ELECTRICAL SAFETY
GENERAL ELECTRICAL SAFETY
Electricity is a constant hazard in the workplace with the risk to potentially injure or kill a person.
A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU – the new term that includes employers)
has a duty to ensure that any risk of injury from electricity at a place of work is eliminated or, if
this is not reasonably practicable, controlled.
What are electrical risks?
Electrical risks can be caused directly or indirectly by electricity. The most common electrical
risks and causes of injury include:
 electric shock causing injury or death. The electric shock may be received by direct or
indirect contact, tracking through or across a medium, or by arcing. For example, electric
shock may result from indirect contact where a conductive part that is not normally
energised becomes energised due to a fault (e.g. metal toaster body, fence)
 arcing, explosion or fire causing burns. The injuries are often suffered because arcing or
explosion or both occur when high fault currents are present
 electric shock from ‘step-and-touch’ potentials
 toxic gases causing illness or death. Burning and arcing associated with electrical
equipment may release various gases and contaminants
 fire resulting from an electrical fault.
Even the briefest contact with electricity can have serious consequences to a person’s health and
safety, whilst high voltage shocks can cause contact burns and damage to internal organs.
Electric shocks from faulty electrical equipment may also lead to related injuries, including falls
from ladders, scaffolds or other elevated work platforms. Other injuries or illnesses may include
muscle spasms, palpitations, nausea, vomiting, collapse and unconsciousness.
Workers using electricity may not be the only ones at risk—faulty electrical equipment and poor
electrical installations can lead to fires that may also cause death or injury to others.
Who must manage electrical risks?
The University
The University has the primary duty under the WHS Act to ensure that workers and other persons
at the workplace are not exposed to electrical risks arising from the workplace. This duty requires
the University to eliminate electrical risks or, if that is not reasonably practicable, minimise the
risks so far as is reasonably practicable.
The WHS Regulations include more specific requirements for managing electrical risks at the
workplace, including that as far as is reasonably practicable, electrical equipment and
installations in the workplace are without risks to health and safety of persons.
The University must ensure electrical installation work is carried out by qualified persons and
testing and compliance requirements are met.
Management
Management has the responsibility to ensure that reasonable steps to ensure that the business
or undertaking has and uses appropriate resources and processes to eliminate or minimise
electrical risks at the workplace.
Workers
Employees must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and not adversely affect
the health and safety of other persons. Workers must comply with any reasonable instruction and
cooperate with any reasonable policy or procedure relating to health and safety at the workplace.
This means that a worker must use electrical equipment (whether it is provided by the University
or is the employees own property) in accordance with the information, instruction and training
provided on its use.
What is required to manage electrical risks?
The University must manage electrical risks in the workplace by following a systematic process
that involves:
 identifying hazards
 assessing the risks associated with these hazards
 implementing and maintaining risk control measures (e.g. inspecting and testing electrical
equipment, using RCDs), and
 reviewing risk control measures.
The University has implemented a system of testing and tagging which happens on an annual
basis, depending on the equipment being used and the environment in which it is used.
Unsafe electrical equipment and electrical installations at the workplace
The University has implemented a safe system of work to deal with potentially unsafe electrical
equipment at Macquarie which includes:
 regular inspections of the physical condition of the electrical equipment, including the lead
and plug connections;
 taking electrical equipment out of service if there is doubt regarding the safety of the
equipment, including at any time during use
 establishing a reporting process to ensure that supervisors or line managers are advised
of electrical equipment taken out of service for safety reasons.
Unsafe electrical equipment must be disconnected or isolated from the electricity supply, and
must not be reconnected unless it has been repaired or tested by a competent person who
confirms that it is safe to use. Where the equipment is not able to be repaired or fails to be
certified safe to use, it must be replaced.
Unsafe electrical equipment should be labelled indicating it is unsafe and must not be used.