14,000 Electricians certified by Energy Commission
THE Energy Commission has so far licensed 14,000 electricians since the inception of the Electrical Wiring Programme (EWP) some10 years ago.
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The EWP is a training programme which forms part of the processes through which the commission certifies electricians and electrical inspectors in line with the Electrical Wiring Regulations, 2011 (L.I 2008).
Speaking at the launch of the 10th anniversary of the programme in Accra yesterday on the theme:“Celebrating a decade of regulating electrical wiring industry in Ghana”, a Deputy Minister of Energy, Herbert Krapah, said the programme had sanitised the electrical industry and also reduced the spate of burning of houses caused by faulty electrical works.
“The electrical wiring industry was largely perceived as informal and thought to be full of unqualified practitioners.
This not only undermined public trust, but it also exposed all of us to the dangers of sub-standard wiring in our homes and our workplaces,” he said.
Activities earmarked for the year-long celebrations include a public lecture, sensitisation of electricians and the public to the EWP and L.I 2008, and donations by the commission.
The launch was attended by various associations of certified electricians, electrical cable manufacturing and merchandising companies, including other industry players.
Regulations
Per Regulation 7 of L.I 2008, a person shall not undertake electrical wiring on any premises unless that person is certified by a licensed electricity distribution entity or by the Energy Commission.
The commission is mandated to issue guidelines on how a person gets to be certified as an electrician and also keep a register of electrical contractors and persons certified to undertake electrical works.
Regulation 4 of the L.I also prohibits the use of a material not approved by the Ghana Standards Authority for any form of electrical wiring.
Offence
Any person that contravenes the provision of L.I 2008 commits an offence and upon summary conviction shall be subjected to a fine of not more than GH¢3,000, or to a term of imprisonment not more than two years, or to both the fine and imprisonment.
Mr Krapah lauded the commission for dutifully discharging its mandate as a regulator since the passage of L.I 2008,
He said the commission, over the years, had exhibited commitment and professionalism leading to sanity in the electrical industry, a situation which, he said, had made the country a role model for high standards in electrical works in the sub-region.
According to him, the fact that the commission had expanded its operations by establishing electrical wiring secretariats in Kumasi, Tamale and Takoradi was a testament of its commitment to ensure that electricians, in all parts of the country, were duly certified.
“The days of practitioners using crude methods to test their own work due to expensive test instruments are fast fading.
The commission’s negotiated discount scheme on such instruments is making it possible for completed wiring works to be tested more professionally,” Mr Krapah added.
The Board Chairman of the Energy Commission, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro-Owusu, said the commission would soon implement more measures to further improve on the operationalisation of L.I 2008.
Measures
He mentioned some of the measures as the development of standards and codes to facilitate the promotion and use of electric vehicles in the country, revision of the electrical wiring code to enhance the industry and the construction of a practical examination centre for the assessment of certified electrical inspectors.