Standards
T.N. Electrical is appropriately licensed to carry out In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment as per the requirements of Standards Australia (AS/NZS 3760:2010).
If you are an employer or self-employed, you have a duty of care to ensure that employees and visitors to your workplace are safe from risk or injury (see below). AS/NZS 3760:2010 is acknowledged as the minimum safety requirement for workplaces. This standard applies to all types of electrical appliances on your premises, including computers, power tools, and even power boards and leads.
Statutory Requirements
The NSW Government imposes obligations on employers under the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000, to identify foreseeable hazards that may arise; to assess the risks of those hazards; and to eliminate the risks, or at least to control the risks.
Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (Residual Current Devices) Regulation 2011- 73
Recent regulatory changes made under the Act mean that employers are now required to ensure a safe work environment in relation to electrical hazards. These changes include:
- Compliance with AS/NZS 3760:2010 In service safety and inspection of electrical equipment
- Revisions to the frequency of testing required for some types of electrical equipment, and
- Revisions to the frequency of testing required for Residual Current Devices (RCD) - also known as safety switches.
Specifically, all employers must ensure that all electrical socket power circuits at the employers place of work are protected by an RCD. This requirement must be undertaken before 18th
February 2015.
In addition, all employers must ensure that each of the following electrical articles is protected by an RCD if the electricity is supplied through an electrical outlet socket not exceeding 20 amps:
- a hand held electrical article,
- an electrical article that is moved in its operation,
- an electrical article that is moved between operations in circumstances that could result in damage to the article,
- an electrical article that is used in an environment in which normal use of the article exposes the article to operating conditions that are likely to result in a reduction in its expected life span, including moisture, heat, vibration, mechanical damage, corrosive chemicals or dust.
This requirement must be undertaken before 18th February 2012.
Rebate
The NSW Government is offering a "Safety Solutions Rebate" of up to $500 to small business owners who adopt a good solution to a safety problem in the workplace. Work undertaken under AS/NZS 3760:2010 may qualify for the rebate.
Contact T.N. Electrical today to find out more about making your workplace safer.