and a half thousand panels,
which cover both new car ports
and the roof of the gigantic center.
They cover an area equivalent in size to 88 tennis courts,
and they generate a stonking 1.2 gigawatts.
That's enough to power 600 electric cars for a year.
The installation was put in by the experienced
renewable specialists, Syzygy Consulting.
My apologies if I've pronounced that wrong.
However, there's been a reminder this week
that not everyone installing solar
and other technologies is qualified to do it.
The head of Scotland's largest trade body
has criticized a rising trend
of people entering the electrical industry
after taking just a short course in basic skills.
Alan Wilson, Chief of the Scottish Electrical
Contractors Association, Select,
slammed the newcomers as six-week wonders.
He said people with inadequate training and experience
pose a safety risk
to both the electrical sector and consumers.
He went on to say there was no substitute
for a proper apprenticeship.
Wilson warned that people with pound signs
in their eyes face being taken advantage of
by rogue trainers offering worthless short courses,
or, as we think of it,
riskier than a Bitcoin investment.
He said to imagine you can do in six weeks,
what really electricians are doing in six
or seven years, just doesn't add up.
For older people wanting a change in career
to the electrical sector,
he recommended adult apprenticeship schemes
as the best option for securing a valuable
and recognized qualification.
When they qualify, there'll be plenty
of demand for their skills,
but where are the top places in the UK to apply your trade?
New research has now revealed the best and worst cities
in which to be an electrician.
A team of experts has trolled through key data,
including the demand for electricians,
in terms of the number of jobs available
in a five-mile radius.
They also considered market saturation,
the number of sparks available in a place,
according to search data.
The lower this figure, the better.
And finally, they calculate the average hourly rate
for work, with the higher being the better.
Putting all their data into a computer reveals
that the best city in which to be an electrical contractor,
with a score of 74 out of 100, (drum roll playing)
it's, drum roll please, (cymbal crashes)
Bristol, or Brizzle, as I believe the cool kids call it,
so they probably don't.
The City of the Avon offers both the highest demand
and the most jobs available
than any other place in the country.
So, if you are looking to spark interest in your business,
Bristol could well be your best option.
This was followed by Edinburgh, Cambridge,
Southampton, Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow, Leicester,
Brighton, and Oxford.
Bristol, Edinburgh, Cardiff,
and Liverpool have the highest demand for electricians.
If money is a major factor for you,
then St. Albans and Brighton
might be your first port of call.
They offer an average of 44 pounds
and 41 pounds per hour, respectively.
Might have to get on Rightmove.
By contrast, he toughest UK city
in which to be an electrician is Truro, in Cornwall.
The city has low demand, very few jobs,
and poor hourly rates.
Also bad are Newry, Lisburn, Lichfield,
Southend-on-Sea, Wells, Durham, Canterbury, and Derry.
Now, wherever you work in the UK,
if you think you're smashing it out the park,
keeping your customers exceptionally happy,
and making a few quid into the bargain,
then we want to hear from you.
We're on our annual hunt
for the residential installer of the year.
It's a very special category
in the prestigious eFIXX Awards,
and it's sponsored by our good friends in Lewden Palazzoli.
Together, we are looking for commitment.
We're looking for pizazz.
We're looking for the X factor.
So, it doesn't matter
whether you are a well-established firm
or an upstart whipper-snapper.
If you think you've got what it takes,
you can nominate yourself in the category,
or you can also nominate someone else.
Simply head over to the eFIXX Awards website
and get entering.
I've popped the link into the show notes.
In product news this week,
Hager has launched the market's first
20-amp double pole switch with isolation.
Under the 18th Edition of the Wiring Reg,
switches with isolation must comply
with two different standards.
BS EN 60669-1 for switching,
and 60669-2-4 for isolation.
The new 20-amp double pole isolation switch
has been independently tested
and certified to both measures,
and therefore, provides compliance and peace of mind
to installers, says the company.
The new isolating switch is part
of the company's Sollysta range.
HellermannTyton has come up
with what we consider a really tidy alternative
to cable bands in panels and cabinets.
