A number of changes aimed at improving electrical safety were made recently to the Electrical Safety Regulation 2002 (the Regulation) and came into effect on 1 July 2008.
The amendments included licensing, performance of live work, approval of electrical equipment and testing of electrical installations. The details of the changes are outlined below.
This is an important change affecting all contractor licences. A contractor’s licence must nominate a qualified technical person (QTP) for that licence – the person nominated as QTP must themselves have an appropriate, current electrical worker’s licence.
Last year changes to the Electrical Safety Act 2002 were introduced which increased the range of disciplinary actions that could be taken against a worker or contractor who breaks electrical safety laws about the way electrical work is performed. One of the things that can happen if you are found to have done the wrong thing is that your licence can be suspended or cancelled, or you can be disqualified from being the QTP for a contractor’s licence. If this happens, the contractor has to nominate a new QTP to retain the contractor’s licence otherwise that contractor’s licence is no longer valid.
Live work can be very dangerous, and Section 12 of the Regulation outlines all the requirements that must be followed if live work is to be performed.
One of the requirements has been that, when doing electrical work, you must clearly identify the isolation point of the electricity supply for the electrical equipment you are working on. This isolation point must be able to be reached quickly without having to climb over or shift obstructions. An exemption to this requirement has been introduced for two special circumstances. One is electric line work. The other exemption is where electrical work is being carried out on the supply side of the main switch on the main switchboard for a consumer’s installation. In this case the isolation point may not be reasonably accessible from the area where the electrical work is carried out.
This applies to the licensing requirements for electrical mechanics, electrical lines persons, electrical fitters, electrical jointers and restricted electrical workers.
Following recent national agreement, there have been changes to immigration arrangements to allow skilled migrants to apply to be assessed offshore rather than waiting until they arrive in Australia. The assessing authority must be approved under the Commonwealth migration regulations and they are required to issue a certificate stating that the applicant’s skills are suitable for the appropriate electrical licence. This does not mean the applicant automatically is granted a licence, as the certificate only meets part of the requirements for obtaining the relevant electrical work licence.
The electrical equipment approvals process has been made easier through recognising alternative standards. Previously, electrical equipment had to comply with the standards listed in Schedule 3 of the Regulation. This Schedule has now been comprehensively updated to reflect current and alternative standards for electrical equipment approvals. Also a process has been implemented to allow discretionary approval of alternative standards (for example, international standards) which are equivalent, or superior, to recognised Australian standards. The use of an alternative standard (i.e. one not listed ion Schedule 3) for electrical equipment approval is at the discretion of the ESO.
This amendment applies in situations where electricity is disconnected to enable people to work in an exclusion zone, and later reconnected. An example is disconnecting the power to a domestic residence to allow a painter to replace guttering around the house – the painter would enter the exclusion zone created where the main supply wires come from the street pole and be at risk of touching the live wires.
The amendment makes it clear that, if no electrical work was performed while the supply was disconnected, you must carry out a visual inspection before reconnection. If the visual inspection shows that the installation has no serious defects, there is no requirement to test.
However, if someone has performed electrical work on the installation then it must be tested to ensure the installation is safe to connect to the source.
New on-the-spot fines have been introduced to help electrical safety inspectors to ensure that electrical workers and contractors are operating safely.
On-the-spot fines can now be given for:
Some minor amendments were also made on prescribed workplaces and fees as detailed below.
The Schedule has been updated to reflect the current 2006 edition of the Australian New Zealand Standard Industry Classification (ANZSIC).
The Schedule has been updated to reflect the Queensland Government’s approved Consumer Price Increase figures. The full details of the amendments (Electrical Safety and another Regulation Amendment Regulation No.1 2008), are available on the Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Council website at www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/SLS/2008/08SL154.pdf.
Last updated 21 July 2009
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© The State of Queensland (Department of Justice and Attorney-General) 2009.
