Renagade
Very Well-Known Member
After a disagreeing about the legalities of wiring up your own lamp bases in a thread that has now been deleted by mods I contacted work cover as I do this type of work everyday and acording to some users (and obviously mods?)it was illegal.
Now I dont condone people doing this that have no concept of it without some study and 100 % confidence. I hate being told I'm wrong when I'm not.
This is what work cover australia had to say in responce to me questioning them if it was illegal to wire up your own lamps. please note the last part about being only subject to NSW.
WORKCOVER RESPONSE
Electrical licensing in NSW is covered by the requirements of the Home Building Act, 1989, which is administered by the Office of Fair Trading, which is now part of the Department of Commerce.
The Home Building Act requires that persons must not do electrical wiring work on an electrical installation unless they hold a Qualified Supervisor Certificate (Electrician) or a Personal Electrical Contractors Licence.
The following legislative definitions are relevant to your enquiry.
electrical installationmeans any fixed appliance, wires, fittings, apparatus or other electrical equipment used for (or for the purposes incidental to) the conveyance, control and use of electricity in a particular place, but does not include any of the following:
(a) any electrical equipment used, or intended for use, in the generation, transmission or distribution of electricity that is:
i. owned or used by an electricity supply authority, or
ii. located in a place that is owned or occupied by such an authority,
electrical wiring work (electrical work) means the actual physical work of installing, repairing, altering, removing or adding to an electrical installation or the supervising of that work.
Note: Electrical wiring work has the same meaning as it has in the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2004.
The work that you have described in your e-mail appears to be work on electrical appliances not electrical work on an electrical installation therefore you do not need an electrical licence to perform that type of work in NSW.
The reason for this is because you are restricting your work to work on an electrical article connected to, and extending or situated beyond any electrical outlet socket (power point). The lighting equipment you describe is, I assume connected to the electrical supply via a plug or socket, therefore it is defined as an electrical article , which does not form part of an electrical installation.
The replacement of plugs and sockets on electrical appliances does not require the person to hold an electrical licence but the work should be carried out by a competent person who has been trained, assessed and found competent to fit the plugs and sockets according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Please note my answer relates to the legislative requirements in NSW, other States do have different requirements, for example Queensland, which does require the type of work you have described to be carried out by a licenced person). You would need to check with each electrical or OHS regulator to establish the requirements in those States.
P.S sorry about the spelling
Now I dont condone people doing this that have no concept of it without some study and 100 % confidence. I hate being told I'm wrong when I'm not.
This is what work cover australia had to say in responce to me questioning them if it was illegal to wire up your own lamps. please note the last part about being only subject to NSW.
WORKCOVER RESPONSE
Electrical licensing in NSW is covered by the requirements of the Home Building Act, 1989, which is administered by the Office of Fair Trading, which is now part of the Department of Commerce.
The Home Building Act requires that persons must not do electrical wiring work on an electrical installation unless they hold a Qualified Supervisor Certificate (Electrician) or a Personal Electrical Contractors Licence.
The following legislative definitions are relevant to your enquiry.
electrical installationmeans any fixed appliance, wires, fittings, apparatus or other electrical equipment used for (or for the purposes incidental to) the conveyance, control and use of electricity in a particular place, but does not include any of the following:
(a) any electrical equipment used, or intended for use, in the generation, transmission or distribution of electricity that is:
i. owned or used by an electricity supply authority, or
ii. located in a place that is owned or occupied by such an authority,
- (b) any electrical article connected to, and extending or situated beyond any electrical outlet socket:
(c) any electrical equipment in or about a mine,
(d) any electricity installation operating at not more than 50 volts alternating current or 120 volts ripple-free direct current,
(e) any other electrical equipment, or class of electrical equipment, prescribed by the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Regulations 2006.
electrical wiring work (electrical work) means the actual physical work of installing, repairing, altering, removing or adding to an electrical installation or the supervising of that work.
Note: Electrical wiring work has the same meaning as it has in the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2004.
The work that you have described in your e-mail appears to be work on electrical appliances not electrical work on an electrical installation therefore you do not need an electrical licence to perform that type of work in NSW.
The reason for this is because you are restricting your work to work on an electrical article connected to, and extending or situated beyond any electrical outlet socket (power point). The lighting equipment you describe is, I assume connected to the electrical supply via a plug or socket, therefore it is defined as an electrical article , which does not form part of an electrical installation.
The replacement of plugs and sockets on electrical appliances does not require the person to hold an electrical licence but the work should be carried out by a competent person who has been trained, assessed and found competent to fit the plugs and sockets according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Please note my answer relates to the legislative requirements in NSW, other States do have different requirements, for example Queensland, which does require the type of work you have described to be carried out by a licenced person). You would need to check with each electrical or OHS regulator to establish the requirements in those States.
P.S sorry about the spelling
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