Thousands of homeowners across Australia remain at risk of electrocution or house fires due to faulty Infinity electrical cables installed in their homes.
Infinity cable installed in NSW homes in 2010 could have already started cracking, with remaining states and territories (where it was installed from 2011) in danger from next year.
The product safety regulator is warning the dangerous 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 home owners or tradespeople.
The national recall began in August 2013.
"Four years into the recall, only 54 per cent of the 4,313 km of dangerous cable subject to a voluntary recall has been found and fixed. Your home might be a ticking time-bomb if you haven’t had Infinity cabling replaced," ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.
The ACCC is again warning electricians to make contact with previous clients, including property owners and businesses, if they suspect they may have installed Infinity cables.
"In some circumstances, suppliers, installers and property owners may be liable to pay compensation for injury or property damage caused by Infinity cable installed in buildings," Ms Rickard said.
For around $100 to $200, depending on the size of your home, an electrician can inspect the cabling and if Infinity cable is discovered, the cost of inspection will be covered by the cable supplier along with the full cost of remediation.
"If you have had electrical cables installed in your home between 2010 and 2013, the ACCC is urging you to get your home inspected by a licensed electrician. Do not attempt to inspect the cabling yourself," Ms Rickard warned.
The ACCC is currently auditing all of the recalls it is responsible for to ensure that suppliers are remediating the cable, and to identify any suppliers that may need to do more.
Background
The ACCC is monitoring the 25 voluntary recalls involving 4313km of cables. NSW Office of Fair Trading is conducting a mandatory recall of an additional 1,227km of Infinity cable sold by another 25 local traders.
All TPS and Orange Round cable sourced from Infinity Cable Co Pty Ltd and supplied under 'INFINITY' and 'OLSENT' brands are affected.
The cable is labelled 'INFINITY' or 'OLSENT' at one metre intervals.
Infinity Cable voluntary recalls – Progress report as at 30 April 2017
|
State |
Installation period |
KM supplied* |
KM remediated this month |
KM remediated from property |
Total KM recovered from warehouses |
KM Scheduled for future remediation |
KM remediated including future scheduled (% of state total) |
KM outstanding (% of state total) |
Properties Made Safe |
|
NSW** |
2010-2013 |
2384 |
1.84 |
205 |
309 |
115 |
629 26% |
1755 74% |
433 |
|
QLD |
2012-2013 |
651 |
110.47 |
200 |
173 |
253 |
626 96% |
25 4% |
1002 |
|
SA |
2012-2013 |
50 |
0.00 |
7 |
11 |
16 |
35 70% |
15 30% |
60 |
|
TAS |
2013 |
0.195 |
0.00 |
.195 |
0.0 |
0 |
0.195 100% |
0 0% |
1 |
|
VIC |
2012-2013 |
831 |
3.61 |
67 |
252 |
344 |
663 80% |
168 20% |
409 |
|
WA |
2012-2013 |
293 |
0.90 |
26 |
85 |
181 |
292 100% |
1 0% |
349 |
|
ACT |
2011-2013 |
104 |
11.14 |
21 |
29 |
25 |
74 72% |
29 28% |
290 |
|
NT*** |
- |
0.5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.5 |
0.5 100% |
0 0% |
0 |
|
Total |
- |
4313 |
128 |
525 |
860 |
935 |
2320 54% |
1993 46% |
2544 |
Note: all figures rounded
*KMs supplied based on supplier figures advised via recall notification and progress reports.
**Not included in this table is an additional 1,227km cable subject to a NSW Fair Trading mandatory recall.
***Small amount on-supplied to Northern Territory from another state.
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