1. What must be done to ensure electrical safety in schools? 2 ...

1. What must be done to ensure electrical safety in schools?
The protection of students, staff and others from injury relating to electricity is of primary
importance. Ensuring electrical safety can also prevent property damage. Education Queensland
schools must;
1. Follow general procedures to ensure the electrical safety of all electrical equipment
2. Protect specified electrical equipment according to the requirements of the Electrical Safety
Regulation 2002
3. Record and notify electrical incidents as required by the Electrical Safety Act and Regulation
2002. These requirements are provided in departmental procedure HLS-PR-005: Health and
Safety Incident Recording and Notification. Refer to responding to an electrical incident flow
chart for summary of steps.
4. Ensure all staff, students and others using electrical equipment have the appropriate skills,
information and training to perform the task safely.
Education Queensland Approach
There are regulatory requirements that must be followed in relation to electrical safety. These are
defined in the Electrical Safety Regulation 2002 (the Regulation) and state the minimum standards
to be implemented. Due to the diverse range of activities in schools that involve electrical
equipment these requirements can be interpreted in different ways and may be confusing. Our
department has liaised with the Electrical Safety Office, Department of Employment and Industrial
Relations to develop this guide to meet the requirements and help schools maintain electrical
safety.
This guide for Education Queensland schools:
acknowledges that more rigorous controls for electrical safety may be needed to due to the
characteristics of young people that may affect their (and others) health and safety; e.g.
physical and intellectual maturity, experience and behaviour, confidence and judgement; and
outlines a consistent approach that provides a standard of electrical safety that meets, and in
some cases exceeds, regulatory requirements.
The Department of Education, Training & the Arts has, in some cases, implemented guidance that
exceeds the regulatory requirements to further minimise the risk of injury to our students, staff and
visitors.
Overview of electrical safety requirements
All electrical equipment
1. Ensure ‘in-built’ safety features of electrical equipment remain intact
2. General care and maintenance
3. Make regular visual inspections
4. A system is in place to ensure the safety of all
electrical equipment
Specified electrical equipment
Ensure specified electrical equipment is
tested and tagged and/or connected to a
safety switch according to the requirements
of the Regulation.
Organisational Health Unit November 2008 7