Professional electricians and installers are risking their lives everyday by not following basic safety procedures around safe isolation and using lock out kits. Malcolm Duncan, Managing Director at SuperRod shares the shocking results of their survey with Darren and Dave.

Topics: 

• Why SuperRod got involved with this safety survey
• The shocking statistic – 13 people died and 228 were injured by electricity
• Have things improved since the original survey in 2018
• How many installers use a lock-out kit
• Technical and social skills needed to survive on site
• The cost of not following safety procedure

SuperRod https://bit.ly/3J8xppn

Darren and Dave are talking about the regulations related to premature collapse - cables that could collapse in the event of a fire. How should you be fixing them? How do the regulations apply in protected escape routes? And how do you know where these rules apply. Michael Peace of the IET digs into the details.

Topics: 

• Why regulations about premature collapse were introduced
• Where the regulations apply – escape routes
• How new regulations apply to all cables – not just electrical
• What kind of fixing can be used to secure cables in these areas – practical examples
• Why these regulations are important to protect firefighters
  When non-combustible fixings are appropriate
• How 2nd amendment regulations have been brought into line with building regulations
• Who defines what’s a protected area?
  Where the updated regulations about cables liable to premature collapse apply

Where should you be using RCDs? When should you be using them and why do the regulations keep on changing? Darren and Dave get technical with Michael Peace of the IET to answer some of your questions about residual current devices.

Topics: -

• RCD standards – what they mean
• Why you need to test RCDs
• Why a 1x test is enough
• How often should RCDs be tested?
• How do you test existing RCDs?
• The correct way to test an RCD
• What results should you record?
• The future of RCDs

Changes to Insulation Resistance testing under the 2nd Amendment to the 18th Edition Wiring regulations raise a lot of questions at our TechTalk events. Darren and Dave talk to Michael Peace of the IET to find out what the latest insulation resistance testing requirements mean for you.

Topics: -

• How inspection and testing regulations are agreed
• IR Testing – what regulation 643.3.3 means
• Do you need to test before AND after a 2nd fix?
• What to test when adding to an existing circuit
• Why 500V testing is necessary
• When a 250V test is applicable
• Summary of the regulations and what they mean

You said you wanted to hear more about Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDDs) on the podcast, so that’s what we’re covering this week, with Michael Peace of the IET. Darren and Dave dive into the technical details and regulations to answer some of your questions.

Topics: - 

• What does the regs book say about AFDDs?
• How the regs apply in higher risk buildings and why they’ve changed
• How incidents like the Grenfell fire affect regulations
• What further changes may come with the 3rd amendment? 
• Is false tripping an issue?
• How AFDD regulations apply to homes of multiple occupation, student accommodation and care homes
• What happens when you have a mixture of new and existing circuits?
• Why don’t you need AFDDs in lighting circuits?

The IET https://bit.ly/2xejV8i

Join Darren and Dave as they chat with Neil Brown from MK about their smart innovation connected sockets and how they can help save businesses thousands on their energy bills. 

Topics: 

• What is a connected power socket and how does it work?
• How connected sockets plug into building management systems.
• How much energy can connected sockets save?
• How connected sockets work – scheduling, managing and maintenance.

MK range - https://bit.ly/3NPV524

MK - https://bit.ly/3TbyiPA

Darren and Dave are joined by Craig Marks, Divisional Manager, Adele Feller, Customer Service Manager and Graham Cass, Purchasing Manager of CEF Online to discuss how online orders are processed and delivered from our state-of-the-art warehouse.

Topics: 
• How CEF online processes your customer orders and delivers them
• How the customer service team helps 
• How we choose products and how many are in stock at any time
• Our amazing automated packing machine

CEF - https://bit.ly/3TPpMqo

Discover how to choose tools that can help protect your life and livelihood as Darren and Dave chat to Andrew Spencer from Dewalt and learn some powerful truths about safety at work.

Topics: 
• What the Perform & Protect logo means on DeWalt powertools
• Dust extraction
• Vibration reduction
• Working at height
• M-Class and what that means for working on-site
• How to protect yourself to keep on working

Dewalt - https://bit.ly/3StebvU

Chris Ashworth reflects on how CEF supports career progression, company culture and the importance of offering electrical expertise alongside great products and service. He also explains what customers can expect from CEF in future.

Topics: 

• From van driver to Managing Director – a career at CEF
• How CEF serves customers through the branch network and online
• National projects
• Working with the IET
• Supporting customers through 391 branches
• TechTalks
• The importance of culture and customer service
• What the future holds for CEF customers

CEF - https://www.cef.co.uk

Everything you need to know about SPDs – why we need them, what the regulation say and how to use them to protect different zones. Darren and Dave spark up the chat with Robin Earl of Dehn UK. 

Topics: 

• SPDs and why we still need them
• What BS 7671 says about SPDs
• What do SPDs do and why they need to be co-ordinated
• The difference between type 2 and Type 3 SPDs
• Zones and protected areas explained
• Inside the Dehn factory
• SPD life span
• SPDs and over current protection

SPDs - https://bit.ly/3VfnzWt