18 min read
Electrical safety
Last updated September 2022
This chapter explains your legal obligations in relation to electrical safety and how to manage electrical risks in your workplace.
Electrical safety legal obligations
Health and safety legislation in all jurisdictions requires you to take reasonably practicable steps to ensure the health and safety of people at your workplace. Ensuring electrical safety is part of this overriding general obligation.
Each state and territory also has separate laws that deal specifically with electricity regulation, including:
- a system for licensing electrical workers and contractors; and
- a platform to provide consumer protection against electrical work that has not been adequately conducted or completed.
The following table shows the electrical safety legislation for each state and territory. Subsidiary regulations have been made under each of the following Acts of Parliament.
| Jurisdiction | Legislation |
|---|---|
| ACT | Electricity Safety Act 1971 |
| NSW | Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2004 |
| NT | Electricity Reform Act |
| Qld | Electrical Safety Act 2002* |
| SA | Electricity Act 1996 |
| Tas | Electricity Industry Safety and Administration Act 1997** |
| Vic | Electricity Safety Act 1998 Energy Safe Victoria Act 2005 |
| WA | Electricity Act 1945 |
*A review of this Act was initiated in 2020.
** A Bill is before Parliament called the Electrical Safety Bill 2022, which will replace this Act.
Electricity and health and safety regulations and codes of practice provide clear guidance for how to perform electrical work. These are as follows:
| Jurisdiction | Codes of practice |
|---|---|
| ACT, NSW, NT, SA, Tas | Managing electrical risks in the workplace |
| Qld | Electrical safety code of practice 2020 – Electrical equipment rural industry Electrical safety code of practice 2021 – Managing electrical risks in the workplace Electrical safety code of practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines Electrical safety code of practice 2020 – Works |
| Vic | Industry standard: Electrical installations on construction sites The Blue Book |
| WA | Code of practice: Persons working on or near electrical installations |