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Commercial and entertainment technology safety campaign

There is only one goal for the ACETA safety campaign: protecting the safety of the community and workers in regard to commercial and entertainment technology. ​
Picture

Click on the pic or this link for the full story from Steve Stover, a highly experienced lighting tech. It's horrific. And it's everyone's nightmare.

Why now?  Because the evidence of non-compliance across a number of sectors is growing alarmingly.  Whether it's the auto industry which had a less-than-exemplary year in 2014 when 800,000 vehicles were recalled in Australia alone due to a variety of issues including faulty airbags or an estimated 40,000 homes which have been installed with sub-standard electrical cable which, it is now revealed, can become brittle and spark, the safety issues have been widespread. 

ECD Solutions magazine ran an editorial _about cable recalls. The number of organisations now being pursued through the Federal Court by the ACCC is long and includes the electrical wholesalers industry association EWAA. The Australian electrical industry body NECA is calling for a register of compliant products and manufacturers, which is more red tape but may be the only way to solve it unless there is vigilant scrutiny at the the point of import and the regulators are more active.

Commercial and entertainment technology is not exempt.  Stage collapses overseas are well known. Fake and directly imported sub standard gear, and poor installations and unsafe work practices by some sectors of the profession put everyone at risk.  The usual defence is to state that Australia has high standards and that's correct.  Australia has very high standards.  But they are only useful if they are complied with.  That's where the problem lies.

Check out fake product and unsafe product/installations.

How can ACETA help?  

ACETA is doing two things:
  1. Raising awareness of the issue amongst key stakeholders: We have written to a wide range of stakeholders alerting them to the issue, asking them how they protect the safety of their community in relation to commercial and entertainment technology.  They have also been advised that if they look for the ACETA logo from their suppliers they have more reassurance that the company is compliant. 

    Thanks to Julius Grafton at CX magazine and the Knock Off Entertainment Gear Australia Alerts Facebook group there are eyes and ears across Australia advising about problems.  We are posting fake products here and unsafe and potentially unsafe products here.  These lists aren't comprehensive.  They're just the ones we hear about. 

    If you have information about unsafe products, installations or work practices, please let us know.  Ideally with photographs and details of who, where and when.

  2. Setting industry standards:  all ACETA members are bound by industry standards. These require the company to comply with the relevant Australian laws and standards. All ACETA members can now use the ACETA logo as the evidence that they are compliant. 

    This includes:
    • Product compliance: such as compliance with RCM and other Australian product safety standards
    • Installation, rigging and electrical safety compliance:  which includes installing and/or rigging gear in a way that will not endanger workers and others
    • Trade practices compliance:  such as making accurate and honest representations about product performance, design, price, safety, service and warranty, and manufacturing standards
    • HR compliance:  including providing a safe workplace  that complies with OH&S guidelines, trains their staff and pays, at least, award wages and entitlements

If the supplier you chose to use isn't on the ACETA membership list then you are strongly advised to ask them to demonstrate their compliance with the above four areas. If they are an ACETA member you have more reassurance that they are compliant.

Letters have now been sent to all of these councils.  Only one so far has responded, which is City of Sydney.  We received a letter from the mayor and from the CEO_.

Prevention helps with the cure

Some companies are also putting steps in place so you can check if the gear you intend to buy or have bought is genuine and, therefore, compliant.

Shure:  Confirm you have a genuine Shure product by using their online serial number checker.  Please also note that genuine Shure products sold in Australia through Jands, which is the authorised importer, have a silver hologram sticker on the outside of the box. More information about how to spot a fake Shure is here.

Fake JBL:  a company based in Melbourne is under investigation for selling fake JBL SRX and VRX products.  More information here from Ramblings of a Techie and here from CX magazine which includes information about how to spot fake gear.

One final word of warning: there is no such thing as an international warranty. The Australian Consumer Law (which replaced the Trade Practices Act) states that you should take any product service or warranty issues to the point of sale, in other words take it to whoever you bought it from. That organisation then has to take responsibility for it. They can't tell you to contact the manufacturer or distributor.

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