Water-Damaged Electrical Parts, Waived City Inspections Pose Public Safety
Hazards
BETHESDA, Md., May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- A new investigative report in the
May issue of Electrical Contractor magazine is the first to expose a
potential public safety hazard in the Katrina aftermath. Titled "Disaster
After the Disaster," the article uncovers the risks of an emergency
ordinance that now lets New Orleans homeowners waive electrical inspections
by a city or parish inspector. Approved by the city council and signed by
Mayor Ray Nagin in January, the ordinance allows homeowners to authorize
licensed electricians to certify that residential systems are safe to
activate. Reporter Jeff Griffin discovered the practice through a source
while researching his January Electrical Contractor story on the risks of
the resale of flood-damaged electrical equipment.
"My sources emphasized the serious risks of waiving inspections by city
inspectors while reconnecting power with previously submerged, cleaned and
dried equipment that could result in serious hazards," said Griffin, an
Oklahoma City construction and tools writer who developed both articles
with Electrical Contractor Editor Andrea Klee. "Are there hundreds or
thousands of structures in storm-affected areas that will suddenly go up in
flames when water-damaged wiring shorts out and faulty breakers fail to
shut off power?" poses the article.
As Griffin reports, safety is the reason for electrical inspections.
The long-established and accepted practice is for inspections to be
conducted by qualified professionals representing the jurisdiction in which
properties are located. While waived city inspections can help speed
service to power- starved homeowners, the story said the practice now
raises several concerns:
* The emergency ordinance in New Orleans provides the opportunity for
numerous abuses such as compromising the inspection process, which could
lead to serious safety issues.
* Buildings in other areas previously inspected under other emergency
procedures may have been reconnected to power even though electrical
components were damaged by floodwater and should have been replaced.
* For contractors making inspections, there is the risk of liability
should failures occur in properties they inspected.
* Unconfirmed reports recently surfaced that buildings in other south
Louisiana jurisdictions are being reconnected to power without
replacement of water-damaged electrical components.
Griffin found that the neighboring Jefferson Parish never waived
inspections, and city inspectors are performing inspections in nearby
Mississippi towns.
The article is available at
http://www.lhprmc.com/PDFs/EC.disaster.story.swf.
SOURCE Electrical Contractor magazine
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Related links:
http://www.ecmag.com
http://www.lhprmc.com/PDFs/EC.disaster.story.swf
CONTACT:
Lorelei Harloe, +1-703-362-2774,
lh@lhprmc.com, for Electrical Contractor magazine
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