REWIRE 18-YEAR-OLD PUBLIC BUILDINGS (PAGE 22, NOV 14)

THE Ghana Electrical Contractors Association (GECA) has called on the Ghana National Fire Service to recommend to the government to rewire all public buildings in the country which are more than 18 years old to prevent such structures from catching fire.
According to them, the call had become necessary to prevent such buildings from catching fire as in the case of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other public buildings which were destroyed by fire.
Members of the association made the call at a day’s workshop in Sunyani organised by Nexans Kabelmetal Ghana Limited, manufacturers of high quality building, energy, industrial and telecommunications cables, in collaboration with the GECA.
They said any renovation carried out on any public building in the country must also go hand-in-hand with its rewiring, especially when the building had been in existence for over 18 years.
The workshop, held on the theme: “Selection of cables, the workman’s safety,” was to update the knowledge of users of cables, especially on the need to choose the right and quality cable for wiring to ensure their safety and that of property owners.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Commercial Manager of Nexans’ Kabelmetal Ghana Limited, Mr Aaron Sagoe, said the aim of the workshop was to step up public education for property owners and electrical contractors to use the right cables for wiring to prevent fire outbreaks.
He said another objective of the workshop was to ensure the safety of all users of cables.
He enjoined all property owners to change their wiring systems at least every 20 years to ensure efficiency in the use of the systems.
Mr Sagoe, therefore, urged electrical contractors to insist on using the right cables to work for their clients, adding that property owners should also patronise quality cables instead of the inferior ones which often led to fire outbreaks.
He said Nexans Kabelmetal Ghana Limited was the leading manufacturer of quality cables for wiring of buildings, energy, industrial and telecommunication purposes, as their products had stood the test of time for the past 40 years.
Mr Sagoe gave the assurance that Kabelmetal would continue to satisfy the needs of its customers by supplying them with products of high quality .
Station Officer Moses Blay of the Ghana National Fire Service in Sunyani called on electrical contractors to impress upon their clients to buy quality cables for their house wiring.
According to him, most of the fire outbreaks were caused by electrical faults due to the usage of inferior cables.
The National President of GECA, Mr Joseph B. Walker, said the workshop was a nationwide one aimed at educating their members on the need to select the right cables for their work to ensure their safety and that of others.