The head of Australia’s consumer watchdog has given an update on one of its most challenging recalls – the de-installation of 4,000km of dodgy electrical wiring.

There have been plenty of hassles in the ACCC’s efforts to re-call wiring already installed in around 40,000 Australian homes, but chairman Rod Sims says there is a long way to go and he expects to see the issue grow.

Approximately 4,000 km of Infinity and Olsent-branded Infinity electrical cables installed in houses should be on its way to becoming “prematurely brittle”, the ACCC says.

The authorities say that if cable with brittle insulation is disturbed, it may cause electric shock or catch fire.

“The cables have repeatedly failed the relevant Australian standards, which are mandated and enforced under State and Territory electrical safety laws, and are expected to have a significantly reduced service life,” Mr Sims said.

The Government’s current advice available says that safety issues with the cable will begin to arise from 2016 onwards.

The ACCC’s taskforce says that the Commonwealth will deal with national and/or major suppliers of the cable, and the States and Territories would be responsible for single state, smaller suppliers.

The next tranche of recalls has been announced, with more info available at the ACCC’s website.[ http://www.recalls.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/1062576]

The latest recalls are expected employ the same strategy as earlier ACCC-negotiated recalls, requiring steps to be “pro-actively” taken by suppliers to remediate the faulty cables.

“This is a timely reminder that companies should ensure that they have effective quality assurance processes in place to prevent unsafe products from reaching their shelves,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said.

“This is particularly the case with companies sourcing or accepting products from less expensive overseas suppliers. Consumers usually know that the better the bargain the more wary they need to be; consumers would expect companies selling such goods to be wary on their behalf,” Mr Sims said.