You want to start a scheme where everyone gets some training as an electrician? Is this supposed to save us money?

Freediver,

I didn't mean that everyone would receive it. Just that a person would have the the option of receiving it, and thereby become entitled to do some degree of wiring in their own home.

I'm not talking about training to the level of a professional electrician, just the simpler tasks such as replacing light sockets and power points, replacing damaged cables, and perhaps extending existing circuits to add new light sockets and power points. Things that people in New Zealand and UK are still allowed to do without formality. I'd be surprised if anything more than a one day course were required - particularly if the work is limited to replacing existing fixtures.

After all, we're still allowed to fit plugs, and I can lawfully wire up a power outlet, lamp socket, or extension lead, provided it's not part of the fixed wiring. Yet the risks are the same if I don't know what I'm doing.

There's a limit to how much most people want to be allowed to do anyway. What galls me about the current situation is that some tasks can be done in less time than it takes merely to organise an electrician, let alone hanging around waiting for one to arrive.

In the UK, under the regulations introduced in 2005, it's only a five day course to become deemed competent to self certify even extensive domestic wiring work.

http://faradaycentre.co.uk/EAL.htm

I wonder what a guy out in the bush is expected to do when a light socket fails - is it really reasonable to say that he has to call a sparky in to fix it, even though that may involve a several hour round trip on the road? I wonder how many farmers actually do that, rather than quietly fixing it themselves.

There's an advertising campaign that I heard recently informing people about the dangers and law regarding DIY wiring. Presumably, then, there's a significant level of non-compliance. I doubt the campaign will have much effect. It would be better to try to educate people so that they can do the job safely.

So your solution is to create another level of bureacracy? In addition to licenced electricians, there should be a second lciensing scheme for 'not quite electricians' who can only do certain jobs and only in their own homes. Do you really think people would pay for this licence that doesn't grant them anything that they can't already do anyway?

Some times truly it is not worth the effort to rebut claims that are so baseless as to be childish.
One claim here is just that, reality rebuts your claim ST G that the reason we have such laws in to keep the work in union hands.
Very few electrical contractors are in a union, rural NSW is mostly one man shows.
Mate can it be you truly think other than safety is the reason?
Lets tip the debate upside down.
Say NSW made a law saying you could install some wiring, some switch's, do some work your selves.
Within weeks deaths would occur, without doubt, ever seen that toaster dad did? earth not connected or such, it is an every day thing.
Soon after those deaths posts would appear here saying NSW Socialist government murders its people!
Just this week, in my workplace as a union official I found a electrical lead untagged in a major work site.
Two leads joined together one tagged one not, the join LAYING IN WATER!
Behind a ice making machine ,spaying water out the back from a hole that should have had a pipe.
An every day event in NSW a state that has at least one death at work and 10 at home each year by electrocution.
In this case the electrician was worthless, but would a plant operator be ok to do the job?

Belly,

I've recently heard a radio ad campaign aimed at telling people that electricity is dangerous, and that DIY wiring is unlawful. The mere fact that the ads are being aired suggests that there is a significant level of non-compliance, which is nevertheless not producing a large number of deaths.

As things stand there is no general education about safe wiring practices, because people are not meant to do it themselves. This unfortunately means that people are not given any understanding of *why* certain things have to be done the way they are. A little education would go a long way.

The toaster example is a case in point. No caring father would leave an earth wire unconnected if he understood why it was there. To the uneducated layman, it probably looks surplus to requirements - particularly as the appliance still works without it.

Sylvia.

Sylvia Else, I'll give you a hint about what happens in the bush. Basic jobs are just done. Most bushies though will still pay and wait to get an electrician to do extension wiring work. They just do their own switch and plug replacement. You are right in saying that a little bit of education goes a long way. Freediver is getting a little stirred up about creating another layer of electricians - we have owner/builder courses that are compulsory if you want to do cosntruction work to your own home. So its pretty easy to extend the same system to electrical work. Particularly something simple like replacing a switch - all you have to be able to do is replicate what's already in place. I think though the concern hinges around poor and therefore dangerous work in a house that you then sell. If you want to hurt yourself, well fine, so long as you dont put someone else in danger. That'll be the hard part to address.