Electrical installing work

Electricity has such a high potential risk associated with its transmission, distribution and use that governments regulate to control the standard of the product and to ensure the safe application of electricity. There are minimum standards of safe work practices, safe installation and maintenance methods, that components and appliances and energy installations and suppliers meet for satisfactory safety and technical outcomes for the community.

Standards are:

A means by which regulatory outcomes can be satisfied. For example, the regulations may say as an outcome that safety must be achieved and the standards then develop and define what is safe in the particular context and how it may be achieved - the regulations say gas appliances must be safe and the standards say that one element of safety is that the appliance does not produce more than a specified safe level of Carbon Monoxide (CO).
Industry based with broad stakeholder input, so they represent the industry practice that is followed to deliver the regulatory requirements.
Not a substitute for regulations. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) highlights the importance of not passing regulatory powers to standards writers.
Not a restriction to international trade. Wherever possible standards should be international and not contain local requirements at a cost to the community and make it harder to sell overseas.
Not an inhibition on innovation. Standards should set an outcome and not prescribe the solution. While prescription gives regulatory certainty, it is not flexible or able to accommodate technological development.

For electricity, some standards are mandatory - they have the force of law. However, most standards are advisory based on good industry practice that the community expects.

EnergySafety has a direct involvement in the major standards and, through membership of key committees of Standards Australia International (SAI), has input to all standards.

SAI produces the majority of electrical standards with most based on the International ElectroTechnical Commission (IEC). The Electricity Supply Association of Australia (ESAA) has significant input into the development of electricity supply industry standards.

Installation standards

The mandatory requirements are:

AS/NZS 3000 "Electrical Installations (known as the Australian / New Zealand Wiring Rules)" - the principal standard
WA Electrical Requirements - local service rules produced by EnergySafety
AS 2067 "Switchgear assemblies and ancillary equipment for alternating voltages above 1 Kv"
AS/NZS 2381 "Electrical equipment for explosive atmospheres - Selection, installation and maintenance"
AS/NZS 2430 "Classification of hazardous areas"
AS/NZS 3001 (Sections 1 & 2 only) "Electrical installations - Relocatable premises (including caravans and tents) and their site installations
AS 3002 "Electrical Installations - Shows and carnivals"
AS 3004 (Sections 1 & 2 only) "Electrical Installations - marinas and pleasure craft at low voltage"
AS 3005 (Sections 1 & 2 only) "Electrical Installations of tents and similar temporary structures for domestic purposes"
AS/NZS 3008 "Electrical Installations - Selections of cables"
AS/NZS 3010 (Part 1) "Electrical Installations - Generating sets"

Appliances

Certain electrical appliances/components that are inherently risky or have caused problems in the past are "prescribed" and need to be approved prior to sale or hire. These items must be tested by a competent independent laboratory to a nominated standard as being safe and labelled according to AS/NZS 4417 "Marking of electrical products to indicate compliance with regulations".

AS/NZS 4417 standard contains the list of prescribed articles and the specific tests that are required to be performed. The specific standards are progressively being migrated to the equivalent IEC standards.

AS/NZS 3820 "Essential safety requirements for low voltage electrical equipment" covers the non prescribed appliances.

Supply

The Electricity (Supply Standards and System Safety) Regulations 2001 give the following standards:

Schedule 2 - Standards and codes containing provisions compliance with which may be evidence - [r. 11(1)] i.e. satisfy the safety objectives

General Standards

Guidelines for Electricity Transmission and Distribution work in Western Australia (EnergySafety).
Code of Practice, Safe electrical work on low voltage electrical installations (EnergySafety).
Utility Providers Code of Practice for Western Australia.
AS 1824.1 - 1995 Insulation Coordination - Definitions, principles and rules.
AS 1824.2 - 1985 Insulation Coordination - Application Guide.
AS/NZS 3000: 2000 Electrical installations (known as the Australia/New Zealand Wiring Rules).
Western Australian Electrical Requirements (WAER).
EC5 - 1992 Guide to Protective Earthing published by the Electricity Council of New South Wales.
EC7 - 1992 Guide to the Prevention of Unauthorised Access published by the Electricity Council of New South Wales.
EC 09 - 1993 Guide to high voltage live line work published by the Electricity Council of New South Wales.
EC 11 - 1993 Guide to inspection procedures for plant and equipment published by the Electricity Council of New South Wales.
EC 12 - 1993 Guide to working on underground cables published by the Electricity Council of New South Wales.
EC 16 - 1993 Guide to safe electrical work procedures published by the Electricity Council of New South Wales.
EC 17 - 1993 Guide to working in electrical stations published by the Electricity Council of New South Wales.
EA 6 - 1998 Safety Rules Guidelines published by the Electricity Association of New South Wales.
EA 18 - 1998 Guide to the Training of Personnel working on or near Electricity Works published by the Electricity Association of New South Wales.
ISSC 24 - 1997 Guide to Electricity Workers' Escape and Rescue Procedures published by the Electricity Association of New South Wales.
ISSC 25 - 1996 Elevating Work Platform Purchasing Specification and Operating Guide published by the Electricity Association of New South Wales.

Overhead lines

EC 1 - 1991 Guide to the maintenance of protective devices for subtransmission and distribution overhead lines published by the Electricity Council of New South Wales.
EC 2 - 1992 Guide to the manual reclosing of overhead lines published by the Electricity Council of New South Wales.
EC 4 - 1992 Guide to the inspection of overhead lines published by the Electricity Council of New South Wales.
EC 10 - 1992 Guide to aerial inspection and patrol of overhead lines published by the Electricity Council of New South Wales.
EC 15 - 1993 Guide to working on overhead lines published by the Electricity Council of New South Wales.
AS 3891.1:1991 Air navigation - Cables and their supporting structures - Mapping and marking - Permanent marking of overhead cables and their supporting structures.
AS 3891.2:1992 Air navigation - Cables and their supporting structures - Mapping and marking - Marking of overhead cables for low-level flying.
AS 1768 - 1991 Lightning protection.

