Compulsory wiring checks every 10 years starting next year

PETALING JAYA: All houses will be required to conduct compulsory checks on electrical wiring every 10 years by next year.
The Energy Commission's Electrical Safety Development Head Iffah Hannah Muluk said that under the new amendment of the Electricity Regulation 1994, houses must undergo checks on electrical wiring once every 10 years.
"Previously, we do not have such regulations. Due to the lack of awareness on electrical safety, people do not conduct checks on electrical wiring until something happens," she said during the electrical safety discussion at Schneider Electrics here today.
This comes after the number of fire incidents especially those involving residential units, which has caused fatalities because since 2002, 914 cases had been reported and 50.5% of such cases involved houses.
As for this year, 49 cases were reported with half of it involving fatalities.
Meanwhile, Electrical and Electronics Association President, Chew Shee Fuee said that the awareness among Malaysians on safe electricity is low as many are not aware that the human body itself is a conductor.
"People nowadays think that everything can be Do-It-Yourself (DIY). They see online, and they try doing it without having proper knowledge. This is very dangerous as it can lead to electrocution," he said.
Chew also said that the flooding of fake and uncertified electrical items especially phone cables and chargers is worrisome since such products are prone to electric leakage, which will cause electrocution and worse, fire.
"We need to be aware. This items, if anything happens, nobody can trace it back to who is the manufacturer. For safety, please use items that are certified," he said.
He also advised everyone to only use extension wires for appliances that need low voltage.
"Do not use it on major appliances such as fridge, oven and microwave. You are putting the lives of everyone in the house at danger. To be safe, unplug all appliances when you are not using them to reduce the risk of fire," he said. — Bernama