What we cover
NZI has been insuring New Zealand businesses since before New Zealand had electricity.
As New Zealand’s largest and longest serving commercial insurer, NZI knows how devastating fire can be. An increase in the number of commercial building fires being traced to faulty electrics has seen electrical fires now recognised as one of the primary risks to commercial property.
That’s why we have a team of experts trained to catch electrical fires before they start. Our NZI Electrical Inspectors can provide our commercial property customers a free Electrical Inspection.* NZI is the first insurer in the country to offer this service. It’s just one of the ways we’re providing peace of mind for New Zealand business.
Ask your insurance broker to book you in for a free electrical inspection* or contact us at electricalinspectors@nzi.co.nz
We’ve created a collection of stories of the near misses our electrical inspection team has seen. From ballet studios to kitchen manufacturers, our team has stepped in just in time to catch these potential fires before they start.
Commercial buildings come in all shapes and sizes. This one just happened to be a small ballet studio. A recently renovated building just big enough to fit a dance teacher and thirty little ballet dancers. Fortunately, the building was insured with NZI and the owner had booked a free NZI Electrical Inspection. The inspector knew something wasn’t right when he couldn’t find the switchboard.
After eventually locating it hidden away in a cupboard, he immediately noticed a more serious problem. Something smelled hot. Thermal imaging quickly revealed overheated timber behind the wiring and a switchboard seemingly preoccupied with the idea of setting fire to a ballet studio.
But it never got the chance. The NZI Electrical Inspector caught the problem in time, notified the property manager, an electrician was despatched, and a new switchboard was in place that same afternoon.
There was no fire. The dancers are still dancing.
If a fire was planning to make a grand entrance, a factory that builds wooden stairs would make a great stage. Airborne sawdust is combustible and is classed as an explosion hazard, and when you add highly flammable petrochemicals like spray coatings and adhesives to the mix, fire can barely contain its excitement. Of course none of this was a concern for one of New Zealand’s biggest staircase manufacturers. They always followed strict fire safety procedures. Fortunately, their trusted insurance broker convinced them to take advantage of a free NZI Electrical inspection. Just to be sure.
The electrical wiring was in good shape, as expected, but thermal imaging revealed one or two unexpected issues: sawdust fine enough to find its way into switchboards was causing dangerous overheating, fluorescent light tubes with degraded terminals were also running hot, and water damage from blocked, overflowing roof gutters was doing its best to compound the risks.
With the switchboards cleaned up, new light tubes installed and the gutter cleared-out, the fire had missed its big moment.
What do you get when you combine one leading cause of fires – cooking, with another leading cause – electrical fires?
Simple. A recipe for disaster.
That’s what a popular little takeaway bar was unknowingly cooking up while they were busy keeping hungry customers happy. Fortunately the building was insured with NZI and had been booked in for a free Electrical Inspection. When the inspector arrived he found trouble brewing: significant poor installation practices, temporary wiring in permanent use and circuits driving high load ovens daisy-chained off other power points.
An electrician was called, new electrics installed, the fire never happened and fast food was flying out the door in no time.
Kitchens have a lot to answer for when it comes to fires, but building kitchens comes with even greater risk – as one kitchen company discovered.
Kitchen manufacturing is high risk because wood – an essential part of the woodwork manufacturing process – loves to burn. Sawdust loves to burn even more. In fact airborne sawdust is so combustible it’s classed as an explosive hazard. That’s why everyone in the industry makes fire safety a priority – but fire is always looking for any opportunity to cook up trouble.
Fortunately for the kitchen company, their insurance broker booked them a free NZI Electrical Inspection. It revealed dangerously overheated, sawdust coated switchboards and multi-plugs plugged into multi-plugs… and not a fire extinguisher in sight.
The report was the perfect wake up call. Switchboards were cleaned up, fire extinguishers put in place, no work was interrupted and no kitchens got cooked.
Our Electrical Inspectors are here to help protect New Zealand businesses from the risk of commercial electrical fires. They tap into NZI’s vast database on electrical fires and their causes to guide their inspections and help improve electrical safety. Inspectors work alongside our NZI Risk Consulting team to help identify hazards, and work closely with you and your insurance broker to work out solutions should any issues arise.
