Resources & Documentation

Downloads, Policies & Documents

Downloads

Electrical Safety Tips

Be careful near water

  • Never touch anything electrical with wet hands or feet.
  • Never use any electrical appliance near water
  • Do not use portable heaters in bathroom areas. Instead, you should have a strip heater or ceiling unit installed by a registered contractor.

Take care with appliances

  • Never use a faulty electrical appliance, or one that has a frayed cord, cracked or broken plug, or any appliance that has given someone a shock or 'tingle'.
  • In the lunch room, switch off and unplug your toaster before trying to pull out any toast, muffin or crumpet that may be stuck, and ensure that bread crumbs are removed from the toaster daily to avoid build up.
  • Check that the power point is switched off before you plug in any appliance and always switch off appliances at the power point before you pull out the plug.

Simple safety precautions

  • Put safety plugs into unused power point sockets.
  • When absolutely necessary, place extension cords carefully around office furniture preferably securely taped to the floor, or along wall edges. Never leave them across the middle of the floor or under rugs where someone may trip over them.
  • Extension cords should have three metal cores. Plugs with two cores are not earthed and therefore are very dangerous and must not be used.
  • Look up and live: When lifting equipment overhead or climbing on top of roofs or other elevated areas, focus on what is above you. Keep well clear of power lines.

Electrical safety switches

Safety switches are intended to protect people against the most frequent cause of electrocution - electric current passing through the human body to earth.

Safety switches usually cut the power within 1/30th of a second, which is fast enough to prevent electrocution in most cases.

If your commercial premise is not fitted with safety switches, you should seriously consider having them installed.

How do safety switches work?

Safety switches monitor the flow of electricity through a circuit. They automatically shut off the electricity supply when current is detected leaking from faulty switches, wiring or electrical appliances. This stops the chance of current flowing to earth, through a person, electrocuting them.

Are safety switches failsafe?

  • Nothing is failsafe. You should regularly check your safety switch. Just like a smoke detector or other safety device, if it is not working properly, it cannot protect you.
  • It is also important to make sure your electrical appliances, electrical wiring, extension leads and other electrical equipment are regularly checked and kept in good working order.

Test your safety switch

  • To test a safety switch, simply press the TEST button.
  • This should automatically trip the switch to the 'OFF' position.
  • Reset by pushing the switch back to 'ON'.
  • If it doesn't work, contact your electrical contractor immediately.
  • Carry out safety switch test every three months.

Why did it 'trip'?

  • If a safety switch turns off your power, you could be using a faulty appliance or your electrical wiring may have become faulty.
  • Reset the safety switch. If it trips again, unplug the last appliance used. If everything works okay, take that appliance to a licensed electrical contractor to be checked.
  • If the safety switch keeps tripping, disconnect all appliances and plug them in, one at a time, until you locate the faulty one.

Electric shocks - what should you do?

Electric shocks often do not immediately kill the person affected. They may stop the heart, cause burns or force muscles to contract and paralyse breathing. Often shock victims cannot let go of the appliance that is passing the current to the body.

If you witness an electric shock

If possible and if there is no danger of you also being electrocuted, switch off the power and pull out the plug.

If you cannot turn the current off, use heavy duty insulating gloves or something made of rubber, dry cloth or dry and cured wood to free the shock victim (do not use wet or recently cut wood as this can contain sap that will conduct electricity). It is safe to use their clothing only if it is dry.

Protect yourself and any bystanders from the possibility of further shocks.

Do not touch the shock victim's skin until the current is turned off.

Seek immediate medical assistance for the victim.

If you are trained in resuscitation techniques, you should attempt to resuscitate the victim as soon as they are no longer in contact with the electrical current.

Note:

If your house was built before 1992 - it may have not have a safety switch. If you have purchased a house in the past three months and it is not fitted with a safety switch - you must have a safety switch installed within three months after the transfer date.

For a rental home, if it is subject to a residential tenancy agreement from 1 March 2006, the owner must have a safety switch installed for power points within 6 months of the agreement, or in any case by 1 March 2008.

Links:

http://www.dir.qld.gov.au/electricalsafety/index.htm

Test and Tag

We supply a Test and Tag service for your portable appliances as per AS/NZS 3760:2001. Appliances are tested for insulation resistance, earth circuit continuity, electrical continuity, and a full visual inspection is made before the item is individually tagged and logged into your company appliance test book(s). This testing not only ensures the continued safety for all users of the equipment but comply with legislation requirements outlined in clauses 64 &65 of OHS Regs 2001.

Electrical safety regulations state that Portable electrical appliances & RCD's, must be tested at specified intervals by a competent person. This is known as test and tag or PAT testing. The testing of portable appliances and RCDs is an important part of any Workplace Health and Safety Policy.

Portable Appliances include such items as power boards, extension leads, fans, power tools, and any other electrical appliance connected by a flexible cord used in a work place.

How often to test: How often specified electrical equipment and safety switches are tested depends on the class of workplace they are used in:

Class 1 work

  • construction work
  • work completed in conjunction with construction

Class 1 work at least 3 monthly intervals by a competent person use the inbuilt test button (at least monthly) an operating time/current test by a competent person at least annually use the inbuilt test button - immediately after it is connected and immediately before it is used, first time each day by a competent person, at least every 3 months. Specified electrical equipment Type 1 or 2 safety switch (fixed) Type 1 or 2 safety switch (portable)

Class 2 work

  • assembly, fabrication, manufacturing
  • refurbishment
  • installation
  • maintenance
  • repair

Class 2 if equipment is double insulated, at least every 12 months by competent person If not double insulated, at least 6 months by competent person and connected to a safety switch use the inbuilt test button - at least every 6 months. An operating time/current test at least every 12 months by competent person use the inbuilt test button - daily or before each use, whichever is longer by a competent person, at least every 12 months

Class 3 Work

  • defined as all other portable electrical appliances used for work not covered by 1, 2, 4

Class 3 work- At least 12 monthly intervals by a competent person or connected to a safety switch use the inbuilt test button, at least every 6 months. An operating time/current test by a competent person, at least every 2 years - Inbuilt test button at least every 3 months or before each use, whichever is longer. An operating time/current test by a competent person, at least every 2 years

Class 4 Work

  • means portable electrical appliances used in and for office work
  • Category equipment Type Type 1 or 2 safety switch (fixed) Type 1 (fixed) Typeswitch (portable)

Class 4 work - At least 5 yearly intervals by a competent person or connected to a safety switch use the inbuilt test button at least every 6 months. An operating time/current test by a competent person, at least every 2 years use the inbuilt test button at least every 3 months. An operating time/current test by a competent person at least every 2 years.