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Who polices the police?
IT would appear to me that the AIAs are becoming a law unto themselves, and there are some disturbing signs that the law is balanced in their favour.
Take the case of a dispute with them.
They allow you to lodge a dispute with the Department, but they have the ‘right' to issue a writ that prevents you from issuing a certificate until the dispute has been settled.
You have to lodge a complaint with the Department but they get to continue operating regardless. Who gave them this overwhelming authority, and why?
My old friend, Bob Dylan once asked: "How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?" A bumper sticker I read asks: "How many roads must a man drive down, before he admits he is lost?"
I am of the opinion that the AIAs are not only getting lost, but heading for the wilderness and a loss of support by the legitimate contractors.
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I want you to consider this, as the AIA's use this one frequently:
Earth conductors twisted together at light switch with no mechanical bond. Reference SANS 10142-1:2006. 6.12.1.5 Page 183. EMR 13(1) (b).
Let's take a look at 6.12.1.5 - Connections of earth continuity conductors shall not rely only on twisting of the conductor or strands of the conductor.
These earth wires are not ‘connecting' anything; they're just passing through until they get to an appliance where they will be connected to the earthing point of such appliance,
and it is at this point that you may not rely on twisting of the conductors.
What are they trying to achieve here?
Let's just humour them and let's say they are correct.
The earth wires are twisted together but are not mechanically connected to anything.
What's the solution?
If there is no earthing terminal on the switch, then I suppose the next best thing is to mechanically bond the earth wires to the metal wall box.
But what if the wall box is also PVC.
Are we to then just put a mechanical connector on the end of the earth wires?
What have we achieved?
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But wait, that's not all. They quote EMR 13 (1)(b).
The user shall cause all accessible metallic parts of electrical machinery which, though normally not forming part of an electrical circuit, may become alive accidentally to be protected by an insulating covering or otherwise enclosed or to be earthed, except -
- metal in an earth-free situations, other than runs of metal wireway and the close-fitting metal sheathing and armouring of cables;
- short...
- short...
- metalwork...
- metal parts of electrical machinery where such parts are enclosed or shrouded by insulating material so that such metal parts cannot be touched...
- cleats...
- lamp caps...
- metal...
Let's look at what is actually here. The switches are PVC, on a PVC cradle, with a PVC ‘flip off' cover.
Non-conductive material
The way I saw this was the practicality of removing all the switches and cover just to put some form of mechanical bond on the ends of the twisted earth wires. The main reason for this was that all the covers are on painted walls, and as anyone practically knows, the switch covers are never removed when the walls are painted.
You could see that if you tried to remove the covers you would take half the wall off with you, just like the inspector did at the switch point for the main en suite bathroom.
The flush mounting switch boxes may be m etal, but the switches and covers are PVC,
they do everything required by EMR 13(1)(b), not once but twice.
13(1) - all accessible metal parts ...to be protected by an insulating covering or otherwise enclosed...
-----
With tears in my eyes, what do they think the PVC switch mounted on a PVC cradle covered with a PVC clip-on cover is doing?
13(1)(b)(v) - metal parts of electrical machinery where such parts are enclosed or shrouded by insulating material so that such metal parts cannot be touched.
Can you touch the flush mounting wall box when the PVC insulated switch, mounted on a PVC cradle, covered by a PVC clip-on cover is on?
Makes you think doesn't it
i took this article from the sparks magazine.
IT would appear to me that the AIAs are becoming a law unto themselves, and there are some disturbing signs that the law is balanced in their favour.
Take the case of a dispute with them.
They allow you to lodge a dispute with the Department, but they have the ‘right' to issue a writ that prevents you from issuing a certificate until the dispute has been settled.
You have to lodge a complaint with the Department but they get to continue operating regardless. Who gave them this overwhelming authority, and why?
My old friend, Bob Dylan once asked: "How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?" A bumper sticker I read asks: "How many roads must a man drive down, before he admits he is lost?"
I am of the opinion that the AIAs are not only getting lost, but heading for the wilderness and a loss of support by the legitimate contractors.
-----
I want you to consider this, as the AIA's use this one frequently:
Earth conductors twisted together at light switch with no mechanical bond. Reference SANS 10142-1:2006. 6.12.1.5 Page 183. EMR 13(1) (b).
Let's take a look at 6.12.1.5 - Connections of earth continuity conductors shall not rely only on twisting of the conductor or strands of the conductor.
These earth wires are not ‘connecting' anything; they're just passing through until they get to an appliance where they will be connected to the earthing point of such appliance,
and it is at this point that you may not rely on twisting of the conductors.
What are they trying to achieve here?
Let's just humour them and let's say they are correct.
The earth wires are twisted together but are not mechanically connected to anything.
What's the solution?
If there is no earthing terminal on the switch, then I suppose the next best thing is to mechanically bond the earth wires to the metal wall box.
But what if the wall box is also PVC.
Are we to then just put a mechanical connector on the end of the earth wires?
What have we achieved?
-----
But wait, that's not all. They quote EMR 13 (1)(b).
The user shall cause all accessible metallic parts of electrical machinery which, though normally not forming part of an electrical circuit, may become alive accidentally to be protected by an insulating covering or otherwise enclosed or to be earthed, except -
- metal in an earth-free situations, other than runs of metal wireway and the close-fitting metal sheathing and armouring of cables;
- short...
- short...
- metalwork...
- metal parts of electrical machinery where such parts are enclosed or shrouded by insulating material so that such metal parts cannot be touched...
- cleats...
- lamp caps...
- metal...
Let's look at what is actually here. The switches are PVC, on a PVC cradle, with a PVC ‘flip off' cover.
Non-conductive material
The way I saw this was the practicality of removing all the switches and cover just to put some form of mechanical bond on the ends of the twisted earth wires. The main reason for this was that all the covers are on painted walls, and as anyone practically knows, the switch covers are never removed when the walls are painted.
You could see that if you tried to remove the covers you would take half the wall off with you, just like the inspector did at the switch point for the main en suite bathroom.
The flush mounting switch boxes may be m etal, but the switches and covers are PVC,
they do everything required by EMR 13(1)(b), not once but twice.
13(1) - all accessible metal parts ...to be protected by an insulating covering or otherwise enclosed...
-----
With tears in my eyes, what do they think the PVC switch mounted on a PVC cradle covered with a PVC clip-on cover is doing?
13(1)(b)(v) - metal parts of electrical machinery where such parts are enclosed or shrouded by insulating material so that such metal parts cannot be touched.
Can you touch the flush mounting wall box when the PVC insulated switch, mounted on a PVC cradle, covered by a PVC clip-on cover is on?
Makes you think doesn't it
i took this article from the sparks magazine.
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