AVO New Zealand

“TARGET” EMBARRASSES THE INDUSTRY YET AGAIN…

It need not happen if testing was better understood and more extensively practiced!!

We can be as defensive as we like but things have reached a very low ebb when a prime time television programme succeeds repeatedly to embarrass and discredit the standard of workmanship and Industry competence with nothing more than valid and just observations on randomly-selected segments of basic everyday electrical work.
Sadly too, we are not just talking about sensationalism from the TV sector here…those observations are endorsed 100% on the programme by the most powerful and respected consumer advocate in NZ, The Consumers’ Institute. In the programme screened in August, the programme was most disparaging in its observations about the prevalence of a failure to test after repair and went on, quite correctly as it happens, to point out that this “proof of test” was a consumer’s right from both a legal and safety viewpoint.
Like it or not we have to face the fact that this programme and its clear alignment with all relvant regulatory, safety, and consumer bodies in NZ, is extremely influential in reaching and informing our customers. Every embarrassment the industry suffers on the programme impinges on ALL Industry practitioners. This is not really acceptable when we, for one, are well aware that many appliance service and testing practitioners are doing things “by the book”, to their credit and individual business success.
Gone are the days when appliance repair was something the customer knew absolutely nothing about and simply left such work to …”the men who knew what they were doing”. Coupled with the long-running EWRB promotional campaigns for registered workers to be used and the COC itself, the 6 years or so of ‘Target’ programmes and Consumer’s Institute comments have given rise to a very wary, informed, and concerned public who increasingly think twice about the engaging of a currently-registered appliance service contractor and the quality of the work they are about to receive.
Given the consistency of the adverse observations of the programme, it is high time we had a good think about what the findings are really saying to us and how we can move as an Industry to avoid such consistent embarrassment. Those with a business eye can also profit from such a sad scenario if they rise above the problems and actively market ( and accredit ) themselves as competent practitioners.
Looking back on all the programmes, the one thing that shows up time and time again is a widespread ignorance of testing practices to ensure safety, both for workers themselves and for the consumer. More than anything else in the judgement regime of the programme, they quite rightly slam anyone who gets this part wrong. Shortcomings in the correct use of suitable testers ( for bonding and insulation integrity verification purposes, primarily ) seem to be common themes noted.
Well, why is it that failure to conduct adequate safety tests is so prevalent?
Sadly, from AVO NZ’s point of view this is no surprise, but more an Industry shame that is now starting to haunt us very publicly. Quite simply, the Industry bodies as a whole simply failed to nurture an adequate formal testing culture when it implemented self certification way back in 1993, or at any time since then. Yet again, the Industry owes a collective apology to its members for such a situation!!
AVO New Zealand recognised this when starting business in 1996 and decided that we alone would act at our own expense to do something about it by going to the contractors themselves and showing them not only how to do such tests but also why they were needed and even what business opportunities ( and business efficiencies ) could be gleaned from doing them well and doing them effectively. Since 1996 we have spent some $400,000 of our own money to bring such information to the Industry by way of our own free national training courses, technical and business opportunity articles in our free “Industry Update” newsletters, and via our web site technical articles ( www.avo.co.nz ..see “NEWS” ).
Our courses have even been run with NZ Government sponsorship in several Pacific Islands with major advances in electrical safety as a result. All our customers get special help with testing issues and in many cases still receive additional 1-2 hour training courses at modest cost if they desire…our help is freely given and frequently sought. Certainly we make a major contribution and continue to try our hardest to support the Industry but it can neither be our role nor in our resource to tackle and resolve the problem alone!!
Another major problem that has been a great and unnecessary disservice to the Industry has been, and remains, the quality of the two yearly practicing licence competency refresher courses. Most who attend them confide in us that they feel they are a waste of time and certainly the content and quality of the “Testing” part of the syllabus would appear to endorse that feedback. If that is the case, the contractors of the Industry are being given little in the way of “official” assistance to raise the standards of the Industry to a satisfactory level.. Whilst we now have some assurances at last that the Regulatory sector is at least mindful of the issue, a huge job remains to be done to assist and encourage a major segment of the Industry to reach even the most basic of safety testing competency that the public of New Zealand now are clearly demanding in the most embarrassing of messages.
So what is to be done?
From AVO New Zealand’s point of view we simply remain committed to supporting the Industry in whatever ways we can. Because of the clearly massive demand for testing and competency courses, especially on more sophisticated appliance testing equipment, we are no longer in a position to offer free courses ( after 5 years of doing so ) and now charge a flat NZD 100 +GST per head. Courses are run nationally by arrangement.
We will continue to offer our newsletters to all who wish to receive them in the Industry ( add more names via our email or Christchurch office addresses below ), and will continue to offer free telephone support to our customers for brief technical or testing application inquiries.
Business and marketing ideas are also offered to our customers and that service is a popular one, still currently free.
So far as the use of suitable appliance testers is concerned an article is especially included in this issue on models of tester and also on the latest testing requirements that must be met.
If our readers can suggest other ways we may assist the Industry we are always only too keen to have that feedback

Maybe it does us all good to have a bit of public embarrassment from the likes of ‘Target’…that is, if we actually get fired up to commit to not having it happen again!! Let us all take this on board very seriously…sure, the Industry has again been caught out, but, constructively. the tools and hardware and training to stop it happening again are readily offered by AVO NZ, and our commitment is there to support the Industry in delivering what the public are demanding. PLEASE do not let us see another group of our Industry shown up again…if you have testing questions call AVO New Zealand as we are here to help in any way we can!!

LEAKAGE CURRENT TESTING NOW MANDATORY FOR SOME APPLIANCES

The latest version of the Portable Appliance Testing standard, AS/NZS3760:2003, calls for a mandatory leakage current test on appliances “that need to be energised to operate a switching device” eg an electronic toaster. The leakage current test is performed with the appliance energised and the leakage current must not exceed 5mA.
The Megger PAT4/3 Portable Appliance Tester meets all the requirements of AS/NZS3760:2003 and can automatically perform the leakage current test. An earth leakage clamp meter can be used in conjunction with other appliance testers in our range to ensure you comply with the standards.