Electrical safety in the workplace

As an employer or a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) you have duties to ensure your workplace is safe from dangers that may be caused by electrical equipment.

As part of your duties under electrical safety laws, you must ensure electrical equipment is kept in a safe condition. These duties include:

• protecting extension leads and flexible cables from damage
• using safety switches in certain situations
• inspecting, testing and tagging certain electrical equipment on a regular basis
• removing defective equipment
• ensuring safety switches are working properly
• avoiding the use of double adaptors and piggyback plugs for certain work
• ensuring extension cords are regularly tested and tagged.

This guide provides a summary of electrical workplace safety practices.