Edition 60, September 2008

Proposal to establish a national framework for electricity network safety

The Energy Networks Association (ENA), the peak national body for Australia's energy networks, recently released a document outlining a national approach to electricity network safety regulation.

The Proposed National Framework for Electricity Network Safety is a detailed document which:

  • identifies all the known and credible hazards and risks
  • describes how the risks are to be managed
  • describes the safety management system needed to ensure the controls are effectively and consistently applied and performance is measured and continuously improved.

Electricity networks are characterised by extensive distributed assets throughout the public domain such as powerlines, substations and underground cables. As a consequence, electricity networks are expected to identify and manage both worker and community safety risks.

ENA is of the view that a safety case approved by the relevant regulator should also provide the basis for compliance with the safe workplace obligations under occupational health and safety legislation and regulation.

The ENA's proposal supports a common approach to energy safety in Australia, including the creation of a single national energy safety regulatory agency.

The proposal has been presented to the Ministerial Council on Energy (MCE) which has established an Energy Technical and Safety Leaders Group to report back to it in December 2008 with an implementation plan for the harmonisation of safety regulation that applies to the energy sector.

For more information on the Proposed National Framework for Electricity Network Safety visit www.ena.asn.au/webc/newsandsubmissions/?0,0,a001,326

This page was generated on 04 January, 2010

Tag cloud Tags: electrical,. Click here to view the tag cloud.