The old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ is as true in safety & compliance as it is in all other products and services. The legends of the ‘good’ electrician and the ‘bad plumber’ are based on personal experiences of trades. But what happens when there’s no one around to make sure the work is done right?
When it comes to the completion of mandatory smoke alarm, electrical and gas safety checks as required under the RTA, the requirements on trades is documented and clear. But in the absence of audit trails, photo records and checks and balances, property managers, owners and renters are hard pressed to know whether the work is being done right.
Our mystery shopping has revealed a huge gap between what is required to be done by the RTA and what is actually being done by certain providers, leaving some owners paying for incomplete safety checks in return for certificates that aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on, and renters exposed to safety hazards in their homes that should have been uncovered and rectified as part of the checks.
Safety checks save lives...
We conducted almost 500,000 safety checks in the past year alone.
When done properly and in accordance with the law, smoke alarm, electrical and gas safety checks can uncover important safety issues at properties, creating safer homes for renters.
Failure to carry out checks properly or at all leaves significant safety issues undiscovered and unresolved, putting people’s lives at risk.
Sources: Detector Inspector service data; Census 2021.
...skipping checks risks lives
Concerned that important elements of safety checks were being skipped by other providers, Detector Inspector conducted a mystery shopping program on 21 safety check providers and recorded the results. The results of our mystery shopping were alarming, with critical steps required to complete safety checks being missed.
Click below to find out more about the review process and findings.
Not all safety check providers are equal
This data is based on an analysis of the electrical and gas safety checks completed by 21 safety check companies at the same property.
50%
did not complete checks of all existing smoke alarms
33%
did not check a single smoke alarm
80%
did not complete checks of all accessible power points
60%
failed to identify a basic power point safety hazard
80%
of cooktop and hot water service checks were skipped
80%
did not check the heat exchanger for evidence of cracks
Effective cost per hour
Avg, time on site (all services)
Data gathering methodology and detailed findings
Starting in January 2023, we conducted a carefully controlled mystery shopping exercise on 21 safety & compliance check companies.
The Purpose
The purpose of the mystery shopping exercise was to record the steps taken in the carrying out of smoke alarm, electrical and gas safety checks measured against the requirements set out by Energy Safe Victoria and the Australian Standards applicable to the checks (“Requirements”).
The Process
To create a controlled environment, we took the following steps:
- All services were completed at the same property and on the same appliances;
- The property was fully checked by Detector Inspector prior to commencement of the mystery shopping exercise and it was determined that no safety issues were present;
- Prior to each check, the same minor faults were manually created by our staff at the property to enable us to identify if they were found by each provider;
- Posing as the occupant, our services managers were on site during each safety check asking questions and observing;
- Home security cameras with sound picked up all aspects of each check; and
- Detailed criteria were completed for each check on the basis of observations and review of video footage.
The Findings
Electrical safety: ~40-50% of electrical tests were not completed properly by providers
Gas safety: ~40% of suppliers did not even take the cover off the heater during a safety check
Gas safety: ~80% of required servicing steps are being missed for cooktops and hot water services
Smoke alarm safety: ~1/2 of all providers failed to test all smoke alarms, ~1/3 did not test a single alarm
Safer Home plan to the rescue
Get what you pay for (and even some things you won’t have to pay for) with Detector Inspector’s Safer Home plan, and rest easy knowing that your properties are being taken care of by the leader in safety & compliance and that our checks are done in accordance with all your obligations, ensuring safer homes for renters and protection for owners in the case of an incident.