Amando Diaz, president of Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines Inc. (IIEE) said the term “faulty electrical wiring” as a cause of fire is a “misnomer” because “all the wirings are correct.”
“It is the abuse in use of electrical wirings or electrical equipment which causes fire. The term used is the one faulty,” Diaz explained in a joint press conference held by IIEE and the Philippine Science Journalists Association Inc.
He said, however, the IIEE board of governors would still have to meet to coin the proper term to describe such incidents, but this early they want to disabuse the minds of the people on the use of the term.
He said the term was just used by fire authorities or insurance firms for convenience or for lack of proper words to use, but it gives a “negative picture” of the certified electrical engineers, who make the wirings of houses or buildings.
“Nobody does faulty wiring design,” he said.
Diaz said fires were sometimes caused by faulty electrical equipment, like flat irons or electric fans and exposed electrical wires, but not the wirings themselves.
IIEE made the explanation as part of its year-round Electrical Safety Enforcement and Awareness (ESEA) campaign to educate the people on electrical safety with the slogan “Electrical safety starts with me.”
The 32,000-strong electrical engineers’ group in 77 chapters nationwide and eight abroad started the campaign on Saturday with motorcades in Quezon City to Makati area in Metro Manila, and in Northern Luzon, Central Luzon and Southern Luzon.
Included in the campaign is a Brigada Iskwela, where they had volunteer work or inspected electrical wirings of public school buildings free of charge in preparation for the school opening in June. In Quezon City, inspected was Batino Elementary School in Project 4.
To ensure the safety of the electrical wirings of houses and buildings, Rogelio Avenido, former president of IIEE, recommended that they should be inspected twice a year—before the rainy season and before summer, or at least once a year as engineer Francis Mapile suggested.
Mapile said the institute would soon establish a hot line for the public’s electrical concerns.
IIEE is set to have its general membership meeting on May 26 when they will launch their campaign program.
Jessie Lei, project manager for building construction of the International Copper Association Ltd., said in the same press conference that it has a partnership with IIEE and
other concerned public and private agencies to implement the ESEA campaign.
ESEA aims to, among others, enhance the enforcement of the Philippine Electrical Code; build capacity for the improvement of local electrical inspector’s technical knowledge and skills; increase public awareness on electrical safety; and strengthen institutional cooperation between enforcing authorities.
“Electrical safety is important because it is related to our daily life. Electrical safety should be improved,” Lei said. Lei also noted the safe and efficient use of copper, which is a very good conductor.
Diaz announced that IIEE is preparing a legislation with Agham Party-list Rep. Angelo Palmones on electrical gadgets, such as those which allegedly minimize electric consumption of appliances but their safety and efficacy are not proven and are not registered with any government agency.
Lawyer Delia Villafuerte of the Department of Labor and Employment urged the IIEE to provide the department’s electrical engineers a refresher course and an update of laws on electrical safety.
“We do inspection of electrical installations of companies, so we should be properly updated,” Villafuerte said.
