- Coming up on this week's news,
insurers tell the trade to put EV charges
at least seven and a half meters from properties,
because of the risk of fire.
Judges slap a big fine on a car cleaning firm
whose dodgy electrics
put its workers in danger of electrocution.
And the electrician who earns 16,000 pounds
in a fortnight by simply changing light bulbs.
Welcome to "Electrical News Weekly".
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.
Insurers are telling the trade
to put electric vehicle charges
installed to commercial buildings
as far away from properties as possible,
and at least seven and a half meters from doors and windows.
The request is designed to protect the buildings
from a possible fire in the car,
but it will come as a bombshell to many electricians
who've already installed ChargePoints on outside walls.
The Zurich Insurance Group
also says there should be no vegetation
or other material within two meters of the charger.
And it says an RCD should be installed
and tested every six months.
Additionally, emergency manual isolation should be provided
in a prominently signed posted
and easily accessible location
to allow for the safe shutdown of the charger.
The company says that electricians should choose a location
for the ChargePoint
that will still be accessible if a vehicle is on fire.
It says that recent fires have shown that electric cars
and vans pose a big challenge to the fire brigade.
That's because lithium batteries create high energy,
high temperature fireballs
that are really difficult for firefighters to control.
I've popped a link into the notes
for you to download Zurich's EV guidance booklet.
And if you'd like to know more about the dos and don'ts
of EV ChargePoint installation,
then please check out the free training package
that we've created to help you with your CPD
in association with Zaptec on this very subject.
You'll find a link to that in the show notes.
And because we made a small error in the opening story
during the original recording of this episode,
those of you watching the video version
of this podcast are about to enjoy seeing me
get a reverse haircut in three, two, one.
In other news, an electrician has revealed
how he earned a whopping 16,000 pounds
in a fortnight simply by changing light bulbs.
Ben Poulter worked from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM
every day for two weeks,
swapping the lamps at a well-known restaurant chain.
In normal weeks,
the Kettering Bright Spark does pretty well too.
The 42-year-old makes an average
of 4,000 pounds every month,
equivalent to a salary of around 50,000 pounds.
So, what's the secret to his success?
Poulter says that the key to prospering as an electrician
is being social and talking to people.
He says, "The only way to grow your business
is to build a rapport with your clients.
Then, they suggest you for more jobs."
He says office workers sometimes look down on him.
He says, "They sit in their fancy homes with their Teslas
and think highly of themselves,
but they're never safe
while they're working for someone else.
However, if you build a great reputation,
you can move anywhere."
Poulter did an electrical apprenticeship when he was 19.
After years of working for companies,
he went solo and now gets to dictate his own working hours.
He says that's one of the great advantages
of being an electrician
and it just so happens Ben
is literally down the road from me here in Corby.
So, if you're watching, Ben,
and you want to get together for a brew and a chinwag,
let me know.
A company that could have done
with Poulter's expertise
is a car valeting business in County Durham.
The firm must pay out more than 10,000 pounds
after safety inspectors found workers
were at risk of electrocution.
A garage door and a vacuum cleaner
were found to have live exposed parts
nearby workers who were washing cars.
The Health and Safety Executive took action
to protect the staff at UK Express Valeting Limited
based on the Abraham Industrial Estate in Bishop Auckland.
A probe found that the car cleaning firm
was using unsafe equipment
and had many faulty electrical installations.
The investigators ordered the company
to test and fix the electrical installation,
but despite four visits
over seven months, the firm took no action.
The company eventually pleaded guilty
to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act
by failing to comply with an improvement notice.
Peterlee Magistrates' Court fined the firm's 6,000 pounds
and ordered it to pay 4,200 pounds in costs.
HSE inspector, Clare Maltby,
said that no one should have to work
in conditions that were unsafe
and a risk to themselves and others.
Belgium has become the latest country
to roll out the red carpet for electricians.
It may be a small country,
but it says it has thousands of vacancies in the trade,
but it's competing with Australia and Saudi Arabia
who were first out to try to seduce our sparks.
Belgium says it can offer high living standards
for British electricians as well as low crime rates,
a rich history, and great cuisine.
So, if you're partial to some moules and frites
washed down by beer brewed by monks,
and you wanna get away from the riffraff,
I've popped the link in the show notes.
If however you're partial to some trade credit
on the other hand, electrical directors
just introduced what it's calling trusted trade accounts.
Under the scheme,
you can now get 60 days credit of up to 10,000 pounds.
You apply online and if approved,
you can start your account right away.
The online and in-store supplier
has 12,000 products in stock, including brands
like FuseBox, Doncaster Cable, and Wiska.
In product news, ROBUS has unveiled a special app
with loads of cool features and benefits.
For instance, you can pop your project details
into the MyROBUS app
and you'll receive a free of charge lighting design
from the team in Dublin.
There's also a
(indistinct)
quick design calculator included as well.
You can also browse all the firm's products,
get fast quotes,
and make warranty claims straight onto your phone.
Best of all though,
you can earn rewards which turn into money.
If you spend a thousand pounds on downlights,
you'll get a thousand points,
which is equal to a 10 pound voucher
to spend on a range of goodies.
The MyROBUS app is available
for download from the App Store on your phone.
Martindale has introduced two advanced socket
and non-trip earth loop testers, the EZ165 and EZ365.
They can detect 28 fault conditions,
check the main's voltage level,
and carry out a non-trip earth loop test.
The red and green LED show you the neutral earth
and live connections and make it easy to spot common faults.
The EZ365 model also features
an incoming supply polarity swap test
and the ability to trip test 30 milliamp RCDs.
The live neutral on earth cross polarity test
detects a serious fault condition
that cannot be identified by many socket testers.
You activate it by using the touch pad on the EZ365.
And finally, a date for your diary.
We're teaming up with the EI Live! show this September.
EI Live! is the place to learn about the opportunities
in the trade for smart homes and audio-visual installations.
You'll be able to see all the latest kit
in residential automation entertainment, home cinemas,
lighting control, and security systems.
We'll be live streaming from the exhibition,
as well as doing lots of videos.
So, don't be shy, come and say hello.
The event takes place
at the Farnborough Exhibition Centre
on Wednesday, the 13th of September,
and Thursday, the 14th of September.
The link to register for free is in the notes.
And just 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, for all your circuit protection needs,
that like having an Italian star striker
in your premiership team, it's Lewden Palazzoli.
And 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.
Big thanks to you both.
We really appreciate your ongoing support for the news.
If you think you know the words
I've smuggled into this week's show,
pop your 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 flapjack and mackerel.
And apparently, I didn't do a very good job
of hiding them as loads of people got it right last week.
But the quickest off the mark
to get both right was marky d.
So, well done to you, sir.
Make sure you click the link
in the description below to claim your prize.
Thanks for listening
to this episode of "Electrical News Weekly".
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 arm.