Western Australian Consolidated Regulations

ELECTRICITY (LICENSING) REGULATIONS 1991 - REG 50

50 .         Electrical work, supervision of

        (1)         Subject to subregulation (2), for the purposes of preventing danger to life and property all electrical work carried out shall be effectively supervised.

        (2)         Electrical work is not required to be supervised if the person carrying out the electrical work is authorised by a licence or permit to carry out the electrical work in question without supervision or if the person carrying out the electrical work is not required under these regulations to be authorised by a licence or permit to carry it out.

        (3)         In order to ensure that subregulation (1) is complied with a person employing an electrical worker — 

            (a)         shall ensure that supervision is carried out by a person who is authorised by a licence or permit to carry out the electrical work in question without supervision (the supervising electrical worker ); and

            (b)         shall consider the kind of electrical work being undertaken especially whether or not live wires or live electrical equipment are or is, or, are or is likely to be involved, in the electrical work or in the area in which electrical work is being carried out; and

            (c)         shall have regard to the level of competence of the persons being supervised or to be supervised; and

            (d)         if the persons being supervised are apprentices or are undergoing training and live wires or live electrical equipment are or is involved, or likely to be involved in the area in which the electrical work is to be, or, is being carried out, shall ensure, as far as is practicable, that the supervising electrical worker is able to be in close proximity to those persons and the electrical work being carried out so that they are in sight of, and, are able to communicate directly with, each other; and

            (e)         shall ensure the number of persons being supervised by the supervising electrical worker is such that the requirements of paragraphs (c) and (d) are capable of being complied with; and

            (f)         shall have regard to the location and general circumstances in which the electrical work is being carried out; and

            (g)         shall ensure that all the persons involved in electrical work being undertaken are properly equipped in respect of safety equipment that is necessary in relation to the electrical work being carried out.

        (4)         In order to ensure that subregulation (1) is complied with a supervising electrical worker — 

            (a)         shall consider the kind of electrical work being undertaken especially whether or not live wires or live electrical equipment are or is, or, are or is likely to be involved, in the electrical work, or, in the area in which the electrical work is being carried out;

            (b)         shall have regard to the level of competence of the persons being supervised or to be supervised;

            (c)         if the persons being supervised are apprentices or are undergoing training and live wires or live electrical equipment are or is involved, or, are or is likely to be involved in the area in which the electrical work is to be, or, is being carried out, shall ensure, as far as is practicable, that the supervising electrical worker is in close proximity to those persons and the electrical work being carried out so that they are in sight of, and, are able to communicate directly with, each other;

            (d)         shall have regard to the location and general circumstances in which the electrical work is being carried out;

            (e)         shall ensure that all persons involved in the electrical work being undertaken are — 

                  (i)         properly equipped in respect of safety equipment that is necessary in relation to the electrical work being carried out; and

                  (ii)         properly using the safety equipment that is necessary in relation to the electrical work being carried out.

        (5)         An electrical worker who is an apprentice or who is undergoing a course of training may refuse to carry out any electrical work that, having regard to the supervision under which it is being carried out, the electrical worker reasonably considers to be electrical work —

            (a)         that he or she is not competent to carry out; or

            (b)         that would, or would likely, endanger him or her or another person.

        [Regulation 50 amended in Gazette 6 Sep 1996 p. 4416; 31 Dec 2007 p. 6521.]