Ensure electrical safety in the workplace

Electricians sometimes joke "that there’s no such thing as an old electrician who’s bad at their job – all the bad electricians die young". Electrical safety, however, is no joking matter. Ensure your staff are safe from electrical hazards.

1. Purchasing electrical equipment When you purchase electrical equipment for your workplace, make sure that it complies with the relevant Australian Standards. Your electrical equipment should only be used for its intended purpose and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

2. Residual Current Devices (RCDs) Residual current devices or RCDs (i.e safety switches) should be installed on all circuits where there is a risk of people coming into contact with metal objects to provide earth leakage protection. Be sure to fit such devices to portable machines with metallic closures (e.g. industrial vacuum cleaners) where appropriate.

3. Inspection and maintenance

Regularly inspect and test your electrical equipment and maintain records of the changes made.

Electrical installations should be maintained to ensure:

The safe and satisfactory operation of the installation is not impaired by interference, damage, age or wear
The live parts of the installation remain properly insulated, or protected
The earthing system for the installation operates effectively
The installation is not used in a manner that exceeds the operating limits imposed by its design or installation
The installation does not become a significant potential cause of fire for the environment surrounding the installation

Maintenance and repairs should only be carried out by qualified and trained personnel.

Full records should be kept of all inspections, tests and maintenance carried out on electrical articles and electrical installations.

4. Overhead power lines

Warning signs should be posted at all locations where there is a potential of contact with overhead lines (e.g. by cranes, mobile work platforms, etc).

Where required, procedures should be in place to ensure minimum distances from overhead power lines are as prescribed for:

Ordinary person zone (i.e. for a person without sufficient training or experience to enable them to avoid the dangers)
Accredited person zone (i.e. for a person who has successfully completed a recognised training course relating to work near overhead power lines)
No Go zones where approval from the network operator is required.

5. Electrical contractors

Be sure to carry out all electrical installation work in full compliance with the requirements of Australian Standard AS/NZS 3000. The area manager should also ensure that the installation is commissioned and used only if its safe operation and compliance with AS/NZ 3000 has been established by a safety and compliance test. This test should have been conducted by a qualified person as well.

In jurisdictions where this is required, electrical equipment must not be installed if the person in charge knows or should be reasonably expected to know that the equipment is unsafe.

ENSURE ELECTRICAL SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE

General advice warning

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