- Coming up on this week's news.
Concern over neutral current diversions
is taking on national importance this week
as the risks are raised in Parliament.
electricians are asked to be on the lookout
for a huge quantity of stolen cables,
and the government introduces its long-awaited
tool theft law, but does it fall short
of what the trade needs?
Welcome to "Electrical News Weekly"
in association with the Electric Heating Company.
Whether you're listening in the van,
onsite 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've 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.
The rising risks of neutral current diversions
have hit national importance as the issue is raised
in Parliament/
Concern has been mounting in the industry this year
over this serious network fault.
Thanks to a campaign
by "Engineering and Technology Magazine"
an NCD can occur on a network
when the combined protective earthing and neutral
or pen conductor fails.
The current is then diverted by making a circuit
via exposed metal work on the building.
These can include the gas, water, and oil pipes.
If there's a significant buildup of heat,
then this can be followed by fires and gas explosions.
Pen conductors are particularly vulnerable to damage,
corrosion, and wear and tear
across an aging protective multiple earthing network.
Experts say that given the huge projected rise in load
on the network, incidents are expected to multiply.
"Engineering and Technology Magazine"
has reported that the number of broken pen conductors
has increased by more than eight times since 2005.
One broken pen incident may affect around 50 properties,
meaning tens of thousands of properties
could be affected each year in the UK.
Former engineer, Lord Rucker, told the House of Lords
that electricity could flow through gas meters
during these faults.
He said that NCDs were causing gas explosions
and that gas meters were not designed to carry electricity.
If a current is diverted and it creates heat
due to the resistance of the meter,
an explosion can follow.
He told the chamber that when engineers
are changing gas meters, they attach jump leads
between pipes because neutral current diversions
are so prevalent and sparks can be created.
He revealed that a house in Kingstanding, Birmingham
was destroyed in such an explosion last year.
He gave another example of a coat that caught fire
after it dropped onto a gas meter.
A probe revealed that there was a 35 amp current
flowing through the metal gas service pipe.
It affected 72 houses, but there was nothing
whatsoever to alert an electrician about the problem.
No flickering lights, nothing.
He said the approach of the health and safety executive
has been described as nothing to see, move on.
Lord Rucker then told the House of Lords
about the wider issue of electrical testing
and specifically his concern
that the Grenfell Tower disaster could have been caused
by an electrical problem.
He said, an analysis of the certificates
of the fixed wiring installations shows inconsistencies,
dangerous oversights, and a failure to comply
with the wiring regs.
The certificates show that proper testing
was not taking place.
Indeed, there was a substandard level of testing
of the hard wiring.
Lord Rucker has gone through
all the electrical certificates relating to Grenfell
and they reveal that 38 of the 120 flats in a building,
had electrical installations put into service
without residual current device testing.
He told the Lords that experts say that it is quite clear
that the testing was not done correctly at Grenfell.
This was a result of a race to the bottom
during a price war started by the introduction
of the electrical safety standards
in the private rented sector.
He said the scheme, which is about to be rolled out
to the social rented sector,
appears to be not fit for purpose.
He believes it's open to price cutting, abuse
and incompetence and should be remodeled
to the same standards as gas testing.
The health and safety executive is yet to comment
on Lord Rucker's concerns.
Meanwhile, over in the House of Commons,
the tool theft bill has hit the statute books
after the King approved it.
It's officially known as the Equipment Theft Prevention Act.
It's designed to cut the high number
of stolen work kit in the UK.
It allows the government to bring in rules
to limit the sale of certain equipment, such as power tools.
It can force manufacturers to include anti-theft devices
and identification markings, and sellers of such equipment
could be ordered to record the name
and address of buyers, the make and model
of the equipment, date of sale, and the unique identifier.
Critics point out that the law doesn't have any restrictions
on the sale of secondhand tools.
They say that this is where tool thieves make their money.
The criminals targeting the electrical trade
had a major success this week
after they made off with 30,000 pounds worth
of electric cable in the Republic of Ireland.
