Master Electricians Australia (MEA) is today issuing an urgent call for all political parties in Victoria to lift electrical safety standards ahead of the upcoming state election.

In recent years, Victoria has been plagued with a spate of tragic deaths that could have been prevented if a safety switch had been installed.

MEA CEO Malcolm Richards said that under current laws, safety switches are not mandatory on all properties, putting Victorian lives at risk.

“MEA is today calling on all parties at the upcoming Victorian election to take drastic action and to follow the lead of other states and to make retrofitting safety switches mandatory on all circuits on all properties,” Mr Richards said.

“The newly release Australian standard now requires Safety Switches on all circuits in homes however there is no requirement to upgrade existing homes leaving many homeowners unprotected.

“In recent years we have seen a spate of tragic deaths in Victoria that could have been prevented if higher electrical safety standards were in place.

Most Victorian homes have safety switches on only one or two circuits, while some homes are only fitted with circuit breakers, which protect appliances and electrical fittings but not human beings.

“A safety switch will cut the flow of electricity faster than the critical phase of a heart beat,” Mr Richards said.

“In most of the electrical deaths we have seen in recent times, a safety switch would almost certainly have saved lives.

“We again call on politicians and bureaucrats to lift the standards and require a safety switch on all circuits in all Victorian homes.