Thursday, 11 February 2010
Brunei Darussalam has adopted 15 International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards as part of the initiatives focused towards achieving electrical safety of household appliances.

The standards were adopted in a ceremony attended by the Minister of Energy yesterday at the Banquet Hall of the Legislative Council Building in the capital.

The 15 IEC standards, according to Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Major General (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Awang Haji Mohammad bin Haji Daud in a speech prior to the launch, are among the 94 IEC standards that have been identified by the Technical Committee on Electrical Standards (TECO Electrical) of the Energy Division, Prime Minister’s Office being adopted in the first phase of the programme. The remaining standards will be reviewed for adoption in phases.

The standard dubbed as Brunei Darussalam Electrical Standards (PBD-IEC), was launched alongside the official website of TECO (Electrical). Officials from the Ministry of Energy and the Construction Planning and Research Unit (CPRU) of the Ministry of Development were also in attendance.

High emphasis is laid on electrical safety, raising public awareness, enhancing competency through training and ensuring the quality of electrical products and supply through the adoption programme.

“I personally place high priority on ensuring safety of electrical products and supply. I noted that in the past, some of the fire incidents in buildings and homes have been attributed to electrical faults such as overheating, overloading, shortcircuiting and loose connections,” said the Minister of Energy,

He also revealed statistics in 2007 and 2008 where 34 per cent of the fire outbreaks in homes and buildings combined were caused by electrical faults, and in 2009 the number of cases has increased by 41 per cent.

“Such tragic incidents can be reduced or even avoided altogether with the adoption, implementation, enforcement and compliance of these electrical standards.”

“Therefore, I am pleased to announce our intention to implement Brunei Darussalam electrical standards issued today on a mandatory basis on March 1, 2010 after a grace period of two years between 2010 and 2012,” he added.

These standards, said the minister, will hopefully motivate the private sector to venture into manufacturing of products to meet the requirements of the local market.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary (Energy) at the Prime Minister’s Office, Haji Ismail bin Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Setia Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hashim was also present at the ceremony.

A presentation by Officer-In-Charge IEC Asia-Pacific Regional Centre (IEC-APRC), Singapore, SPRING, Mr. Dennis Chew, on the new adopted standards was held prior to the launch.

Among the standards adopted include the use of new colour codes for wiring, and several other mandatory changes, which will increase the safety and quality of electrical supply to buildings and consumers in general.

By Syafiq Affendy
Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin