ARE YOUR CABLES SAFE?
Electrical cables sold in Australia must meet Australian Standards and be safe to use. We exist to make sure of it!
Report defective cable
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The Australian Cable Initiative (ACI) is a not-for-profit organisation advocating for improved safety and compliance of electrical cables.
Our testing and surveillance program monitors electrical cables manufactured, sold, used, or distributed in Australia to ensure compliance with Australian Standards.
CABLE QUALIFICATION AND SURVEILLANCE
The Process
Test and test again
ACI members carry out continuous testing practices to make sure their cables are compliant with Australian Standards.
Peace of Mind
Contractors and building owners/managers can have confidence that the cables they’re paying for are safe.
What happens when a faulty cable is discovered?
Non-compliant cable discovered in Australia
Why it matters
There have been two high profile examples of non-compliant and dangerous cables sold into the Australian market in recent times.
Firstly, Infinity/Olsent cable, which is subject to ACCC mandatory recall. The second is E Cables cable where all buildings with the cable installed received a circuit protection rating downgrade and other consequences.
Both cases were detected by ACI and reported to the authorities.
Both cases were detected by ACI and reported to the authorities.
It is critical that manufacturers have in-house processes in place to assure the safety and compliance of their products.
I commend the industry for its work in establishing the Australian Cable Initiative (ACI). I understand that the initiative is all about the industry working together to provide a second line of defence to improve product safety and compliance of cables supplied in the Australian market. Initially involving member organisations, the initiative has developed a testing program that will sample products from around the country every month and have them checked in accordance with selected clauses of the Australian standard. If any compliance issues are identified the impacted company will be contacted and if any safety issues are identified the results will be shared with the relevant electrical safety regulator. Any learnings will be also shared across the sector.
It is critical that manufacturers have in-house processes in place to assure the safety and compliance of their products. This initiative provides another layer of oversight, that is driven and delivered by the industry, to encourage the maintenance and indeed improvement of standards in the sector. Energy Safe Victoria, as the state-based electrical safety regulator, will continue to oversee the industry and hold manufacturers and suppliers to account. Building confidence in product safety is in everyone’s interests. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of the initiative over the coming months.”
Marnie Williams
Commissioner and Chairperson