- Coming up on this week's news, insurers tell the trade to put EV charges at least seven and a half meters from properties, because of the risk of fire. Judges slap a big fine on a car cleaning firm whose dodgy electrics put its workers in danger of electrocution. And the electrician who earns 16,000 pounds in a fortnight by simply changing light bulbs. Welcome to "Electrical News Weekly". Whether you're listening in the van onsite or down at the wholesale counter. I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. And as always, if you think you've spotted the two words that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. Insurers are telling the trade to put electric vehicle charges installed to commercial buildings as far away from properties as possible, and at least seven and a half meters from doors and windows. The request is designed to protect the buildings from a possible fire in the car, but it will come as a bombshell to many electricians who've already installed ChargePoints on outside walls. The Zurich Insurance Group also says there should be no vegetation or other material within two meters of the charger. And it says an RCD should be installed and tested every six months. Additionally, emergency manual isolation should be provided in a prominently signed posted and easily accessible location to allow for the safe shutdown of the charger. The company says that electricians should choose a location for the ChargePoint that will still be accessible if a vehicle is on fire. It says that recent fires have shown that electric cars and vans pose a big challenge to the fire brigade. That's because lithium batteries create high energy, high temperature fireballs that are really difficult for firefighters to control. I've popped a link into the notes for you to download Zurich's EV guidance booklet. And if you'd like to know more about the dos and don'ts of EV ChargePoint installation, then please check out the free training package that we've created to help you with your CPD in association with Zaptec on this very subject. You'll find a link to that in the show notes. And because we made a small error in the opening story during the original recording of this episode, those of you watching the video version of this podcast are about to enjoy seeing me get a reverse haircut in three, two, one. In other news, an electrician has revealed how he earned a whopping 16,000 pounds in a fortnight simply by changing light bulbs. Ben Poulter worked from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM every day for two weeks, swapping the lamps at a well-known restaurant chain. In normal weeks, the Kettering Bright Spark does pretty well too. The 42-year-old makes an average of 4,000 pounds every month, equivalent to a salary of around 50,000 pounds. So, what's the secret to his success? Poulter says that the key to prospering as an electrician is being social and talking to people. He says, "The only way to grow your business is to build a rapport with your clients. Then, they suggest you for more jobs." He says office workers sometimes look down on him. He says, "They sit in their fancy homes with their Teslas and think highly of themselves, but they're never safe while they're working for someone else. However, if you build a great reputation, you can move anywhere." Poulter did an electrical apprenticeship when he was 19. After years of working for companies, he went solo and now gets to dictate his own working hours. He says that's one of the great advantages of being an electrician and it just so happens Ben is literally down the road from me here in Corby. So, if you're watching, Ben, and you want to get together for a brew and a chinwag, let me know. A company that could have done with Poulter's expertise is a car valeting business in County Durham. The firm must pay out more than 10,000 pounds after safety inspectors found workers were at risk of electrocution. A garage door and a vacuum cleaner were found to have live exposed parts nearby workers who were washing cars. The Health and Safety Executive took action to protect the staff at UK Express Valeting Limited based on the Abraham Industrial Estate in Bishop Auckland. A probe found that the car cleaning firm was using unsafe equipment and had many faulty electrical installations. The investigators ordered the company to test and fix the electrical installation, but despite four visits over seven months, the firm took no action. The company eventually pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act by failing to comply with an improvement notice. Peterlee Magistrates' Court fined the firm's 6,000 pounds and ordered it to pay 4,200 pounds in costs. HSE inspector, Clare Maltby, said that no one should have to work in conditions that were unsafe and a risk to themselves and others. Belgium has become the latest country to roll out the red carpet for electricians. It may be a small country, but it says it has thousands of vacancies in the trade, but it's competing with Australia and Saudi Arabia who were first out to try to seduce our sparks. Belgium says it can offer high living standards for British electricians as well as low crime rates, a rich history, and great cuisine. So, if you're partial to some moules and frites washed down by beer brewed by monks, and you wanna get away from the riffraff, I've popped the link in the show notes. If however you're partial to some trade credit on the other hand, electrical directors just introduced what it's calling trusted trade accounts. Under the scheme, you can now get 60 days credit of up to 10,000 pounds. You apply online and if approved, you can start your account right away. The online and in-store supplier has 12,000 products in stock, including brands like FuseBox, Doncaster Cable, and Wiska. In product news, ROBUS has unveiled a special app with loads of cool features and benefits. For instance, you can pop your project details into the MyROBUS app and you'll receive a free of charge lighting design from the team in Dublin. There's also a(indistinct) quick design calculator included as well. You can also browse all the firm's products, get fast quotes, and make warranty claims straight onto your phone. Best of all though, you can earn rewards which turn into money. If you spend a thousand pounds on downlights, you'll get a thousand points, which is equal to a 10 pound voucher to spend on a range of goodies. The MyROBUS app is available for download from the App Store on your phone. Martindale has introduced two advanced socket and non-trip earth loop testers, the EZ165 and EZ365. They can detect 28 fault conditions, check the main's voltage level, and carry out a non-trip earth loop test. The red and green LED show you the neutral earth and live connections and make it easy to spot common faults. The EZ365 model also features an incoming supply polarity swap test and the ability to trip test 30 milliamp RCDs. The live neutral on earth cross polarity test detects a serious fault condition that cannot be identified by many socket testers. You activate it by using the touch pad on the EZ365. And finally, a date for your diary. We're teaming up with the EI Live! show this September. EI Live! is the place to learn about the opportunities in the trade for smart homes and audio-visual installations. You'll be able to see all the latest kit in residential automation entertainment, home cinemas, lighting control, and security systems. We'll be live streaming from the exhibition, as well as doing lots of videos. So, don't be shy, come and say hello. The event takes place at the Farnborough Exhibition Centre on Wednesday, the 13th of September, and Thursday, the 14th of September. The link to register for free is in the notes. And just before we get to your favorite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up, for all your circuit protection needs, that like having an Italian star striker in your premiership team, it's Lewden Palazzoli. And the best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, it's Doncaster Cables, the home of EV-Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality cables. Big thanks to you both. We really appreciate your ongoing support for the news. If you think you know the words I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments and we'll dig out a goodie bag prize to the first to get the right answers. Last week's words were flapjack and mackerel. And apparently, I didn't do a very good job of hiding them as loads of people got it right last week. But the quickest off the mark to get both right was marky d. So, well done to you, sir. Make sure you click the link in the description below to claim your prize. Thanks for listening to this episode of"Electrical News Weekly". Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. Thanks for listening and until next time. Have a great week. Stay safe out there. And remember, there's no such thing as a torque calibrated arm.