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Electrical safety

Last updated March 2024

This chapter explains your legal obligations in relation to electrical safety and how to manage electrical risks in your workplace.

Health and safety legislation in all jurisdictions requires you to take reasonably practicable steps to ensure the health and safety of people at your workplace. Ensuring electrical safety is part of this overriding general obligation.

Important: Businesses operating under the Work Health and Safety Act (WHS Act) have additional obligations in regards to electrical safety. These are set out in Chapter 4, Part 4.7 and onwards of the Work Health and Safety Regulations.

Each state and territory also has separate laws that deal specifically with electricity regulation, including:

  • a system for licensing electrical workers and contractors; and
  • a platform to provide consumer protection against electrical work that has not been adequately conducted or completed.

The following table shows the electrical safety legislation for each state and territory. Subsidiary regulations have been made under each of the following Acts of Parliament.

Jurisdiction Legislation
ACT Electricity Safety Act 1971
NSW Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2004
NT Electricity Reform Act
Qld Electrical Safety Act 2002*
SA Electricity Act 1996
Tas Electricity Safety Act 2022
Vic Electricity Safety Act 1998
Energy Safe Victoria Act 2005
WA Electricity Act 1945

* An independent review of this Act was initiated in 2020. The final report of the review was published in December 2021. The Queensland Government is currently considering public input on the final report before making changes to the Act. See more here.

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