Electrical Connection Winter 2015

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7 8 E L E CT R I C AL CONNE CT I ON W I NT E R 2 01 5
A word from the CEO
As we head into winter and businesses
start planning for the next financial
year, we thought we would use this
edition of NECA News to showcase
two of our key member services:
Industrial Relations (IR) and Work
Health and Safety (WHS).
The three articles in this update
focus on very topical issues in the IR
and WHS space. And we hope you find
them an informative, and possibly even
provocative, read.
We are also just starting to look at the
results from the 2015 Market Monitor.
Here are a few high-level initial findings:
s Competitive pricing and stock
availability remain key supplier
attributes.
s Quality sales staff and on-time delivery
are close behind.
s Pricing and stock availability also drive
the grey market.
s Contractors are looking for more and
more options.
s Search engine ‘shopping’ is bigger
than ever.
s In-store and online sources of product
information are important.
s Brochures and sales reps still have an
important role to play.
s A third of contractors use smartphones
on the job to research new products
and datasheets.
s 60% of respondents say their
customers specify brand choices –
particularly in lamps and lighting.
s Controlling cost, competition and
cash flow is key to running a
successful business.
Look out for the full presentation of
the findings, which will appear on our
website .
Best regards,
Suresh Manickam
By Rory Sweeney – Safety, Environmental,
Quality Manager, South Australia.
Locate the underground assets
Before starting any excavation work all
underground assets (e.g. electric cables, gas,
water and sewage pipes) must be located. The
following will assist with this process:
s Dial Before You Dig.
s Site plans.
s Cable or pipe detection.
s Carefully executed pilot or test holes.
Dial Before You Dig and site plans
Dial Before You Dig is a free national
community service that provides information
about the location of underground pipes
and cables belonging to the various utility
companies around Australia, such as your local
network provider.
Be aware that Dial Before You Dig alone may
not identify all underground pipes or cables.
Some may be part of a private installation and
some of Australia’s underground asset owners
are not members of Dial Before You Dig.
Never assume that the plans you receive
from your enquiry contain exact location of the
underground assets. Assets still need to be
carefully and physically located for confirmation.
Cables are typically buried at between
450mm and 1,000mm, but soil may have been
inadvertently removed from above the assets or
more soil may have been deposited atop them.
Never assume cables or pipes will be located
at a consistent or required depth. Lodge your
application for digging near underground assets
with Dial Before You Dig by visiting the website
You can also call the
national call centre on 1100.
Dial Before You Dig will provide you with the
contact details of the infrastructure owners
on the Enquiry Confirmation Sheet. The
owners may provide additional information or
instructions on locating and working near their
underground assets.
Check location with cable and
pipe detection
One way to take the worry out of locating
buried underground assets is to use the
services of an accredited underground asset
Digging and working near underground assets