News & Views

A 35-year-old NSW electrician was fatally injured when he handled energised wires whilst completing works on an electrical circuit beneath a house.  

Electric shock is the second leading cause of death in the construction industry. 

SafeWork NSW reminds contractors that it is important to ensure electrical work is either conducted or appropriately supervised by a licensed electrician. SafeWork NSW advises that before making contact with or commencing work on equipment, ensure that it is switched off and test every circuit and conductor to ensure it has been properly isolated. Lock the circuit to prevent inadvertent re-energisation. 

Incident site underneath the house where exposed electrical cables were located. 

Additional risks

Work in underfloor and roof space areas involves additional electrical risks, including:

• electrical wiring powering various circuits within the property itself, such as lighting, power points, hot water systems, ovens, air conditioners etc.
• electrical wiring that may be installed within those spaces that is powering another part of the property, such as an extension, garage, granny flat or duplex
• metallised foil ceiling insulation
• electrical wiring from solar/battery storage systems
• exposed electrical wiring

SafeWork continues to investigate this incident.

NECAs thoughts go out to the electrician's family, friends and colleagues.

NECA RESOURCES

NECA Members Knowledge Base

At NECA, our number one priority is the safety of all our members and their workers.

To ensure electrical work is either conducted or appropriately supervised by a licensed electrician, NECA members have access to the Electrical HRCW SWMS template for Safe working on or near (within 500mm of) low-voltage electrical installations downloadable on NECA Members Knowledge Base.

Log into NECA Members Technical Knowledge Base to download your Electrical HRCW SWMS template for Safe working on or near (within 500mm of) low-voltage electrical installations.  

FREE 90 Minute NECA Member Safety Advisory Visit

To help your business improve your standards of OHS compliance, NECAs HSEQ team offer NECA members a free 90-minute NECA Member Safety Advisory visit.

Your NECA Member Advisory visit will: 

• Check your compliance with Safety and Licencing Laws 
• Assist with any challenges of managing safety 
• Understand the NECA SWMS templates 
• Demonstrate our Safety Management Systems and learn about new offerings
• Assist with ASP Accreditation 
• Learn about how to achieve Triple ISO Accreditation