NZI Electrical Inspector
NZI Electrical Inspector
Zak is a qualified electrician and electrical inspector with over 10 years’ experience specialising in industrial and commercial maintenance. Zak’s extensive background working across electrical safety provides a wealth of knowledge to support businesses reduce EV charging risks.
NZI Electrical Inspector
Ashwin has been a qualified electrical inspector for more than six years, including Level 1 thermal imaging. He has worked in the technical industry for over 10 years, predominantly in data centres specialising in UPS systems for Chorus and Microsoft. Ashwin is passionate about helping businesses to identify and reduce their fire hazard risk to support safer workplaces.
NZI Electrical Inspector
NZI Electrical Inspector
A qualified electrical inspector, Toby has over 15 years’ commercial experience working with standby/mains sync generators, DC power systems, and telecommunications. He is excited about the potential for EVs to transform business and is committed to using his experience to help businesses successfully manage the technical aspects of adopting the technology.
NZI Electrical Inspector
After 12 years offshore, Rob returned to New Zealand to take up an electrical role with Superyachts in Henderson. He eventually went on to start his own business, became a qualified electrical inspector, and in 2017 joined Worksafe NZ as Health & Safety inspector, a job he describes as “a real eye-opener”. Rob’s experience makes him an ideal fit for the NZI Electrical Fire Hazard Inspection team.
NZI Electrical Inspector
Godfrey brings a diverse wealth of experience to the NZI Fire Hazard Inspection team. Electric cable manufacturing, steel making, electrical mechanical non-destructive testing, earth bank testing of transformers, electrical maintenance on Auckland Transport bus and train stations and he’s also a qualified electrical inspector. NZI Electrical Fire Hazard Inspector? No problem.
What should I expect when I book a visit?
Each job is different, but typically our Electrical Inspector will:
How much will it cost?
As an NZI customer and as part of your insurance arrangement with us, the assessment will be at no additional cost (subject to terms, conditions and eligibility criteria).
As a comparison, a Periodic Verification (PV), completed by a registered electrician, can cost you between $500-$4000 depending on the size of your business.
* Do terms and conditions and eligibility criteria apply?
Yes, they do. Please refer to our Electrical Insurance Assessment brochure for more information including our terms and conditions. Eligibility criteria also apply. NZI customers may be eligible for an electrical inspection, please contact an NZI Risk Consultant (electricalinspectors@nzi.co.nz) to find out whether you are eligible.
Are your Electrical Inspectors independently qualified and registered?
Our NZI Electrical Inspectors are qualified Electrical Inspectors and registered with the EWRB (Electrical Workers Registration Board). They are also qualified in Category 1 thermography.
How long will it take?
Our visit can take anywhere from one hour for simple installations, to four hours for more complex systems.
Can they visit when my equipment is shut down?
To help the team determine how your equipment behaves while being under a usual workload they will carry out the assessment under your normal working conditions. Your electrical systems need to be running and operating with usual load conditions as defects usually only show up while the equipment is being used. This typically means your business operations can continue relatively uninterrupted during our visit.
Will it impact my business operations?
Most assessments take place with minimal or no interruption to business operations. If our assessment will cause any significant disruption to your business, we’ll let you know in advance, where possible.
What else can you do to protect yourself, your employees and your business from electrical fire? Our electrical inspectors have created an electrical maintenance guide with handy tips and a checklist to help you identify common electrical fire hazards. Being prepared for an electrical fire can help protect businesses against asset and property loss, and most importantly, can save lives.
With help from NZI’s Electrical Inspectors, Resident Builder Peter Wolfkamp highlights some common electrical fire hazards within New Zealand businesses.
Electrical maintenance is critical. Electrical maintenance can be overlooked by business owners and often isn’t part of regular business maintenance procedures. Putting in place a regular maintenance plan can help mitigate hazards and give businesses peace of mind. Download our Electrical Fire Hazard Guide for more tips and information. Some of the key areas to consider adding to your electrical maintenance plan include:
When it comes to commercial fires, having fire extinguishers in your business is vitally important. Not only can they help to save your business assets, but they can also help to save lives.
All business premises require first response hand-operated fire extinguishers and/or hose reels. Accidental fires are more likely to occur during working hours due to the greater use of electrical equipment or heating.
Download our Electrical Fire Hazards Guide where you will find more information on when to use a fire extinguisher and how to appropriately use a fire extinguisher.
