Are you an electrician who subcontracts to an electrical contractor?

Many trades, particularly in the building industry, work on a subcontract basis for a primary contractor instead of working as employees.

However, if you are an electrician carrying out electrical work under a subcontract for another electrical contractor, you must hold an electrical contractor licence, reminds Queensland Government Electrical Safety Office. This is to ensure that those responsible for electrical work are clearly accountable.

For example, an electrical contractor has a large contract to conduct the electrical installations for a number of homes for a builder, and that electrical contractor does not have the workforce to complete all the buildings on time so they may subcontract out the electrical installation work on a dwelling-by-dwelling basis.

Those who take that subcontracted electrical work are carrying out a business or an undertaking that includes the performance of electrical work under s56 of the Electrical Safety Act 2002, and therefore must have an electrical contractor licence. The original primary electrical contractor should also check their subcontractor has an electrical contractor licence.

The subcontractor for the electrical installation, as the person who carried out the electrical work, is responsible to ensure that the electrical work complies with the wiring rules and any other applicable standards, and that it is tested to ensure it is electrically safe. The subcontractor must also provide a certificate of test for the work carried out to the primary electrical contractor who subcontracted them.