Dangerous electrical cables fitted in Auckland buildings

By Carla Penman

Dangerous electrical cables have been fitted in multiple buildings in Auckland.

Worksafe warned all electrical workers across the country yesterday to look out for the TPS cable marked "EESS 150102-0", telling them not to install it and to report it if they found it on sites.

Tests by Energy Safety - part of WorkSafe - found the cable to be "significantly non-compliant" and that its insulation could become brittle and break within a few years.

WorkSafe this morning confirmed the faulty cables have been installed in seven sites.

Masters Electricians says Lyon Electrical Limited imported the faulty cable in July last year, and sold and installed it.

Generation Cables Limited, a company associated with Lyon Electrical, may also have supplied the product.

Auckland-based Lyon Electrical, which has been operating since 2009, went into receivership two weeks ago.

NZH Focus visited Ben Lyon's house but he wasn't home - and his office was deserted.

Workers at a nearby business said the office had cleared out in a hurry a fortnight ago.

The still-to-be-completed multimillion-dollar Park Residences at 33-35 Albert St in Auckland city is one of the buildings affected.

NZH Focus understands the faulty cable was installed as high as the 16th floor of the 28-storey building.

Naylor Love, which is building the residences, said all electrical cables in the Park Residences were being replaced immediately.

"We have inspected three further buildings in Auckland that this sub-contractor also worked on, one of which requires some cable replacement," chief executive Rick Herd said.

He said there were no immediate safety concerns but if it wasn't replaced, the cable insulation could deteriorate over several years and create a serious hazard.

WorkSafe urges anyone who has had work done by Lyon Electrical after July 1 last year to call 0800 030 040.