Electrical news
30 year
anniversary of
mandatory
RCDs a good
reminder to test
By Andrew Burgdorf, Compliance
Officer, Electrical Installation Safety
It is almost 30 years
since RCDs became
mandatory in domestic
installations.
The 30 year anniversary acts as a good
reminder for electricians attending
properties to carry out electrical work,
to test all existing RCDs and RCBOs
to ensure they are operating as they
should be.
Clause 8.3.10 of AS/NZS 3000:2018
outlines a number of different testing
methods. As an installation ages, the
likelihood of an RCD or RCBO becoming
faulty increases. A faulty RCD may mean
the home and its occupants are not
protected.
While attending a property, it is a good
opportunity to discuss the importance
of ensuring RCDs and RCBOs are
regularly tested with homeowners
to ensure safety. This is as easy as
demonstrating to them how to test the
RCD. Electricians can advise residents
to test every six months, or even add it
to the list of things to do when changing
their smoke detector batteries.
ESV recommends that all domestic
installations have protection on
all final sub-circuits in line with
AS/NZS 3000:2018. clause 2.1.2(f)
which requires that RCDs and RCBOs
be installed as per manufacturer's
specifications.
Note: Various installations including, but not limited
to patient areas and construction sites, may require
additional RCD testing to that of AS/NZS 3000.
ESVConnect is our new online
place for interacting with industry.
Early next year, ESVConnect will
be available for:
» Registering Certificates of Electrical
Safety (COES)
» Registration and renewal of Electrical
Contractors (REC)
» Licensing and renewal of Electrical
Workers (LEW) Employers of electrical workers,
and RECs, will be able to nominate an
Operator with their own independent
log in details. The Operator will
be able to prepare a Certificate of
Compliance for a Licenced Electrical
Worker to certify, and assist in
selecting LEIs for the inspection of
prescribed electrical installation work.
You can already use ESVConnect to
register Cathodic Protection Systems. Password recovery
One login 360° view
One major change from the current
Online Services system is the way
to login.
ESVConnect provides individuals
with a 360° view of all licences,
registrations and certificates
from ESV.
‘There is one login to view all your
electrical licence and registration
details, the full view of certificates
of electrical safety you have
an association with, as well as
relationships to organisations.
The rule is never provide your
log in details to anyone else.’
David Bibby, ESVConnect
COES Subject Matter Expert
New roles
ESVConnect for COES will introduce
new roles, so no one will ever needs
to share their personal login details
(user name and password).
One new feature of the COES
process is the ‘Operator’ role.
ESVConnect users can create their
own passwords. If you forget your
username or password, you will
be able to auto recover via your
registered email account.
ESVConnect ready
Over the last few months, we have
been asking electrical workers to
update their email addresses in
Online Services, so that we can
let you know when ESVConnect
for Licensing, Registration and
Certificates of Electrical Safety
goes live.
Nice work everyone!
We now have email addresses
on record for 90% of our licenced
workers.
What’s next
The next step is to test the email
addresses we have to verify they are
active and connect us with the right
people. In December, we will send
the first of a series of emails to help
you get ready, so please keep an eye
out. If you do not receive it in your
Inbox or Spam, please log in to Online
Services and review your details, or
contact us at licensing@energysafe.
vic.gov.au or 1800 815 721.
The ESVConnect Project team welcomed Matt Davies in the role
of Product Owner earlier this month. Matt replaces Trish Zupan
who led the ESVConnect project from the outset (early 2015).
For a list of compliant
RCDs and RCBOs, visit
esv.vic.gov.au/compliant-RCBOs
18
‘Trish made a valuable contribution to ESVConnect, establishing
a system that will serve us well for years to come’
Neil Fraser, Deputy Director and ESVConnect Product Manager