Latest update April 20th, 2024 12:10 AM
Oct 12, 2019 News
After years of a wild-west situation, government is nearer to a clampdown of sub-standard electrical products entering the country.
The so-called ‘fairy lights’, duplex outlets, cables, breaker boxes are all included in a list of 31 items that must meet accepted standards before they are allowed in.
As of February 1, 2020, the monitoring and checks at the ports and at the hardware stores will start in earnest.
In addition to seizures, there are provisions in the consumers’ laws that allows for prosecution.
The issue of poor quality electrical wires and products has long been blamed on fires.
For years, importers have been allowed to bring in products that were largely uninspected.
The new standards now will be strictly enforced, officials vowed yesterday.
The disclosures were made during a press conference at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Kingston.
Present were Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Jaipaul Sharma; Chief Inspector of the Government Electrical Inspectorate (GEI),
Roland Barclay; Director of the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC), Dawn Cush, and Shailendra Rai, Deputy Executive Director (ag) of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards.
Minister Sharma underscored the importance of homeowners taking precautions when using electrical equipment.
“There are a lot of products out there, even faulty products, but how we use it… Guyanese abuse it and so they don’t look at the tolerance level so they use a particular socket, they don’t know what is the amps, they don’t know what is the wattage, they overload everything and that cause the issue…once people keep to the level of what the purpose is intended for, it could work but persons would most likely overload things.”
He made specific reference to the Christmas and Diwali seasons where patrons would decorate using lights, normally overloaded at the power point.
The Minister reminded that these practices are unsafe and can lead to catastrophic events such as fires, which can even affect nearby homes.
On this note, he pointed out that in such cases, it may not be that a product was defective but was simply misused.
According to Rai, when Guyanese construct their homes, they build with a specific number of outlets and a respective circuit breaker would be added.
He said that he has seen cases where people would then purchase more electrical equipment and overload the capacity of the breaker which can cause overheating.
“Consumers play a very important role in this process. The regulatory bodies have their role and their mandate, but consumers play a very important role in society and we as consumers need to ensure that we educate ourselves to know what are the good things and what are not the good things and we need to make informed choices as well,” Rai pointed out.
To aid in the process of helping consumers make informed decisions, the acting Deputy Executive Director added that the GNBS has published a list of registered dealers and importers of equipment and other electrical products.
According to Cush, the Commission will be working to ensure products sold on the markets are safe.
In fulfilling this mandate, she said, investigations will be carried out after February, if complaints are received of sub-standard electrical products being sold.
Such information, she added, will be shared with the GNBS for the agency to do their part.
The GNBS will be conducting inspections at the various points of import entries to ensure products brought here match the required standards.
The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) will also be playing a role in the enforcement aspect of the new standards.
Meanwhile, the Chief Inspector alluded to the importance of developing the electrical standards. He reminded that they will promote safety and aid in the prevention of fires.
Additionally, he pointed out that the department has been issuing qualified persons with licences to conduct electrical works and persons found performing such works without licences can be fined and imprisoned.
“If it is found that persons who are not licensed are performing electrical installation, under the law, they can be fined and jailed and if they are found to be installing materials that are not safe that same imprisonment, fines can be added to those laws…these licensed contractors are experienced and they would be able to advise you whether that material or that outlet is good or not.”
In the future, the Chief Inspector noted that the agency is seeking to have each electrical store be equipped with a licensed person to advise the public on making safe purchases.
For now, it is advised that home owners make purchases while accompanied by an electrician for safety purposes.
On another note, he informed that the Government Electrical Inspectorate (GEI) Department is willing to conduct inspections at a small cost which varies according to the number of light bulbs and power points in the building.
In fact, he explained that it is mandatory for the GEI to conduct inspections on all homes after construction and wiring to ensure it is safe. For homeowners who never had this process completed, they can request the services of the GEI and an inspection will be conducted.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
Apr 19, 2024
SportsMax – West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews delivered a stellar all-round performance to lead her team to a commanding 113-run victory over Pakistan Women in the first One Day...Kaieteur News – Once a habit has been drilled into you, it returns almost automatically when you return to the setting... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]