Electricians educated on wiring regulations

The Ghana Electrical Contractors Association (GECA) on Wednesday held a seminar in Accra to educate members on wiring regulations and the Ghana Electrical Wiring Regulations 2012 Legislative Instrument (L.I) 2008.

Mr Julius Debrah, Greater Accra Regional Minister, said the seminar would sanitize the activities of the electrical contractors’ fraternity and ensure professionalism and help maintain standards.

He said the seminar was organized at the right time, particularly when countless properties running into millions of cedis have been lost through suspected electrical related fire outbreaks.

Mr Debrah said the implementation of the LI was the responsibility of members of the Association and that it was sad to observe that there were so many bye laws which are intended to regulate the actions and activities of members in the statute books.

He said these laws were flouted or disregarded with careless abandonment with no sanctions applied, adding, “As an association I wish that you introduce mechanisms to self regulate your members and ensure that they adhere strictly to guidelines provided in the bill to avoid the incidence of fire outbreaks as a result of the use of inferior cables and appliances.”

Mr John Abdulai Jinapor, a Deputy Minister of Energy, said the country in the first quarter of this year recorded 2,201 fire outbreaks and had lost about 16 million Ghana cedis.

He said the objective of the Ministry of Energy is to do a mass re- wiring of all government buildings in the country and that these contracts would be awarded to Ghanaian contractors.

Mr Jinapor said the Ministry was encouraging the Electricity Company of Ghana and other Ghanaians to buy Made-in-Ghana electrical cables.

He commended the national executives of the Association for organizing such an event and assures them of Government commitment to partner and support Ghanaian companies to ensure standards are maintained .

Mr Joseph Walker, National President of the Association, said members of the Association were trained to work with the LI regulations and to apply tested and approved standards, codes, good practices and upgrade themselves by attending seminars.

Source: GNA