They stole a silver Clydesdale trailer
carrying the cable drums from a college in Dundalk.
The Irish police are appealing for witnesses.
They're also asking that electrical contractors
in both Ireland and the UK come forward
if they're offered cable in unusual circumstances.
In other news, it's been announced
the electrical contractors dropping off waste materials
at their wholesaler, no longer need any paperwork.
Previously, you had to have a form
called a waste transfer note.
The Environment Agency says that
although technically it is still required under the law.
it will no longer enforce it.
The change only applies to England
and you can only drop off stuff that arises from your work
such as used distribution boards, lamps, lighting, conduit
and cable.
Nigel Harvey, head of the lighting recycler Rico Light
welcomed what he termed a pragmatic approach
to the issue of waste.
Turning to our Efix survey this week,
we asked you if you've ever received an electric shock.
And it turns out that a stalking 91%
have had a jolt at some time in your life,
but not necessarily on the tools.
Many of you got a blast of electric current
when you were an inquisitive child poking your fingers
where they shouldn't have gone.
And a few of you actually cut through live cables
and a surprising number got shocks from capacitors,
which retained their charge
when the equipment was turned off.
And friend of the show from the Sunny Costa del Watford,
Sergio Fernandez, claims to have got
an electric shock when he saw the price of BS7671.
What a transgressive bunch you are.
In product news, a new app for tradespeople
has been unveiled.
YEPIC is a way of recording, organizing,
and managing multiple jobs.
It also automatically sorts photographs
of each project into albums.
So no more scrolling through your phone.
It uses your phone's location to automatically
create time sheets and you can add tasks
to each job to keep track of what needs to be done.
There's both a free and a premium version
with more functionality.
Ideal Industries has launched the latest edition
to its pushing range of wire connectors.
It's a three port push-in connector
capable of handling up to six millimeter square cable
and it's rated at a chunky 41 amps.
The American made product is tested to UK and EU standards.
It's transparent to allow you to see the connections
and is a dedicated test port to check continuity.
And finally, the news that one of our own
has achieved global success.
Yes, a fellow UK electrician has triumphed
in the world black pudding throwing championships.
Stu Pearson brought honor to the trade
after he was crowned champion at the finals
in Berry, Lancaster.
He managed to knock Yorkshire puddings
off a 20 foot plinth with a well aimed black pudding
in a quirky tradition inspired by the War of the Roses.
Wouldn't get involved with that myself
but if it was a Camembert flinging competition,
then sign me up.
And on that soft and gooey bombshell.
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.
We couldn't make the news without you.
First up, they're the people who've created
the Swiss Army knife of solar inverters
along with all-weather batteries.
Very much the Boy Scouts of the solar industry is Sun Synk.
Up next for all your circuit protection needs,
they're like having an Italian star striker
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It's Lewden Palazzoli.
And for the ultimate experience in wireless sound
and home cinema with their most powerful
portable speaker yet, it's the home of the Rome Sonos.
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 to fix all that gear together and to surfaces,
you need fasteners that would win a gold medal.
It's Olympic Fixings, celebrating their 100th anniversary
of literally creating connections
in the electrical industry this year,
rising from the flames like some kind of mythological avian,
it's Phoenix Contact.
And finally, celebrating their 60th anniversary this year,
with an incredible range of equipment
from EV charge points through industrial sockets
and switches to kit for explosive areas.
Plus, they supplied the gear for a Campari factory,
so they'll always have a place in my heart.
It's Scame.
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 guesses 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 ragamuffin and surrealist
and no one, not one single person got both.
To be fair, I did lob in a few red herrings last week
and apparently it all proved a bit too much for you.
However, because I'm such a nice bloke,
I'm going to award the prize
to the first person to get one of them right.
And that was MS Electrical 6479.
So well done to you.
Make sure you click the link
in the description to claim your prize.
Thanks for listening to this episode
of "Electrical News Weekly"
in association with the Electric Heating Company.
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 talk calibrated arm.