National technical update

SEPTEMBER 2022

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Standards update – new Chairperson of EL-001

In August, Standards Australia announced a new Chairperson of eL-001, the peak committee for the Wiring rules, and it is with great pride that we announce NeCA National policy and technical Director, paul brownlee as the person to lead AS/NZS 3000 into the next phase.

paul has been involved in the electrotechnology industry for his entire working career and has extensive experience in testing, connections of new and upgraded installations, process and policy preparation, inspecting electrical work and electrical investigations into accidents and deaths.

paul has previously worked on the NSW Solar bonus Scheme implementation and has advised on the Accredited Service provider (ASp) scheme, contestable metering, ring fencing and Australian Standards, and served on a number of Standards Australia committees.

Under his new appointment with Standards Australia, paul will be focused on the continued evolution of the eL-001 standard to ensure its relevance to the trade and broader electrical contracting industry. We would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the enormous contribution of Gary busbridge, who held this position for a number of years. the hard work Gary put in throughout his tenure has ensured the Wiring rules has remained relevant and continued to be the peak standard in the industry.

Standards representative forum

For the first time, NeCA hosted an online forum for all our Standards Australia representatives. the forum was NeCA’s opportunity to thank our volunteers and staff that continue to significantly contribute to updating and developing existing and new technical standards. It also was an opportunity for NeCA and our members to engage in open dialogue about committee experience, pain points, and ways we can work together to strengthen our position as the industry leader in electrical standards development.

Other subjects discussed included confidentiality, committee vacancies, expectations of both NeCA and our volunteers, and the timing of future forums. this forum will continue to evolve, with members being keen to meet quarterly to ensure we build on the success of the opening forum.

Electrical safety

the NSW Government recently wrote to all licensed electricians in NSW to update them on two electrical fatalities. both involved electrical workers, one being a tradesperson and the other being an apprentice. both incidents involved electricity and being in a restricted space.

the risk of any electric shock is real, but too often complacency sets in, workers let their guard down and accidents occur.

Whilst this was sent to NSW workers, the lessons resonate across all states.

When working in restricted spaces or anywhere within a customer’s installation, there is no excuse to work live. the advice provided some general, but important notes to remind workers:

½ switching OFF power at the meter box does not turn off the electricity supply from the street to the meter box. this means the incoming overhead service lines and the consumer mains will still be live; ½ supply cables from solar panels to an inverter unit will be live when the solar panels are generating electricity. Check to see whether the property has a battery storage system and isolate it accordingly; ½ before entering the roof space or subfloor space of a house, let someone who is on site and contactable know where you are going and how long you will be; ½ electrical wiring work must only be carried out, or supervised, by a licensed electrician who has the necessary training and experience; ½ if you find any damaged wiring, exit safely and let the owner or property manager know so that proper repairs can be organised.

If you are unsure of your business processes, NeCA can help you assess your workplace to ensure you and your workers go home safely each day.

Recently released standards

there were 230 new and updated Australian Standards released between April and August 2022. below is a list of some of the standards members may find applicable.

AS 1049.2:2022

AS 3085.1:2022

AS 60903:2022

AS 62271.301:2022

telecommunication cables - Insulation, sheath and jacket, part 2: test methods

telecommunications installations - Administration of communications cabling systems, part 1: basic requirements

Live working - electrical insulating gloves (IeC 60903:2014 (eD. 3.0) mOD)

High-voltage switchgear and controlgear, part 301: Dimensional standardization of terminals

AS/NZS 2081:2011 REC:2022

AS/NZS 3100:2022

AS/NZS 3760:2022

AS/NZS 4249:2022

electrical protection devices for mines and quarries

Approval and test specification - General requirements for electrical equipment

In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment and rCDs

electrical installations and safety practices - Film, video and television sites

AS/NZS 60079.11:2011 REC:2022 explosive atmospheres, part 11: equipment protection by intrinsic safety

AS/NZS 60079.14:2022

explosive atmospheres, part 14: Design selection, erection and initial inspection (IeC 60079-14:2013 (eD.5.0) mOD)

