Legislation is imminent in New South Wales to force those small businesses that use portable electrical equipment to install safety switches - and these will attract a rebate of up to $ 500.
Firms that use items that range from angle grinders to vacuum cleaners, and include hair dryers and electric drills must have the safety switches in place within twelve months, and the rest of industry must be compliant by 2014.
These safety switches cut the supply of power in the event of a malfunction - and thereby save the user from being electrocuted.
A safety switch could cost as much as $ 2000 to be installed in a complex business, but would cost a mere $ 200 to be installed in the average home. It seems reasonable to expect that the state government would be looking to get them into every home in this state.
For a start, they should be mandatory in every new building application, considering that an extra $ 200 is negligible in the cost of a new home these days - and it would be a good idea to require installation as part of the exchange agreement whenever an existing home changes ownership.
At least such a scheme would start the ball rolling - and eventually every householder could be expected to live in a home that was electrically safe !
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