On the heels of the Infinity cable debacle, authorities have issued one of the largest recalls in the history of the electrical industry. Paul Skelton investigates what this means for electrical contractors.

Problems with Infinity Cable Co products first became public in August 2013.

At that time, the NSW Department of Fair Trading issued a voluntary recall on three batches of ‘Infinity’ branded insulated electrical cables – batch numbers INFH 190311, INFH 210912 and INFMEL 081112.

There had been no reports of incidents or injuries to people or property, but testing showed that the plastic insulation could become brittle when exposed to high temperatures over time.

When this recall was announced, Fair Trading was led to believe that the cable had been sold only in NSW for about 12 months. However, the problem went a lot further. (See ‘Affected Areas’.)

In August 2014, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced that 18 electrical retailers and wholesalers around the country had recalled the affected Infinity cable. Infinity cables had been supplied everywhere except the Northern Territory.

It is estimated that more than 4,000km of the cable had been sold, affecting about 40,000 households and businesses.

The cables concerned include:

All TPS cable – All sizes and configurations of polymeric insulated electrical cable that is PVC sheathed, PVC insulated, flat and flexible low-voltage electrical cable (also commonly known as TPS imported) sold or distributed by Infinity Cable Co; and,

All orange round cable – All sizes and configurations of polymeric insulated electrical cable that is PVC sheathed, PVC insulated, round and flexible low-voltage electrical cable (also known as ‘orange round’) imported, sold or distributed by Infinity Cable Co.

Olsent power cables sourced from Infinity Cable Co and solely supplied by Masters Home Improvement are also affected. (NB: Not all Olsent cabling is affected.)

ACCC deputy chairwoman Delia Rickard says the national recall was a result of extensive technical and legal analysis of an unprecedented incident in the electrical industry. The recall stemmed from 21 regulators in the building and electrical safety sectors, fair trading agencies and the ACCC. Every jurisdiction in which cable was supplied was represented on the taskforce.

Delia says the issue was first raised with the ACCC by industry associations, such as the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA), which wanted to see a co-ordinated national approach to remediation.

“We stepped in to provide a lead agency for co-ordinating the taskforce, to ensure we got a consistent national approach toward remediation,” she says.

However, it was not as easy as simply issuing a broad product recall.

“We first had to understand the extent of the risk and then to understand the legal regime around it, because this is a very expensive problem to fix.

“We wanted to get this decision out as quickly as we could, but we first had to do the groundwork to make sure we knew what we were talking about.

“There was a range of testing that needed to be done around the ageing of cable in different environments and ambient temperatures. This understandably takes time; it can’t be done overnight.

“This was followed by a lot of discussion with electrical experts to determine what the risk was and what would constitute a safe remediation under the Consumer Product Safety Recall Guidelines.

“Finally, we also wanted to build a spirit of co-operation between all of the parties so that those best placed to do the remediation – and to afford it – stepped up and did it.”

The testing found that the cables didn’t comply with the mandatory Standard AS/NZS 5000 Electric Cables – Polymeric Insulated. This calls up the Standard AS/NZS 3808 Insulating and Sheathing Materials for Electric Cables, which refers to the ageing test as the ‘thermal ageing of elastomers’ test.

Testing showed that the plastic insulation could become brittle when exposed to high temperatures over time. The heat can come from the copper wire itself or from the environment in hotter parts of the country.

“The problem involved the sheathing, which degraded prematurely and became brittle,” Delia says.

“If it’s disturbed, it can crack, potentially leading to electrocutions and fires.

“These problems extended to the outer protective insulation as well as the inner coloured insulation. They degraded at different times – but both much faster than they should have.”

“The taskforce found no immediate danger, but careful steps should be taken by a licensed electrical contractor to prevent electric shock or fires in coming years.”

Expert advice is that the cable may become brittle from 2016 onwards.

“Cable suppliers will arrange for an inspection of the wiring, and remediation of any installed Infinity cable that they supplied, free of charge to the consumer,” Delia says.

“Cable near a heat source, such as an oven or overhead commercial light source, needs to be replaced.

“The opinion of electrical experts on the taskforce is that any cable encased in masonry doesn’t need to be removed.

“However, where there is any remaining cable at all, a safety switch needs to be placed in the fuse box. There also must be a sticker alerting people to the presence of Infinity cable (see Figure 1).

“We’re telling installers who know they have used this cable to alert customers and the supplier. The supplier can then organise someone to look at the installation and determine the appropriate remediation.”

So, how did this problem come to be?

“Infinity cable was brought in from China by an importer, Infinity Cable Co, which is now in liquidation,” Delia says.

“Our understanding is that the cable had a Certificate of Compliance when it first came in. Whether the certificate was a forgery or another cable type was used to acquire it, we don’t know. What is apparent, is that the cable sold to Australian wholesalers in large amounts was not compliant with safety Standards.

“Suppliers should understand that if product is sourced overseas with great savings upfront, this comes with the additional responsibility of proper product stewardship. Proper processes should be in place to ensure safety Standards are met.”

Delia says the NSW Department of Fair Trading has charged the supplier, and the case is scheduled to be heard in the Supreme Court later this year.

“That aside, we’re now putting all of our efforts into organising the recall through suppliers – in particular Masters, through which half of this cable was sold.”

Potentially making matters more difficult was an October 2013 announcement by the liquidator of Infinity Cable Co, Crouch Amirbeaggi, that a large quantity of TPS and orange round cable was stolen from the Infinity warehouse in Wetherill Park.

In response to the ACCC announcement of a national recall, the company issued this media release:

“The ACCC has issued a consolidated voluntary recall notice relating to Infinity and Olsent branded TPS and orange round electrical cables supplied by Infinity Cable Co Pty Ltd.

“There is no immediate safety risk associated with the installed cable.

“Masters and John Danks & Son stores withdrew the cables from sale in October 2013.

“Masters and John Danks & Son are committed to carrying out the recall and remedial actions set out in the ACCC’s consolidated voluntary recall notice.”

NECA chief executive Suresh Manickam has cautiously welcomed the recall announcement.

“While NECA remains concerned about the potential risk to consumers and industry reputation, given that not all Infinity cabling will be removed, we believe that the principal recommendations to limit risk are welcome and necessary.

“We understand that the ACCC decision to take a risk-based approach in this situation is probably the best outcome under the circumstances. It is a sensible compromise to remove and replace only cable that is exposed to heat sources where there is a risk of electric shocks and/or fire, and in easy-to-access areas, coupled with the use of safety switches on the remaining cable.

“This issue only serves to remind contractors that they should exercise extreme caution when purchasing products outside of the traditional electrical wholesaler environment, to prevent such situations recurring.”

NECA was one of the original members of the ACCC Infinity Cable Reference Group.

“Once again, we remind the Federal Government that stronger and more effective measures are necessary to ensure that an Infinity-type situation isn’t repeated.

“NECA has previously called for the harmonisation of state and territory legislation to deal with product compliance, increased recognition and support for random product batch testing.

“We have also called for greater recognition and participation by all states and territories to create a national database that contractors and consumers can access to check a product’s compliance.

“Plus, we would like to see the industry push for recall insurance to be a requirement for any wholesalers and distributors, thereby protecting contractors and consumers when products have been purchased in good faith.”

Delia has cautioned the industry that because of its scope the problem won’t be fixed overnight.

“We are strongly advising all electricians and contractors to regularly check our recalls website – www.recalls.gov.au – for up-to-date information.

“This will take some time, but we need to get it right.”