ANOTHER year has dawned upon the electrical industry and, in many ways, there has not been much change over the last few years. I am continually reminded of the adage: ‘the only constant is change' and I believe this year may well bring about the much-needed change.
The ever-present negativity surrounding AIAs will present itself again as the finalisation of accreditation criteria by the Department of Labour looms. There will be new AIAs on the horizon and there will be no turning back - whether the industry likes it or not.
From my perspective, the challenge is going to be the standardisation of regulation interpretation and, although the accreditation criteria through the South African Accreditation System (SANAS) will ensure compliance to a standard system of inspection, interpretation remains cardinal.
As it is, I am aware of a number of persons now operating under the guise of ‘Inspection Authorities' and, with no control over these entities, trouble is brewing. I have a fundamental belief that this industry cannot survive the economic depression - which will still be with us for a number of years - without effective policing of the standard of electrical installations.
To this end, I have looked back in history to the objections surrounding the implementation of AIAs from the beginning and the one common thread to which most of industry tried to cling to, was that the old ‘municipal inspectorates' were responsible for the inspection and ultimately the ‘certification' of electrical installations.
"Bring the municipal inspectors back!" was the cry. This was never going to happen and will never again happen. But, I began to look at the principle to which industry was clinging and had to agree that a shift in the application of inspection is required.
I also began to look at other AIAs appointed under different Regulations and I believe the answer may lie in bringing certain old elements and new together.
The reason for the continued demise of the legitimate electrical contractor lies in the fact that he cannot compete on a level footing with the ‘cowboys' as the issue of a Certificate of Compliance remains the bottom line. The ‘cowboys' will issue any CoC on the back of undercutting legitimate electrical contracts in order to get the work... and the public is quite happy to appoint these shysters to save a buck.
The standard of the electrical installation and the safety thereof means nothing to them. The only way to curb these practices is to get the ‘inspector' (as in the old days) to inspect and certify the installation. If the work is found to be non-compliant, no CoC will be issued and it will be ‘back to the drawing board' for the contractor.
The ultimate solution, I believe, is that the AIA should become responsible for the issue of the CoC and the Registered Person responsible to ensure that the installation is installed correctly and that he completes the required test report and attests to the fact that all installation work was done with the required general control and is compliant.
This way, the ‘cowboys' will either conform to good electrical practice or they will be unable to operate as they will not be able to obtain CoCs. To control the required number of AIAs to issue CoCs is a lot easier than controlling the 30 000 or so Registered Persons out there, a vast number of them having no idea of what ‘compliance' means and, in fact, don't care.
And the icing on the cake for the legitimate contractor: The AIA deals with the public after issue of the CoC where non-compliance is alleged by another contractor.
Level the playing field and we will have a better playing field for all!
Many Registered Persons out there have the best interests of this country's electrical industry at heart. I would like to hear from them - their frustrations, their concerns, and their ideas for a way forward.
Please send your comments to me at mark@geia.co.za