It's developed the Vario Plate,
which is made up of flexible mini-frames
and rubber grommets, that can be changed
to match different varieties of cables.
You can figure yourself
to accommodate the cable sizes that you're handling.
The Vario Plate allows for up to 40 cables per frame
and has easy reassembly, along with cutout sizes
of the enclosure, up to 54 by 115 millimeters,
so that you can even dismantle and reassemble the frame
to suit your specific needs.
You can also add a seal to protect the Vario Plates'
IP65 and IP66 ratings for protection
against dust and water entering the enclosure,
while separate strain relief ensures
that the cables can be secured into place
using cable ties, without the risk of strain or pulling.
Megger has unveiled its latest multifunction tester,
and we are pleased to report
that it passes the "I want one" test.
The dead clever MFT-X1 has lots of cool features.
For instance, it includes a confidence rating
in the accuracy of the measured loop impedance.
You can individually configure
the auto-sequence RCD testing.
There's automatic vault drop calculation,
stabilized IR test voltage output,
and a replaceable, lithium-ion battery module.
It will also fill in its own test certificates
using Bluetooth to transfer the results
directly to a CertSuite app,
running on an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone,
making certificate completion quick and easy.
You can also upgrade the software,
should regulations or standards change.
It covers all test requirements
for low-voltage electrical installations,
including EV charge points,
and domestic photovoltaic systems.
Now, you wouldn't expect all this functionality
to come cheap, so expect to pay around 1,300 pounds,
excluding VAT, when the MFT-X1 ships in early 2023.
We hope to give it an eFIXX bench test,
so keep an eye out for that.
And finally, there are some strange goings on
at discount retailer, B&M.
Shoppers have revealed
that they keep getting electric shocks
from their trolleys,
as they walk up and down the aisles.
They say that when you reach out
to put something in your trolley,
you get what our scriptwriter have described as a-
(Joe making a buzzing sound)
a sharp buzzing feeling in your fingertips
when you touch the metal part of the cart.
If you think that's one of this week's challenge words,
by the way, it's spelt exactly as it sounds,
six Zs and a T.
The static charges have been driving customers crazy,
and they've taken to social media
to vent their frustrations.
One woman says she no longer allows her children
to sit inside the trolley,
because they keep getting zapped.
Another claims she'll only use hand baskets,
because she hates the sensation that much.
A regular visitor to the B&M at Newport
says it can really wake you up
when you're doing a morning shop.
Experts reckon the incidents are caused
by a combination of the type of flooring in stores
and the rubber wheels on the trolleys.
These wheels can act as insulators,
gradually building up an electrostatic charge
as the trolley is pushed around.
That static is held in the metal cart
until it touches something that's grounded,
namely, the person pushing it,
who then gets a jolt.
So, let's be safe out there, people.
When in B&N. regularly ground the trolley
to avoid a static buildup.
That's it for this episode,
but coming up on our YouTube channel this week,
we'll be building on our theme of ROBUS lighting reviews
when I take a look at the horizon linear fitting,
which has a lovely direct-indirect feature.
I take a trip down memory lane to my roots
by diving into a Q&A about current to neutral conductors,
and I'll be chauffeuring Gary
to the latest College Connection,
down in Essex at New City College in Rainham.
And then, we are continuing so far south,
there's a chance we'll run out of land as we head
to the Marshall Tufflex Production Facility in Hastings.
So, keep your eyes peeled
across all usual social media platforms
to keep up with the fun.
If you think you know the words I've smuggled
into this week's show,
pop you 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 Hobbit and bobsleigh.
Hence, the extremely current
and relevant reference to "Cool Runnings,"
a movie about Jamaican athletes released in 1993.
No doubt that bewildered some of our younger viewers.
And the first person to get both right
was someone by the name of Oriel Zob,
who gave the answers in consecutive comments.
Well done to you, Oriel.
Please, click the link
in the description below to claim your prize.
Thanks for listening to this episode
of Electrical News Weekly in association with myenergi.
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 up.