President of the President of the Association of Certified Electrical Wiring Professional Inspectors (CEWP), Elder Kwame Appiagye Torto has called for intensified education on the safe usage of electrical heaters and gadgets.
He mentioned that there some series of test that need to be run on the electrical heaters before they are installed, such as insulation resistance test to prove that all live carrying conductors that inputs the elements which turn into heater do not have any direct contact water and the metal noncurrent parts.
“Electrical safety education is important to help the public know the dangers of electricity and how water heaters and electrical gadgets could be used. Part of safety is education” Elder Torto told Johnnie Hughes on 3FM Sunrise Morning Show.
According to him, per prescriptions of standard, the minimum standard should be 2 mega ohms. You can get more than 2 mega ohms but when it is more than that, you are sure that the language of the instrument is high and that your water heater is correct.
His advice comes on the back of the incidence of a father, Charles Segbedzie-Pongo 51 and his 4 years old son Fiifi Sefadzi who got electrocuted and died whiles using their water heater in their apartment at Tema.
Elder Torto raised concerns on how the importation of water heaters into the country is regulated to ensure that the water heaters brought into the country are of quality standard and fit into the Ghanaian climatic conditions and specifications.
“What types of water heaters are brought into the country, where is it coming from, who are the manufacturer of the water heater and who approves the water heater before it enters the country?” he quizzed
Elder Torto noted that there certain instances that people move into places where water heaters are not already installed and buy water heater for a plumber to install it whereas, another person comes to connect it without doing due diligence to check for safety.
“The Ghana Standard Authority is doing their best but I advise that if you buy a water heater, you should get a professional to test it, though it could be brand new, it can be subjected to a fault” he admonished.
The electrical engineer added that people should not just buy electrical gadgets because they can afford them, but they should get some education on how best to use them to ensure safety and durability.
By Samuel Afriyie Owusu|3news.com|Ghana
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