South Australia – Extract
Duty of Care
Section 19 of the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act 1986 (SA) places a duty of care on employers to ensure that an employee is, whilst at work, safe from injury and risks to health and provides that an employer must provide and maintain:
- a safe working environment;
- safe systems of work;
- plant and substances in a safe condition.
Testing and Tagging
Section 55 of the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 2010 (SA) provides that:
1. Regular inspection and testing must be performed on electrical plant in the workplace if the supply of the electricity is through a socket outlet to:
- hand held electrical plant; or
- electrical plant that is moved while in operation; or
- electrical plant that is moved between operations in circumstances where damage to the electrical plant or to a flexible supply cord could reasonably occur; or
- electrical plant where electrical safety could be affected by the operating environment.
2. If electrical plant is fixed, it must be inspected and tested after taking into account –
- information provided by the designer or manufacturer of the electrical plant; and
- any hazard identification and risk assessment process that is relevant to the use of the electrical plant in its intended work environment.
Provision of RCDs
Section 56 of the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 2010 (SA) provides that:
1. Subject to complying with any requirement of a preceding regulation under this Division, any risk associated with the supply of electricity through a socket outlet must be minimised so far as is reasonably practicable by the use of an R.C.D.
2. If the supply of electricity in any situation in a workplace is through a socket outlet not exceeding 20 amps to –
- hand held electrical plant; or
- electrical plant that is moved while in operation; or
- electrical plant that is moved between operations in circumstances where damage to the electrical plant or to a flexible supply cord could reasonably occur; or
- electrical plant where electrical safety could be affected by the operating environment, the electrical plant must be protected by an R.C.D. with a tripping current not greater than 30 milliamps.
3. An RCD under sub regulation (1) or (2) must be –
- for a new electrical installation – a non-portable R.C.D.; and
- for a new or modified circuit on an existing electrical installation – a non-portable RCD; and
- for an existing electrical installation where a paragraph does not apply – either a non-portable R.C.D. or a portable R.C.D., where a portable R.C.D. is connected at the socket outlet supplying electricity to any electrical plant.
4. An RCD must be provided for any final sub-circuit on a construction or demolition site within the scope and application of AS/NZS 3012 Electrical installations – Construction and demolition sites.
5. The requirement for an RCD does not apply where –
- the supply of electricity is to an extra low voltage system that is electrically separated from earth and from other systems in such a way that a single fault cannot give rise to the risk of electric shock; or
- the supply of electricity is to electrical plant and is –
- direct current (DC); or
- provided through an isolating transformer that complies with AS/NZS 61558 Safety of power transformers, power supply units and similar; or
- provided from a portable generator that complies with AS 2790 Electricity generating sets – Transportable (up to 25 kW).
Testing and Maintenance of RCDs
1. An RCD must be tested and maintained after taking into account the designer’s or manufacturer’s specifications and any hazard identification and risk assessment process required by these regulations, but in any event an RCD must be tested as follows:
- in the case of a non-portable RCD or an RCD that is operated in a fixed position – a push-button test that is sufficient to ensure that the tripping mechanism does not fail must be undertaken at least once every 12 months; and an operating time-test in accordance with AS/NZS 3760 In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment must be undertaken at least once every 3 years;
- in the case of a portable RCD that is moved from place to place – push-button tests must be carried out in accordance with AS/NZS 3760 In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment; and operating time-tests must be carried out in accordance with AS/NZS 3760 In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment;
- in the case of an RCD located at a workplace within the scope and application of AS/NZS 3012 Electrical installations – Construction and demolition sites – tests must be carried out in accordance with the requirements of that standard.
2. If an RCD fails to meet the requirements of a test under subregulation (1), it must be repaired or replaced.
3. A record of the results of a test carried out under this regulation, other than a daily test required under AS/NZS 3760, must be kept by the owner of the R.C.D. for a period of at least 5 years from the date of the test.
Note – The following standards are approved codes of practice under the Act and are relevant to the subject-matter of this Division:
- AS 1674.1 Safety in welding and allied processes-Fire precautions
- AS 2865 Confined spaces
- AS/NZS 3000 Electrical installations (known as the Australian/New Zealand wiring rules)
- AS/NZS 3190 Approval and test specification-residual current devices (current-operated
earth leakage devices) - AS/NZS 3012 Electrical installations-construction and demolition sites
Compliance
An employer may breach its duty of care by failing to maintain electrical equipment in a safe condition. Therefore, employers must ensure that risk of injury from electric shock is reduced in the workplace as far as is reasonably practicable.
To meet this duty of care, All States Safety Services recommends that employers comply with the Australian Standards (AS/NZS 3760:2010) for safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment.
Penalties apply for breach of the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act 1986 (SA) and the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 2010 (SA).
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