About EnergySafety
EnergySafety (sometimes also referred to as EnergySafety WA) is responsible for the technical and safety regulation of all the electrical industry and most of the gas industry in Western Australia.
Overview
EnergySafety’s functions date back to the State Electricity Commission of Western Australia, which from the late 1940s held both electricity and gas utility and regulatory functions. In 1975, this State Government body was reformed to become the State Energy Commission of WA (“SECWA”).
On 1 January 1995, SECWA ceased and its utility business was split into two separate, corporatised entities, Western Power and AlintaGas (the latter has since been privatised).
Concurrently, the electrical and gas technical and safety regulatory functions of SECWA were vested in the role of the Director of Energy Safety, a statutory position created by the Energy Coordination Act 1994. This position was administratively located within the Office of Energy, a new department also created on 1 January 1995. The Director headed the Technical & Safety Division (TSD) of that Office.
The Director has independent statutory powers subject only to direction by the Minister and any such direction is required to be reported to Parliament.
On July 1 2002, the Director and all of TSD transferred from the Office of Energy to the Department of Consumer and Employment Protection (DOCEP), as part of restructuring of the Public Service of WA.
The role and functions of the Director and staff did not change. However, the organisation unit became known as EnergySafety, a Division of DOCEP. DOCEP has four other key regulatory functions, each handled by a separate division:
- consumer protection;
- labour relations;
- resources safety; and
- occupational safety and health (WorkSafe WA).
Functions of EnergySafety WA and the Director of Energy Safety
The functions of the Director of Energy Safety and the supporting EnergySafety Division can be summarised as covering the technical and safety regulation of:
- electricity production;
- electricity transmission and distribution;
- electricity utilisation (consumers’ installations and appliances);
- gas distribution (and gas production plants connected to gas distribution systems); and
- gas utilisation (consumers’ installations and appliances),
for the purpose of ensuring, in Western Australia:
- the safety of people (the public, energy workers and consumers) in respect of electricity and gas utility infrastructure;
- that residential and business consumers receive electricity and gas supplies that are metered accurately and meet minimum standards of reliability and quality so that appliances function correctly;
- that consumers have safe electrical and gas installations at their premises;
- that electrical and gas appliances are safe to use; and
- that common household appliances and certain types of electrical equipment perform and are labelled to satisfy energy efficiency standards.
Legislation Administered
To achieve EnergySafety’s regulatory objectives, the Director and staff administer a wide suite of legislation:
- Energy Coordination Act 1994 (major parts)
- Energy Coordination (Designation of Inspectors) Regulations 1995
- Energy Safety Act 2006
- Energy Safety Levy Act 2006
- Electricity Act 1945 (most parts
- Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991
- Electricity Regulations 1947
- Electricity (Supply Standards and System Safety) Regulations 2001
- Gas Standards Act 1972
- Gas Standards (Gasfitting and Consumer Gas Installations) 1999
- Gas Standards (Gas Supply and System Safety) Regulations 2000
Specific Responsibilities
The legislation provides for the Director, supported by the staff of EnergySafety, to:
- ensure the safety of consumers’ electrical installations and appliances, by:
- licensing electrical workers and electrical contractors (through the functions of the associated statutory Electrical Licensing Board), and enforcing prescribed technical standards for electrical installing work;
- requiring electricity network operators to conduct consumer installation safety inspections in compliance with prescribed requirements;
- conducting safety inspections of consumers’ electrical installations that are not connected to utility networks; and
- auditing electrical appliances and equipment being offered for sale, to check compliance with prescribed safety and energy efficiency requirements (such as the star rating scheme and MEPS).
- ensure the safety of consumers’ gas installations and appliances (including industrial gas appliances), by:
- licensing gas fitters and enforcing prescribed technical standards for gasfitting work;
- requiring gas network operators, gas pipeline licensees and LP Gas cylinder distributors to conduct consumer installation safety inspections in compliance with prescribed requirements;
- overseeing the work of inspectors approving industrial gas appliances;
- conducting safety inspections of consumers’ gas installations that are not connected to utility networks or are not supplied with LP Gas directly from a distributor; and
- auditing gas appliances and equipment being offered for sale, to check compliance with prescribed safety and efficiency requirements.
- ensure the safety and acceptable performance of electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure by:
- auditing electricity network operators’ design standards and constructed networks for compliance with prescribed safety requirements;
- monitoring the safe work practices of network operators’ employees and contractors, including attendance to incidents;
- investigating consumers’ unsatisfied complaints about unacceptable electricity supply reliability and quality (by evaluating network performance against prescribed “benchmark standards”); and
- auditing network operators’ compliance with their approved meter management plans, to ensure acceptable meter accuracy.
- ensure the safety and acceptable performance of gas distribution infrastructure by:
- auditing gas network operators’ design standards and constructed networks for compliance with prescribed safety requirements;
- monitoring the safe work practices of network operators’ employees and contractors, including attendance to incidents;
- monitoring the quality of gas provided to consumers generally, for compliance with prescribed requirements;
- investigating consumers’ unsatisfied complaints about gas supply reliability and quality; and
- auditing network operators’ compliance with prescribed meter management requirements, to ensure acceptable meter accuracy.
- appoint and oversee all inspectors in the State (including those of network operators);
- ensure the safety of electrical and gas workers by enforcing prescribed safety requirements and providing guidance in respect of safe work practices
- issue exemptions or variations to certain regulatory requirements (electrical and gas);
- investigate electrical and gas safety incidents (although incidents associated with electricity or gas utilities supply systems, or their customers, are usually inspected first by the utilities’ inspectors);
- enforce statutory requirements through advice, warnings, prosecutions, and in the case of licence holders, also through disciplinary action; and
- respond to consumer concerns generally, regarding electrical and gas technical and safety matters.
Furthermore, EnergySafety promotes electricity and gas safety to both the public and industry operatives.