Confusion between electrical and cabling standards needs to be cleared up for the safety of the industry. Sean Carroll explores the gap in electrical and communications legislation.

The role of electricians is evolving and the lines between cablers and sparkies are blurring as new technology bridges the two sides of the industry.

Throw smart home, security and wireless technology into the mix, and electricians are taking further steps into the cabling and information technology (IT) universe to install integrated solutions. As electricians upskill and broaden their scope, traditional electrical standards must align with emerging technology standards.

Recently, a discrepancy has been identified between AS/NZS 3000 (the Wiring Rules) and AS/NZS 62368.1:2022 Audio/visual (AV), IT and communication technology equipment, Part 1: Safety requirements alongside the cabling standards, AS/CA S008 and S009.

Adopted from the IEC 62368-1:2018 international standard in 2022, AS/NZS 62368.1:2022 applies to the safety of electrical and electronic equipment within the field of AV, IT and communication technology as well as business and office machines with a rated voltage not exceeding 600V.

Before that, safety was measured solely in voltage. If a device went above a certain number of volts, it was then deemed hazardous, and electrical professionals had to protect against it. This new standard moves away from just voltage and looks at “energy sources” which combine both voltage and currents.

AS/CA S009 Working Committee chairman and VTI Services technical director Murray Teale says that during a recent revision of the standards, a potential gap in what’s defined as a safe “energy source” was revealed.

“The major issue is that the Wiring Rules (AS/NZS 3000) and the old S009 used to deal with voltage limits. So, you would have extra-low-voltage (ELV), safety extra-low-voltage (SELV), telecommunication networked voltage (TNV) or low voltage (LV) and all of these classifications had a voltage limit, either DC or AC. Based on that, electricians could determine what was safe or not,” Murray says.

“What AS/NZS 62368.1 does is change that, so it deals with energy sources that can either be current-limited or voltage-limited, so they don’t have a specific number for voltage.”

Given the evolution of the industry, we’re now seeing a lot of services deliver power where they wouldn’t have previously. Examples like security cameras and WiFi access points that receive power through communications cables instead of traditional power cabling can fall outside of electrical safety legislation.

An energy source may be deemed safe under traditional voltage limits but some emerging technology may have a high current but low voltage, which may pose a risk to the installer and user, the installer may not be taking the appropriate safety measures. A class 3 electrical energy source (ES3) is deemed to be hazardous.

“It’s important to note that the way we establish what’s safe or not has changed for telecommunications standards but hasn’t changed for electrical standards. The equipment itself, which will have an energy source classification on it, typically the AS/NZS 3000 low-voltage classification, has been used to install devices like PA systems, security solutions and so on. Emerging technology may present hazardous energy sources that are not currently addressed by the Wiring Rules,” Murray says.

Some of these new technologies cut across both the electrical and communications fields where there’s a risk of electrocution and worse.

The Communications Alliance is an Australian standards-development organisation formed to provide a unified voice for the communications industry. Specifically, the Alliance writes standards for customer equipment that gets caught up under the telecommunications regulation.

The Communications Alliance’s senior manager, Mike Johns, believes that the fix for the AS/NZS 62368.1 issue is a legislative one: “It’s important to note that while electricians follow AS/NZS 3000 and cablers follow S008 and S009, the two are always going to exist. If a person is working with communications and power cables, they need to adhere to both regulations.

“Our point of view, and it’s important to note that I can’t speak for the electrical regulator, is that the confusion between energy sources and voltage limits leads to broader risks. This is particularly apparent with new types of electric and communications cables where you might have a situation with a high current and low voltage or low voltage and high current, but it still poses a risk,” Mike says.

As it currently stands, there are some situations where an installer will need to be a registered cabler and have an electrical license to install these modern solutions. This uncertainty needs to be addressed so the industry knows what needs to be written on the cables, what PPE is required and what skills are needed to safely install those cables.

Murray says that the issue has been identified and it’s currently with the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council (ERAC).

“Standards are changing to embrace new technologies and new ways of delivering both power and communications, so some of the older regulations are struggling to keep up with the changes,” he explains.

Mike says that the Communications Alliance, who write national telecommunications standards, are currently working with electrical regulators to get appropriate changes made.

“Electrical regulators are state-based so we’re talking with ERAC and electrical advisory committees to get this pushed through. There needs to be a high level of coordination to get this through, but we’ve been working on this for 12-to-18 months.”

While on paper, installers should be checking all regulations to ensure that they have the appropriate safety equipment and methods in place, the chance that an installer believes they’re operating safely when they may not be is too high.

For further information, visit the Communications Alliance (commsalliance.com.au).