Sparks Electrical News May 2016

IGNORANCE CAN BE DEADLY

A guide to Miniature Circuit Breakers. This vital safety device has been commoditized and the number of brands of MCBs available in South Africa today has increased dramatically. Unscrupulous suppliers compromise design andmaterials to reduce cost and the inclination to buy on price can endanger lives and assets. It is very difficult, if not impossible, for most people to determine if a MCB is sub-standard and whether or not it will do the protective work it is supposed to. Functionality defects will, more often than not, only become evident when it’s too late. SAFEhouse has produced a guide to MCBs to help specifiers, suppliers and users make better decisions regarding their choice of product. Please see our website for a free download or contact the SAFEhouse Association.

What to do? Some SAFEhouse guidelines:

• Insist on being informed by the supplier about the origin and pedigree of the product and, where applicable, by the electrical consulting engineer or contractor about available choices. • Ask for proof of regulatory compliance – see the SAFEhouse MCB guide for detail. • Deal with a supplier and brand you know and can trust. • Look for markings and information detailed in the SAFEhouse MCB guide. If absent or deficient, be suspicious. • Look for certification references such as SABS or VDE marks.

• Look for the test specification marking: “Tested to SANS or IEC 60947-1” or “VC8036”. • Try to validate ‘sales talk’ about quality and performance. Make contact with the original manufacturer or importer in South Africa. • Beware of copies of prominent brands. • Beware of products at substantially lower prices than others on offer. • Check with the SAFEhouse Association for information it may have on products.

FREE SAFEhouse product guides

A SAFEhouse Guide to Miniature Circuit Breakers – Part 1

The SAFEhouse Guide to Electric Cables

The SAFEhouse Guide to Luminaires

The SAFEhouse Guide to Surge Protection

A SAFEhouse Guide to LED Lighting

Download your FREE copy of the SAFEhouse guides from www.safehousesa.co.za

Tel:+27113968140 info@safehousesa.co.za www.safehousesa.co.za

Tel:+27113968140 info@safehousesa.co.za www.safehousesa.co.za

Tel:+27113968140 info@safehousesa.co.za www.safehousesa.co.za

Tel:+27113968140 info@safehousesa.co.za www.safehousesa.co.za

Tel:+27113968140 info@safehousesa.co.za www.safehousesa.co.za

The SAFEhouse Association is a non-profit, industry organisation committed to the fight against sub-standard, unsafe electrical products.

For more information contact : Pierre Nothard: 011 396 8140 Email: pierren@safehousesa.co.za www.safehousesa.co.za

SAFEhouse members have signed a code of conduct: Your assurance of commitment to offer only safe electrical products.

AMEMBEROFTHE Hudaco GROUP

As at 8/04/2016