What counts as electrical work in Victoria

The Act’s words

The Electricity Safety Act 1998 builds the meaning in steps. An electrical installation is electrical equipment fixed, or to be fixed, in, on, under or over any land, leaving out the supply networks of railways and of major electricity companies. Electrical installation work is installing, altering, repairing or maintaining one.

The Act’s wider term, electrical work, covers five kinds: connection work, equipment work, inspection work, installation work and linework. Linework is work on a part of a supply network itself.

Fixed, or plugged in

Energy Safe draws a working line on its restricted licence page, written for tradespeople who maintain equipment:

• Needs a licence

  “If the equipment is fixed into position, directly connected to mains supply and requires isolation and disconnection to be repaired, replaced or maintained on site, you will require a Restricted Electrical Worker’s licence and are required to issue a Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES) upon completion of the work.”

• Does not

  “If the equipment is easily transportable and is connected by a plug to a socket this equipment is considered plug in and does not require a restricted licence.”

Even the restricted licence stops short of wiring: “All fixed electrical installation work requires a licensed electrician.”

What Energy Safe tells householders

“Doing your own electrical work may look easy, but it’s extremely dangerous. There’s no grey area.” “Always hire a licensed electrician.”

“Electrical work isn’t a DIY job, even for small jobs such as changing power points or light switches. It takes years for someone to qualify as an electrician to do electrical work around your home, and doing it yourself isn’t worth the risk.”

“Doing unqualified electrical work isn’t only extremely dangerous, it’s also illegal.”

Energy Safe Victoria, Electrical DDIY: Don’t do it yourself.

Its page for people hiring tradespeople is just as plain: “Don’t be tempted to do your own electrical work – it’s illegal and it can also be deadly.” The Victorian Government’s power safety page says you must not do electrical work around the home, and that only licensed electricians can do it.

When the power has gone off

Energy Safe’s outage advice says it again. For a home that loses power, its outage page says: “Don’t try to solve any electrical issues or do repairs yourself. It is unsafe and illegal.” Its storms page, for the same moment: “Do not try to solve any major electrical issues or do major electrical repairs – it is unsafe and illegal. Wait and call a licensed electrician.”

Major and minor work

Energy Safe sorts household electrical work into two kinds, by where the electricity can be switched off. Prescribed work, the major kind, “covers all work done on wiring and equipment where the electricity cannot be switched off.” Non-prescribed work, the minor kind, “covers all work done on wiring where the electricity can be switched off at the switchboard. For example, installation or maintenance of safety switches, circuit breakers, power points, non-plug-in electrical equipment or lighting points within the house.” Both are electrical installation work; only prescribed work must also be inspected.

The duty on the person doing the work

The Act puts a duty on the person doing the work, not only a licence requirement. Anyone carrying out electrical installation work must make sure the circuits and equipment they handle are disconnected from supply, or that adequate precautions are taken against electric shock or other injury. Energy Safe’s page for A Grade electricians lists among the things they must do “take adequate precautions to prevent shock or injury”.

Consumer Affairs Victoria carries the same message to owner-builders, people running their own building project: its list of recommendations includes always using licensed electricians.

The supply side

The cable from the street and the meter are a separate matter. Energy Safe: “It is illegal to alter, remove or tamper with an electrical supply cable and meter.”

On farms

Energy Safe records that two Victorians were killed in early 2016, both doing their own electrical work on farms, and asks farmers to bring in a licensed electrician for the work, whatever the distance and whatever the size of the job.

If a job touches anything fixed to the house, from a light switch to the switchboard, a registered electrical contractor can take it on and send a licensed electrician to do it.