The risks with using electrical products that don't comply
Industry Situation
- Within the electrical industry, there are a number of new manufacturing companies entering the market.
- Some of these companies manufacture products which are deceptively similar to Clipsal or other manufacturer’s products.
- These products, whilst appearing genuine, are often made from inferior materials with little regard for meeting stated ratings or safety requirements.
- They will often not conform nor meet mandatory safety regulations.
- They will often fail independent certification testing.
- They can be sold deceptively and often at prices below market level to then be installed into homes and businesses and electrical infrastructure.
The main issues and risks are:
To people
- Risk to life or significant health and safety issues.
- Risk to property or property damage.
- Can overheat or cause short circuits.
- Risk of fires, shocks or explosions.
To the industry
- Issues of public liability.
- Loss of confidence in reputable brands.
- Risk of litigation against distributors or installers.
- Damage to reputation of all electrical contractors.
- Decline of reinvestment into the electrical industry.
- Decline of new product development.
- Loss of business for manufacturers of genuine product, meaning loss of markets and people’s jobs.
- Infringement of intellectual property rights.
- Learn more about the risk to:
How to avoid
the risks:
There are two key things to remember when buying your electrical products:
- Always buy through a wholesaler you can trust.
- Always buy well-known brands that have a reputation for genuine, quality products.