Switchyards, substations and power stations

AS 1319 - 1994 Safety signs for the occupational environment.
AS 2374.1 - 1997 Power Transformers - General.
AS/NZS 2650:2000 Common specifications for high voltage switchgear and control gear standards.
AS 2735 - 1984 Dry-type power transformers.
AS 2865 - 1995 Safe working in a confined space.
ESAA: Specification for Pole Mounting Distribution Transformers: 1998.

Underground cables

ESAA:D(b)31 - 1989 Guide for the maintenance of High Voltage paper/oil insulated cables and Accessories.
AS/NZS 2832.1:1998 Cathodic protection of metals - Pipes and cables.
AS/NZS 2648.1 - 1995 Underground marking tape - Non detectable tape.

Power coordination

HB87 - 1997 (CJC1) Joint use of poles: The placement on poles of power lines and paired cable telecommunications lines.
HB100 - 2000 (CJC4) Coordination of power and telecommunications - Manual for the establishment of safe work practices and the minimisation of operational interference between power systems and paired cable telecommunications systems.
HB101 - 1997 (CJC5) Coordination of power and telecommunications - Low frequency induction (LFI): Code of practice for the mitigation of hazardous voltages induced into telecommunications lines.
HB103 - 1997 (CJC7) Coordination of power and telecommunications - Crossings code. : The arrangement of overhead power and telecommunications lines, pole stay wires, and suspension wires.
AS 3835.3(Int) - 1998 Coordination of power and telecommunications - Earth Potential Rise (EPR) - Isolation arrangements for paired cable telemetering/telecontrol services in LV areas and HV sites.

Schedule 3 - Standards and codes containing obligatory provisions for network operators - [r. 16(1)](For those without a safety case)

General Standards

AS 2067 - 1984 Switchgear assemblies and ancillary equipment for alternating voltages above 1kV.
ESAA:D(b)26 - 1995 Guide for Working on Cables and Ancillary Equipment Under Induced Voltage Conditions and Transferred Earth Potentials.
EC 14 - 1993 Guide to Electrical workers' safety equipment published by the Electricity Association of New South Wales.
ESAA:EG1(97) Substation Earthing Guide.

Overhead lines

HB C(b)1 - 1999 Guidelines for design and maintenance of overhead distribution and transmission lines.
HB ESAA LLM01 - 2000 Guidelines for Live Line Bare Hand Work.
HB ESAA LLM02 - 2000 Guidelines for Live Line Stick Work.
HB ESAA LLM03 - 2000 Guidelines for Live Line Glove and Barrier Work.
ESAA - ND/NL - 04 - 1995 Guidelines for Use of Helicopters for Live Line Work.
AS 1222.1 - 1992 Steel conductors and stays - Bare overhead Galvanized (SC/GZ).
AS 1222.2 - 1992 Steel conductors and stays - Bare overhead Aluminium clad (SC/AC).
AS 1531 - 1991 Conductors - Bare overhead - Aluminium and aluminium alloy.
AS 1746 - 1991 Conductors- Bare overhead - Hard drawn copper.
AS 3607 - 1989 Conductors- Bare overhead - Aluminium and aluminium alloy - Steel reinforced.
AS 1720.1 - 1997 Timber structures - Design methods.
AS 1720.2 - 1990 Timber structures - Timber properties.
AS 2209 - 1994 Timber - Poles for overhead lines.
AS/NZS 2878 - 2000 Timbers - Classification.
AS 3600 - 2001 Concrete structures.
AS/NZS 4065:2000 Concrete Utility Service Poles.
AS 4100 - 1998 Steel structures.
AS/NZS 4677:2000 Steel Utility Service Poles.
AS 3995 - 1994 Design of steel lattice towers and masts.

Switchgear and protection

AS 2006 - 1986 High voltage a.c. switchgear and controlgear - Circuit breakers for rated voltages above 1000V.
AS 1025.1 - 1984 High voltage a.c. switchgear and controlgear - Switches and switch disconnectors - For rated voltages above 1kV and less than 52kV.
AS 1025.2 - 1989 High voltage a.c. switchgear and controlgear - Switches and switch disconnectors - For rated voltages 52kV and above.
AS 1306 - 1985 High voltage a.c. switchgear and controlgear - Disconnectors (isolators) and earthing switches.
AS 2024 - 1991 High voltage a.c. switchgear and controlgear - Switch-fuse combinations.
AS 2086 - 1995 A.C. metal enclosed switchgear and controlgear for rated voltages above 1kV and up to and including 72.5kV.
AS 2264 - 1995 A.C. insulation - enclosed switchgear and controlgear for rated voltages above 1kV and up to and including 38kV.
AS/NZS 3947.1:1998 Low voltage switchgear and controlgear - General rules.
AS 1033.1 - 1990 High voltage fuses (for rated voltages exceeding 1000V) -Expulsion type.
AS 1033.2 - 1988 High voltage fuses (for rated voltages exceeding 1000V) -Current limiting (powder filled) type.
AS/NZS 60269.1:2000 Low voltage fuses - General requirements.

Quality of supply

The quality and reliability parameters for electricity supply is specified in the Electricity (Supply Standards and System Safety) Regulations 2001.