ACCC: Thousands Of Homes Still Have Dangerous Infinity Electrical Cable Installed
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) states that across Australia thousands of homes still have faulty Infinity electrical cabling installed, with 2,300 km of dangerous electrical cable remaining in homes.
Recalls of all Infinity cables were announced almost two years ago, with the ACCC stating the “cable could become prematurely brittle and break when placed under stress near heat sources and roof access areas, which may lead to electric shock or a fire if the cables are disturbed by tradespeople or home owners”.
“There is a significant risk of serious injury or death for the many Australians whose households had unsafe Infinity electrical cable installed from 2010 in NSW and 2011 or 2012 elsewhere in Australia,” ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard commented.
“Unless remediated, it is estimated that Infinity cable in NSW will start cracking this year and in other jurisdictions from next year. Home owners that have had any electrical work done since 2010 should contact the electrician or builder responsible for the work and ask them if they used Infinity cable or to inspect their work if they are not sure.
“You can also pay to have your home inspected by a qualified electrician if you can’t recall the details of your installer. You should not attempt to check yourself. If the cable is confirmed as Infinity, the cost of remediation will be covered by the supplier.”
The ACCC advises that the recall requires removal of the cable from areas near a heat source, such as an oven, or accessible areas where it is likely to be disturbed, such as in roof spaces, while cables encased in conduit or installed in inaccessible areas pose a reduced risk as they cannot be disturbed, however must still be located and a sticker placed on the electrical box.
“In addition to your rights under the recall, you may also have rights under consumer guarantees, but these are determined on a case-by-case basis,” the ACCC advises.
The ACCC is responsible for 25 voluntary recalls covering around 85 per cent of the total cable supplied, with a total of 52 recalls having been in place since 2014 across all states and the ACT, with the ACCC advising that it has recently learnt that cable was on-sold into the Northern Territory.
The ACCC states that it is auditing all of the recalls it is responsible for in ensuring suppliers are remediating the cable, and to identify any suppliers that may need to do more.