The Electrical Workers Registration Board (“the Board”) has the responsibility for the registration and licensing of electrical workers in New Zealand.
Following the introduction of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010, the Board published a notice setting out transitional requirements relating to the completion of Competence Programmes in respect of persons applying for practising licences or applying for renewals of practising licences in accordance with section 85(1)(d) of the Electricity Act 1992 (“the Act”) (New Zealand Gazette, 10 June 2010, No. 64, page 1846). The operation of those transitional requirements was subsequently extended until 1 November 2011 (New Zealand Gazette, 26 May 2011, No. 71, page 1688).
More recently, the Board published a notice (New Zealand Gazette, 1 December 2011, No. 186, page 5399) (“the Notice”):
- prescribing the new requirements relating to the completion of Competence Programmes in respect of persons applying for practising licences and persons applying for renewals of practising licences that will apply after 31 January 2012; and
- extending the transitional requirements until that time.
It has subsequently come to the attention of the Board that the requirements set out in that Notice were ambiguous in some respects. Accordingly, the Board hereby gives notice that:
- the Notice is revoked effective 2 April 2015;
- the requirements relating to the completion of Competence Programmes in respect of persons applying for practising licences or applying for renewals of practising licences that come into force after 2 April 2015 are to be those set out in the Schedules below.
Dated at Wellington this 26th day of March 2015.
N. J. J. SICKELS, Registrar.
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Schedule 1
Persons wishing to uplift practising licences from 2 April 2015
- After 2 April 2015, applicants for all classes of practising licence (including the renewal of practising licences) must have completed a Competence Programme as set out in this notice.
- After 2 April 2015, applicants for all classes of practising licence (including the renewal of practising licences) must have completed a Competence Programme within a period of two years immediately before the date of each application.
- A Competence Programme is made up of Board-approved courses of instruction in:
- electrical safety; and
- basic first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.
- A professional development programme constitutes a Competence Programme if it contains a Board-approved course of instruction in:
- electrical safety; and
- basic first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.
Subject material for the electrical safety aspect of Competence Programmes
- The required subject material of the electrical safety aspect of a Competence Programme is set out in Schedule 2 below.
Subject material for the basic first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation aspect of Competence Programmes
- Instruction in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation must be provided so as to achieve the CPRL2 requirements of the New Zealand Resuscitation Council. First Aid instruction must be provided in accordance with material published by either the New Zealand Red Cross or St John New Zealand. Provided that is the case, the subject material of those courses of instruction will be deemed to be approved by the Board.
Schedule 2
Part A
Subject material for the electrical safety aspect of Competence Programmes for people not engaged in works and high voltage installations
The following subject material must be included in the electrical safety aspect of the Competence Programme for the respective practising licence classes where any person applying for a practising licence is engaged either full time or part time on low voltage electrical installations designed and constructed to AS/NZS 3000 and on electrical appliances that are supplied from such installations:
(a) Electrical inspector
- Supervision of trainees
- Earthing requirements as listed in AS/NZS 3000
- The installation, operation and testing of residual current devices (RCCB, RCBO, SRCD and PRCD)
- Prospective short circuit currents
- Testing and certification as listed in AS/NZS 3000, AS/NZS 3760 and the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010
- Inspection
(b) Electrician, electrical engineer and electrical installer
- Supervision of trainees
- Earthing requirements as listed in AS/NZS 3000
- The installation, operation and testing of residual current devices (RCCB, RCBO, SRCD and PRCD)
- Prospective short circuit currents
- Testing and certification as listed in AS/NZS 3000, AS/NZS 3760 and the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010
- Inspection
(c) Electrical service technician, electrical appliance serviceperson (endorsed) and associated tradesperson
- Supervision of trainees
- Earthing requirements as listed in AS/NZS 3000
- Operation and operational testing of residual current devices (RCCB, RCBO, SRCD and PRCD)
- Prospective short circuit currents
- Testing requirements in accordance with AS/NZS 3000 and AS/NZS 3760
(d) Electrical appliance serviceperson
- Supervision of trainees
- Earthing requirements as listed in AS/NZS 3000
- The purpose, usage and operational testing of residual current devices
- Prospective short circuit currents
- Testing requirements in accordance with AS/NZS 3760
(e) Line mechanic and cable jointer
- Supervision of trainees
- Earthing requirements as listed in AS/NZS 3000
- Testing and certification as listed in AS/NZS 3000, AS/NZS 3760 and the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010.
Part B
Subject material for the electrical safety aspect of Competence Programmes for people engaged in works and high voltage installations
The following subject material must be included in the electrical safety aspect of the Competence Programme for the respective practising licence classes where any person applying for a practising licence is engaged either full time or part time on works or high voltage electrical installations or on high voltage plant and equipment supplied from works or such installations.
(a) Electrical inspector
- Supervision of trainees
- Prospective short circuit currents
- Electrical safe distances and their application as listed in ECP 34
- Earthing requirements as listed in the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 and the use of bonding and equipotential zones to comply with Regulation 8 of those Regulations
- The installation, operation and testing of electrical protection equipment, including current and voltage transformers
- Testing and certification as listed in the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010
- Inspection
(b) Electrician, electrical engineer, electrical installer and electrical service technician
- Supervision of trainees
- Prospective short circuit currents
- Electrical safe distances and their application as listed in ECP 34
- Earthing requirements as listed in the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 and the use of bonding and equipotential zones to comply with Regulation 8 of those Regulations
- The installation, operation and testing of electrical protection equipment, including current and voltage transformers
- Testing and certification as listed in the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010
(c) Line mechanic and cable jointer
- Supervision of trainees
- Electrical safe distances and their application as listed in ECP 34
- Earthing requirements as listed in the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 and the use of bonding and equipotential zones to comply with Regulation 8 of those Regulations
- Testing and certification as listed in the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010