Fathers united to force law change

Two fathers from opposite sides of the country have been united in grief and a desire to force changes that make the family home safer.

Greg Zappelli of Bunbury and Kevin Fuller of Brisbane both believe their sons, Jayden and Matthew, would be alive had electrical safety switches been installed in homes they were working on.

Their stories are chillingly similar - Jayden was electrocuted in an East Bunbury home two years ago and Matthew was in 2009 the first fatality of the so-called 'pink batt' deaths in Queensland.

The fathers have both been fighting their own campaigns to force all homeowners to install RCDs, an electrical safety device installed on a circuit that can prevent electrocution.

Mr Zappelli, backed by his brother Mark, began his campaign a few weeks ago and has already amassed more than 2000 signatures on an online petition.

The Zappelli family has been backed by Mr Fuller, who has lobbied State and Federal governments since his son's death.

Through constant campaigning, Mr Fuller was able to secure coronial and royal commission investigations into the deaths of his son and three other men during the Federal Government's controversial Home Insulation Program.

"We know what they are going to go through," Mr Fuller said of the Zappelli family.

"We know why they have to fight and they shouldn't have to. But that's why I reached out to them - if they need support or just somebody who has been through it to talk to."

Both the Zappelli and Fuller families' campaigns have been joined by Master Electricians Australia, a lobby group representing 3000 electrical contractors nationwide.

The latest statistics show an annual average of 15 deaths by electrocution and at least 300 electric shock hospitalisations.

State governments have been reluctant, however, to force the restrospective installation of RCDs in all houses because of the cost to homeowners - which WA Commerce Minister Michael Mischin said could be as much as $500.

In WA, owners of new homes or homes that are being sold or rented must have at least two RCDs installed.

Mr Fuller believes that RCDs should be installed on all electrical circuits - his son Matthew pierced a wire that connected to a hot water system - and governments should educate the public on the risks of electricity.

He said governments' reluctance to make changes was "ridiculous and unnecessary" and they should be acting in the public interest.

"We know why they have to fight and they shouldn't have to" - Kevin Fuller