Don’t forget to push the switches

As I’m travelling around Australia talking to electrical contractors, one of the most common themes that comes up is the tight margins and cut-throat competition that are the hallmark of doing business in the internet age.

It’s now easier than ever for consumers to shop around for the lowest price and this means contractors need to be ultracompetitive with their quotes. In this environment, the best way to increase your profitability is to value-add for your existing clients. And it is very simple for you to do that in a legitimate way that will bring enormous benefits to your domestic clients.

I’m talking about promoting the installation of safety switches to your domestic customers when you are performing work at private homes. We know around 15 Australians are killed in preventable home electrical accidents each year and around 20 times that number are hospitalised with serious injuries.

Our research indicates 80% of homeowners believe they are well protected by safety switches, when in fact only 60% are partially protected with the remaining 40% having no protection at all.

Everyday activities such as hammering in a nail for a picture or using an electrical appliance can turn deadly in less time than it takes a heart to beat. In the event of electric  shock, a safety switch would cut the flow of power in a few hundredths of a second - faster than the critical phase of a heartbeat. It is therefore imperative that electricians continue to endorse safety switches and encourage all their customers to have them installed on all circuits for the greatest level of protection.

Carry a supply with you and encourage homeowners to add them to their existing circuits whenever you can. An investment of around $250 can be the difference between life and death. I personally owe my life to an early version of the technology and I will continue to be an outspoken proponent of safety switches.

As an industry body, it is Master Electricians’ goal to end those 15 preventable deaths and 300 hospitalisations which take place annually in Australia. We are firmly committed to ensuring there is a safety switch fitted on every circuit of every home and we call on you to help us achieve this. Remaining focused on the importance of safety switches is an initiative which will benefit the entire industry. It means safer conditions for electrical workers and homeowners. Greater knowledge of the benefits of safety switches is good for everyone.

It is sad to admit the majority of Australian homes do not have safety switches fitted and very few homes have them on all circuits, but we believe this can be turned around by a strong display of industry support and individual action. Master Electricians stands ready to work with you and your colleagues to achieve these important goals. It’s a win for you and a win for your customers.

By Malcolm Richards
CEO, Master Electricians Australia