Fake electrical products can be real killers

Paul Canning of Schneider Electric Building Systems and Solutions Division submits an open letter to remind us about the possible dangers from counterfeit products

The topic of counterfeiting of consumer goods has been in the headlines for several years now - largely thanks to lobbies from powerful global brands.

The fact is that the same production of fake goods in the Electrical Distribution equipment market goes largely unreported; but potentially has far greater consequences.

If a fake Nike "T" shirt fades prematurely it is annoying but no more than that.

If a counterfeit circuit breaker fails, it could literally kill someone.

We have seen fake products arriving, mostly from the Far East, that are seriously and potentially life threatening - and these have come into our possession in the UK.

In the worst example, we found an MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker) that had no protective components at all within it.

A single copper braid breached the two poles - effectively rendering the device as nothing more than a potentially dangerous switch! The worry is that counterfeit products enter the UK market place in a variety of guises.

There are three obvious ways in which goods are imported.

As grey imports (not technically illegal, but rarely with the manufacturer's warranties); legal or illegal copies that perform less well than the legitimate originals; and the downright dangerous fakes that make no attempt to even provide a degree of electrical safety at all.

It is worth noting that even the fakes carry a copy of the CE and EN standard mark so this is clearly no guarantee of buying a genuine product in this instance.

The call is therefore for everyone in the trade - wholesalers and stockists; contractors and electricians - to check very carefully the origins of any equipment they purchase.

They will do well to consider that it is they, the suppliers and installers, who carry the legal responsibility if a counterfeit product fails - it is certainly not the manufacturer whose goods have been copied.

Schneider Electric advises that its products should always be purchased from a reputable and authorised Distributor.

Remember, cheap fakes could lead to highest possible price being paid - a life.

Standard releases from Schneider Electric are visible on webpage http://www.processingtalk.com/news/sne/sne000.html.

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