Contactum introduces RCDs onto Ghanaian market to combat fire outbreak

Contactum, a leading manufacturer of electrical wiring accessories and circuit protection products in the United Kingdom has introduced Residual Current Device Sockets (RCD) onto the Ghanaian market to combat house fires to ensure safety.

Mr Olivier Kiese, the Export Manager for Contactum Ghana, said the RCD’s installed in main switches would contribute substantially to a reduction in the growing spate of fire accidents in the African Region as well prevent electrocution.

He said the RCD's was a life-saving device designed to prevent a person from getting a fatal electric shock touching something live such as a bare wire and also provides protection against electrical fires.

Mr Kiese showcased the product at the inauguration of the Contactum showroom on the Spintex Road near the Fidelity Bank in Accra, a one-stop shop for electrical wiring accessories and circuit protection.

Product on display at the showroom include: Universal Serial Bus (USB) Sockets, Low Voltage Distribution, 17th Edition Fuse Boards, Circuit Protection, Wiring Accessories, Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) and Residential Current Circuit Breaker with Over-current Protection (RCBO).

He said the company cited the mass influx of substandard electrical products into the region as one of the contributory causes to the rise in residential, commercial and industrial fires.

Mr Kiese said the RCDs and the other products were designed to meet the British Standards Institutions stringent electrical specification.

“It is a law in the UK that everyone must install the RCDs in their homes, because it protects lives, and all the electricians are obliged to install that particular fuse board in the consumer unit/main switch.

“We would work with the Ghana Energy Commission to have a regulation in place to ensure that all electricians start ensuring that each installation will have RCDs fitted in them,” he added.

He indicated that electrical wiring was a critical component in the built industry and said any shoddy work could endanger the lives of the people.

Mr Kiese added that training programmes would be orgnaised for electrical contractors to sharpen their skills and bring efficiency to their work.

He therefore called on Ghanaians to patronise the RCDs and the products at the showroom which comes with a 25 years warranty to ensure their safety.