Technical supervisors

About Technical Supervisors

A Technical Supervisor works for a Registered Electrical Contractor (REC). Technical Supervisors must understand and follow the relevant sections of this legislation:

• Electricity Safety Act 1998 (the Act) - Part 3 in particular
• Electricity Safety (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2020
• Electricity Safety (General) Regulations 2019

You should

As a Technical Supervisor you should be sure employees have working knowledge relevant to the requirements of:

• Electricity Safety (General) Regulations
• Australian Standards.

You must not

You must not direct or permit anyone to do non-compliant electrical installation work. All work must comply with the Act or the Regulations.

Prescribed electrical installations

In order to ensure the REC meets their obligations, you must ensure that a Licensed Electrical Inspector (LEI) inspects prescribed installation work:

• before connecting the electricity supply to the electrical installation
• if the electrical circuits or electrical equipment were not disconnected from electricity supply
• before the electrical installation work is first used after completing the installation.

An LEI must complete a Certificate of Inspection under Section 45 of the Act if required for a Certificate of Electrical Safety (COES). Within the required time, you must send us a copy of that COES.

If it's not a periodic COES, you must send us an electronic notification of the Certificate of Compliance using the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. This notification is due 2 business days after finishing the work.

Note

All paper-based COES include a copy for Energy Safe. This copy must be sent to us.

You don't need to send us COES generated in ESVConnect.

Supervision of electrical installation work

So that the REC meets their obligations, you must provide effective supervision of the electrical installation work. 'Effective supervision' may include, but is not limited to:

• audits of completed electrical installation work
• technical advice at toolbox talks
• technical and safety meetings with licensed electrical workers (LEWs)
• site visits.

Safe systems of work

You must ensure the REC has safe systems of work in place to meet the requirements of:

• the Act and regulations
• the Occupational Health and Safety Act and regulations
• AS/NZS 4836 Safe working on or near low-voltage electrical installations and equipment (recommended).

Definitions

'Licensed electrical worker' means a person who is licensed to carry out electrical work.

This includes the following roles:

• Electrician (A Grade)
• Electrician (Supervised) (ES licence)
• Supervised Electrical Worker (L Licence)
• Restricted Electrical licence holder, also known as Disconnect/Reconnect licence (D licence)
• Switchgear licence holder (SG Licence).

Reference: Electricity Safety Act, Section 3.

In relation to electrical work, 'effective supervision' means:

• being present at the site of the work:
  • being aware of the details of the electrical work being performed
  • giving detailed instructions and directions with respect to the electrical work
• being aware of the details of the work:
  • being aware of the details of the electrical work being performed and
  • giving detailed instructions and directions with respect to the electrical work.

Reference: Electricity Safety (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2020, regulation 4.

Supervising apprentices

You or any other licensed licensed electrician or licensed electrical switchgear worker who is supervising an apprentice must supervise that apprentice in accordance with the Apprentice Supervision Requirements.

Energy Safe publishes these requirements. See: Effective supervision of apprentice electricians

Reference: Electricity Safety (General) Regulations 2019 part 5, division 3, regulation 507.

General guidance – Apprentice supervision levels