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Office of Fair and Safe Work Queensland
Department of Justice and Attorney-General
Home > Electrical Safety > Business and industry > Electrical workers and contractors > Hazards

Hazards

The three common hazards associated with electrical work are electric shock, burns and toxic gases released by the burning of certain electrical components.

These can occur in the following circumstances.

Confined spaces
Hazardous areas
Working at heights
Working in and around dug-out spaces
High fault currents

Confined spaces

You need to ensure that even in tight spaces you have enough room to move freely without exposing yourself unintentionally to a live part.

For example, the involuntary movement caused by a sneeze could put you at risk.

Also ensure you have adequate ventilation.

Warning: live parts’ exposure in lift control

Cramped conditions typical of lift motor rooms and awkward positioning increases the likelihood of electric shock hazards when performing lift maintenance.

Hazards may also exist from unguarded pulley/chain and cable drum movements.

An incident involving a worker who accidentally touched exposed bare terminals connected to hazardous voltage while performing lift maintenance, has prompted a safety warning from the Electrical Safety Office.

This particular installation involved an older-style OTIS I-SOB model.

But the Electrical Safety Office warns that other makes, models and vintages may have dangerous exposed terminals or parts.

It says all lift installations should be reviewed and control measures put in place to minimise electrical, mechanical or other hazards.

Suitable controls may include enclosures and guards, complying with Electrical Safety Regulation 2002 (PDF, 1 MB).

Hazardous areas

‘Hazardous areas’ are those where flammable materials are generated, prepared, processed, handled, stored or used, posing potential danger.

Read about the correct maintenance and installation of luminaires in hazardous areas.

Standards for hazardous area equipment

Australian Standards (AS/NZS 2381 Electrical equipment for explosive gas atmospheres (non-Queensland Government link)) stipulate that all equipment used in hazardous areas must be certified with ‘AUS Ex’ or ‘IEC Ex’.

‘AUS Ex’ certification scheme for electrical equipment finished in December 2003; replaced by the ‘IEC Ex’ standard.

This is not the same as ‘ATEX certified’.

ATEX is a manufacturer self-certification scheme, set up to support the sale of electrical equipment used in potentially explosive situations, in the European Union.

ATEX certification only is not enough to satisfy Australian Standards or to meet obligations established in Queensland’s stringent electrical safety laws.

Electrical contractors should specify use of conforming equipment. If supplied equipment is ATEX-certified only, a written assessment from a suitably qualified person is needed; indicating whether the standard the equipment was manufactured to aligns with equivalents demanded by Australian Standards.

Working at heights

Working with ladders, scaffolds and portable platforms
Working with elevating work platforms (EWPs)
Working on or from poles and towers

General information

Working at heights and with electricity makes work doubly risky.

You need to be aware of general workplace health and safety requirements relating to working at heights as well as electrical safety issues.

Working with ladders, scaffolds and portable platforms

Ladders, scaffolds and portable platforms are used a lot in carrying out electrical work.

The three common hazards – electric shock, burns and toxic gases - may all be encountered.

Control measures

Some ways to implement a safe system of work include:

Refer to Appendix B of the Code of Practice for Electrical Work for more details.

Working with elevating work platforms (EWPs)

Elevating work platforms including scissor lift and boom type machines are used widely throughout the electrical industry.

The Code of Practice for Electrical Work sets out detailed guidelines for carrying out electrical work using elevating work platforms.

You also need to be aware of Workplace health and safety provisions for using EWPs.

Safe operation of an elevating work platform (PDF, 744KB)
This guide covers the basics that trainees, supervisors and employers need to know for the safe operation of elevating work platforms.

Remember to check the safety observer danger zones.

Warning on single operating lever elevating work platform

The Electrical Safety Office has been made aware that the design and operation of a particular elevating work platform could pose unsafe situations for workers.

The Versalift truck-mounted boom lift can perform up to three different movements simultaneously. In particular it can retract the boom telescopically while raising the boom arm angle.

This possibility may be exacerbated by the arrangement of the ‘deadman switch’ in the operating handle. The ‘deadman switch’ is under the operating handle. Pressure to engage this button is in the same direction as what is needed to raise the boom.

This could result in the boom arm angle being mistakenly raised, leading to a net upward movement that may not be immediately obvious. It could be dangerous.

Working on or from poles and towers

Always inspect poles before commencing an electrical work.

Think about:

The Code of Practice - Electrical Work details what to look for and what tests to conduct on poles in establishing a safe system of work.

Working in and around dug-out spaces

When working in or around trenches, pits and underground ducts, you may encounter electrical hazards such as:

Control measures

Some ways to implement a safe system of work in these situations include:

For more details, refer to working in and around trenches, pits and underground ducts section of the Code of Practice for Electrical Work.

Last updated July 22, 2009