Electricians put on notice to replace faulty Infinity cables

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is urging electricians and builders to replace dangerous Infinity electrical cables that were installed in up to 40,000 homes and businesses throughout Australia.

Infinity cables fail to meet safety standards due to poor quality plastic insulation coating. Tests have shown that the cable may become prematurely brittle from 2016 onwards, which could cause fires or electric shock if the cables are then disturbed.

More than a year after the recall of Infinity cables, 62% of the faulty cables are yet to be remediated, posing a serious and unnecessary risk to community safety, said ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard.

“Electricians and builders have an obligation to inform the home owners and businesses where they worked that their electrical installations are unsafe and non-compliant.

“State and territory regulators can issue rectification orders requiring electricians and builders to replace non-compliant cables, and will do so where Infinity cables are known to have been installed and contractors have simply ignored the problem. Such orders have already been issued and more are expected to follow," Rickard said.

Rickard advised electricians to immediately contact the suppliers of Infinity cables they installed to seek assistance with remediating Infinity cables under the supplier's recall. As outlined in the recalls, electricians should not fear costs as these are being met by their suppliers. If an electrician thinks they bought Infinity cable from a supplier not listed in the recalls they should contact the ACCC.

“It would be far better for electricians to be on the front foot and schedule this work rather than waiting to see if a regulator contacts them. While they do nothing, they run the risk of a house burning down or a fellow tradesperson or home owner being electrocuted."

Further information is available on the ACCC website.

Background

The recalls apply to all sizes and configurations of TPS and Orange Round mains power cables sourced from Infinity Cable Co Pty Ltd and supplied under 'INFINITY' and 'OLSENT' brands.

Information received by ACCC from suppliers as at 12 October 2015 indicates that between recall notifications and that date, the following progress has been made:

• At least 686 km of cable has been remediated or returned to suppliers.
• Three of the smaller suppliers have completed their remediation.
• At least 823 homes have been remediated.
• 787 km of cable has been identified for future remediation.
• Remediation has been scheduled in a further 389 premises.

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