AS/NZS 60079.29.4:2011 REC:2022 explosive atmospheres, part 29.4: Gas detectors - performance requirements of open path detectors for flammable gases

AS/NZS 60079.35.1:2011 REC:2022 explosive atmospheres, part 35.1: Caplights for use in mines susceptible to firedamp - General requirements - Construction and testing in relation to the risk of explosion

AS/NZS 61558.2.16:2022

AS/NZS 61558.2.4:2022

AS/NZS 61558.2.6:2022

AS/NZS IEC 60479.4:2022

Safety of transformers, reactors, power supply units and combinations thereof, part 2.16: particular requirements and tests for switch mode power supply units and transformers for switch mode power supply units for general applications

Safety of transformers, reactors, power supply units and combinations thereof, part 2.4: particular requirements and tests for isolating transformers and power supply units incorporating isolating transformers for general applications

Safety of transformers, reactors, power supply units and combinations thereof, part 2.6: particular requirements and tests for safety isolating transformers and power supply units incorporating safety isolating transformers for general applications

effects of current on human beings and livestock, part 4: effects of lightning strokes

Contestable metering review

NeCA continues to work with the Australian energy market Commission (AemC) and industry stakeholders to review the increased rollout of smart meters nationally. It is clear there is more work to be done to reduce the pain points around multi-tenanted sites, and to increase the rollout more broadly. NeCA recently met with the industry working group in melbourne to address some of these issues.

NeCA has also reached out to the AemC directly to offer support in better understanding the finer concerns our members face on a daily basis when installing smart meters. We also provided a technical paper which was tabled at the August meeting of the building ministers outlining our thoughts on this issue.

In brief, the paper sets out recommendations for the AemC to consider to allow them to grow the available workforce required to install smart meters. these recommendations include suggestions that:

½ there needs to be a nationally recognised metering installation program, which allows electricians to move between metering coordinators and install all meters regardless of the retailer; ½ the choice of electrical contracting business to undertake the installation, needs to fall back to the consumer, allowing electrical contracting businesses to compete. this will also allow businesses to assess risk based on their ability to market the business, rather than the whims of the metering coordinator; ½ the rate paid to electrical contracting businesses needs to be determined by the market and not dictated by metering coordinators.

NeCA National policy and technical Director, paul brownlee said, “there is a lot to be gained if parties look beyond their own interests, and look more broadly at solutions that solve problems, instead of looking for reasons to refuse to do them.”

Australian Energy Regulator Transmission Network Service Provider RingFencing Discussion Paper

the Australian energy regulator (Aer) released a discussion paper that highlighted the need to updated the current (20-year-old) transmission ringFencing Guidelines. the discussion paper acknowledged that the current guideline must be updated and that the evolution of the transmission network into battery storage, solar farms etc, has meant there is much more activity in the construction of transmission assets by third parties.

NeCA’s submission focused on:

½ ensuring there is clearer delineation between what a transmission

Network Service provider (tNSp) business can and cannot do; ½ strengthening the investigation powers; ½ making tNSp businesses more accountable for complying when applying to carry out external work; and ½ greater reporting and transparency.

NeCA will continue to work closely with the Aer and looks forward to reviewing the draft guideline when it is released.

Other projects

We continue to push for national uniformity on automatic mutual recognition across state borders. States are continuing to implement their own systems, but more needs to be done at a federal level to bring each state’s hard work together in one harmonious program.

At a state level we have been actively supporting our state branches on:

½ statutory legislation reviews on various acts and regulations that are critical to our members and the work they do; ½ reviewing Distribution Network

Service provider (DNSp) connection document changes; ½ contributing to metering rule amendments at a state level; and ½ NSW and QLD flood emergencies, providing support and coordination where requested.

the national team are always here to help and support our state-based teams and all members. If you have an issue that you would like to see raised or followed up with your local member, regulator, distributor or at a national level, we are here to assist.

Paul Brownlee

NECA National Policy and Technical Director