Edition 78, May 2010

Electrical apprentices and insulation inspections

Electrical apprectices and insulation inspeactorsRecently the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) wrote to the Queensland Department of Education and Training advising that in some instances electrical apprentices were being used by some employers to undertake safety inspections of insulation installations in Queensland.

The department sort advice from the Queensland Electrical Safety Office (ESO) regarding apprentices inspecting and testing electrical installations affected by the fitting of thermal insulation or metal foil insulation.

Advice from the ESO indicates that, in general, the knowledge and skill required for the work of inspecting and testing an electrical installation affected by the fitting of insulation system would be that of a qualified electrician with relevant training and experience.

In addition, the ESO advised that an apprentice would need to have undertaken substantial task specific training and assessment to be deemed competent to carry out such inspection and testing work unsupervised.

To ensure that the department is meeting its duty of care obligations, employers currently identified as employing apprentices in an electrical qualification have been written to advising them of their responsibilities in respect to apprentice supervision particularly in respect to insulation inspections.

Employers have also been requested to review their supervisory practices of electrical apprentices to ensure that they meet the supervisory provisions under Section 209 of Queensland's Electrical Safety Regulation 2002.

Electrical apprentices and their employers in other states and territories should seek clarification from their relevant licensing authority about the specific supervisory requirements for apprentices doing insulation inspection work.   

For a list of electrical licensing authorities visit www.licensinglinenews.com/Resources/Licensing-links.aspx#E

For further information visit the Department of Environment website at
www.environment.gov.au/eehp/electrical-safety/index.html or the Queensland Electrical Safety Office website at
www.justice.qld.gov.au/fair-and-safe-work/electrical-safety/safety-advisories

This page was generated on 31 May, 2010