Electrical Connection Winter 2015

81 / 116

www. e l e c t r i c a l c o nn e c t i o n . c om . a u 8 1
By Rory Sweeney – Safety, Environmental,
Quality Manager, South Australia.
Work health and safety requirements
South Australia and Tasmania's work health
and safety laws, effective 1 January 2013,
introduced a new approach to a number of
key areas, including high risk construction
work, working on energised electrical
equipment, safety observers and testing.
These exact and harmonised WHS laws
came into effect one year earlier in NT,
QLD, NSW and the ACT.
To understand how these changes
affect your business, you should read
the relevant sections of the Work
Health and Safety Regulations [the
WHS Regulations in each of the States
and Territories discussed above], that
relate to working on energised electrical
equipment. This fact sheet provides
guidance on those requirements and
please note that the Regulation numbers
shown are applicable across the country.
High risk construction work
WHS Regulation 291 defines high
risk construction work, which includes
construction work that is carried out
on or near energised (live) electrical
installations or services.
Regulations 299-303 discuss the
requirement for a Safe Work Method
Statement (SWMS) for any work
identified as high risk construction work.
Given that working on or near
energised (live) installations, services
or equipment is defined as high risk
construction work, an SWMS is required.
Working on energised electrical
equipment
Regulation 154 prohibits work on
energised electrical equipment in all cases,
unless (as permitted under Regulation 157):
s it is necessary in the interests of health
and safety e.g. life saving equipment, or
s it is necessary for the work to be
carried out properly, or
s it is necessary for the purposes of
testing; or,
s there is no reasonable alternative
means of carrying out the work.
Regulation 158(1) requires a
documented risk assessment with
control measures in place prior to any
work on energised equipment.
Regulation 161 describes how any
work on energised electrical equipment
is to be carried out, and requires:
s a competent person who has tools,
testing equipment and personal
protective equipment (PPE) that are
appropriate, tested and maintained, and
s an SWMS prepared for the work; and,
s a competent and qualified safety
observer present (if this has been
determined as necessary by your
risk assessment).
Electrical testing
Testing can include fault finding
and troubleshooting, which can be
conducted without a safety observer
where the risks are negligible. However,
a risk assessment must always be
undertaken prior to testing to formally
determine the level of risk.
The risk assessment can be outlined
in an SWMS or other document. The risk
assessment should consider:
s The complexity of the test;
s The likelihood of the electrician
coming into contact with live parts;
s Exposed equipment issues; and,
s Fault levels and electrical fault
protection systems.
Note for consideration: the provision
of an electrical fault protection system
must not be relied upon to replace a risk
assessment or an SWMS. Where serious
risks are identified and assessed for
testing work, a safety observer must be
considered within the control measures of
the SWMS or risk assessment document.
For typical and repetitive testing
activities, an SWMS covering the repeated
test or fault finding work can be used
as a template and modified for different
locations, site specific hazards and
associated risks.
Safety observer
Regulation 161 requires the safety
observer to be competent:
s To implement control measures in an
emergency; and,
s To rescue and resuscitate the worker
who is carrying out the work.
In South Australia, it is a requirement that
rescue and resuscitation assessment (Low
Voltage Rescue) is undertaken annually
in accordance with Subregulation 161(4)
and Regulation 68 of the South Australian
Electricity (General) Regulations 2012.
This requires persons who carry out, or
help in carrying out, electrical work to be
suitably trained in rescue and resuscitation
in accordance with the requirements of
the Technical Regulator in South Australia.
You should check for similar training and
competency requirements within your
particular State or Territory.
Under Subregulation 161(5), a safety
observer is not required if:
s The work consists only of testing; and,
s The person conducting the business
or undertaking has conducted a
risk assessment that shows there is
no serious risk associated with the
proposed testing work.
Residential construction –
BCA Class 1 dwellings
There should not be any work on live
installations in residential construction
of Class 1 dwellings under the Building
Code of Australia (BCA).
All electrical power should be isolated
before workers enter high risk areas
such as roof and underfloor spaces.
For further information, contact Rory
Sweeney, HSEQ Manager for NECA on
02 8272 2966, or email rory.sweeney@
.
Alternatively a copy of the WHS
Regulations can be downloaded from
the SafeWork SA website at
.
Electrical Testing and Safety Observers