XN000022-1984-02-17 — Page 2

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1984

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ELECTRICITY SUPPLY REGULATIONS AMENDED

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A REGULATION DATING BACK MORE THAN 70 YEARS, REQUIRING THE POWER COMPANIES TO CARRY OUT CHECKS ON WIRES AND FITTINGS AT LEAST ONCE EVERY FIVE YEARS, HAS BEEN AMENDED.

UNDER THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS 1984 PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE TODAY, THE FIVE-YEAR TESTING REQUIREMENT WILL NO LONGER APPLY IN CASES WHERE THE DIRECTOR OF ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL SERVICES (DEMS) IS SATISIFIED THAT A CONSUMER HAS MADE ADEQUATE TESTING ARRANGEMENTS HIMSELF, IN WHICH CASE A CERTIFICATE OF SATISFACTION WILL BE ISSUED.

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THE REQUIREMENT FOR TESTING EVERY FIVE YEARS WAS INTRODUCED IN 1911 WHEN THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY ORDINANCE AND ITS REGULATIONS WERE BROUGHT INTO EFFECT.

HE SAID THAT BECAUSE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN THE QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP AND MATERIALS USED FOR INSTALLATIONS, THE REQUIREMENT IS NOW REGARDED AS OUT OF DATE.

HE SAID, HOWEVER, BEFORE A CERTIFICATE OF SATISFACTION IS GRANTED, THE CONSUMER CONCERNED WILL HAVE TO SATISFY DEMS THAT THE INSTALLATION FOR WHICH THE CERTIFICATE IS BEING SOUGHT HAD BEEN REGULARLY MAINTAINED, INSPECTED AND TESTED FOR A PERIOD OF NOT LESS THAN TWO YEARS PRIOR TO THE APPLICATION BY:

(A)

A FULLY QUALIFIED ELECTRICAL ENGINEER EMPLOYED BY THE CONSUMER APPLYING FOR THE CERTIFICATE;

(B) A CONTRACTOR CURRENTLY ON THE GOVERNMENT LIST FOR

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS OR

(C)

ANY OTHER CONTRACTOR ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE TO THE SATISFACTION OF DEMS THE POSSESSION OF SUITABLE QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE IN THE ELECTRICAL FIELD AND WHO HAD BEEN IN BUSINESS AT LEAST THREE YEARS PRIOR TO THE APPLICATION.

EACH CERTIFICATE ISSUED BY DEMS WILL PROVIDE THAT THE INSTALLATION FOR WHICH THE CERTIFICATE HAD BEEN GRANTED SHOULD BE TESTED AT INTERVALS OF NO MORE THAN FIVE YEARS BY THE CONTRACTOR SPECIFIED BY THE APPLICANT AND ACCEPTED BY DEMS AND THAT CERTIFIED RECORDS OF EACH TEST CARRIED OUT SHOULD BE FORWARDED IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS TO DEMS.

THE PROVISION NOT TO CARRY OUT THE TESTING WILL APPLY ONLY AS LONG AS DEMS DOES NOT WITHDRAW HIS CERTIFICATE OF SATISFACTION.

THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT ALSO PROVIDES THAT DEMS IS TO BE NOTIFIED BY THE RELEVANT POWER COMPANY IF THE COMPANY BECOMES AWARE THAT A DEFECT MIGHT EXIST IN A CONSUMER'S WIRES AND FITTING TO WHICH A DEMS CERTIFICATE RELATED.

FURTHERMORE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID, DEMS IS TO NOTIFY THE CONSUMER AND THE POWER COMPANY IN WRITING IF HE WITHDRAWS HIS CERTIFICATE OF SATISFACTION AND IS TO SPECIFY THE PERIOD WITHIN WHICH THE POWER COMPANY MUST TEST THE CONSUMER'S INSTALLATION.

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