Energy safety

The purpose of the Acts

The Electricity Act 1992(external link) and Gas Act 1992(external link) set the legislative framework and requirements for electricity and gas safety (energy safety) from supply through to end use.

The purpose of these 2 laws is to protect the public and workers, as well as to prevent property damage from the supply and use of electricity and gas. Its coverage includes the safety of electrical and gas appliances and fittings at the time of sale or supply.

WorkSafe's role

WorkSafe’s Energy Safety team is the regulator for energy safety and is responsible for:

• raising awareness of energy safety risks and legislative requirements;
• providing guidance to support duty holders to control energy safety risks and comply with their legal obligations; and
• monitoring compliance with legislative requirements and undertaking enforcement action where necessary.

WorkSafe: Energy safety(external link)

Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010

The Electrical Safety Regulations, supported with information and guidance from WorkSafe, govern electrical safety. They are intended to help businesses understand how to manage particular electrical hazards.

These regulations do the following:

• gather together and state the generic rules and requirements for electrical safety and what is deemed to be electrically safe and unsafe
• deal with the design, construction and use of works, installations, fittings and appliances
• deal with the importation and sale of fittings and appliances
• provide for installations to be designed and installed under AS/NZS 3000 (the Wiring Rules)
• define requirements for safety management systems
• set out in the standards applicable to the regulations, with a focus on adopting international standards.

Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010(external link)

Gas (Safety and Measurement) Regulations 2010

The Gas Safety and Measurement Regulations prescribe:

• the general rules and requirements about safety
• the point of supply
• requirements for safety management systems that operators of gas supply systems must meet. This includes setting the 'brightline' for which gas supply systems are required to have a safety management system
• the certification regime for gas appliances.

Gas (Safety and Measurement) Regulations 2010(external link)