Meeting Australian electrical safety standards
14 May, 2012 by Justin Barrett*Within the electrical industry there is increasing concern regarding the number of electrical products being sold that don’t comply with Australian Standards. These products, whilst appearing genuine, are often made from inferior materials with little regard for meeting stated ratings or safety requirements. Compliance with Australian Electrical Safety Standards is important to ensure product quality, reliability and, most critically, the safety of the electrical contractor during installation and their customer throughout the operational life of the product.
Solar system seller fined and prosecuted by Fair Trading
09 May, 2012The director and general manager of Solar and Bamboo Direct and Solar Installations, Jan Pieter McHeyzer, has been prosecuted and fined for selling unmarked and potentially unsafe hot water storage tanks and making false and misleading claims about the tanks.
Narda EFA-300 and ELT-400 electromagnetic field measuring devices
19 April, 2012Narda Safety Test Solutions has available two low-frequency electromagnetic field measuring devices with evaluation conforming to ICNIRP 2010, the EFA-300 and the ELT-400.
WorkCover NSW Safety Alert for working on electrical circuits in conduits
12 April, 2012WorkCover NSW has issued a Safety Alert for working on electrical circuits in conduits, reminding electrical workers of the dangers of cutting electrical conduits that are in service as the conduits may contain multiple circuits.
USU: Endeavour's outsourcing puts scores of jobs at risk
26 March, 2012Endeavour Energy plans to outsource electricity connection and disconnection field officer positions, according to the United Services Union (USU). The Union group claims this will put scores of jobs at risk and affect supply reliability for NSW residents.
Businesses should review energy contracts before carbon tax hits, says Energy Action
23 March, 2012Independent energy management company, Energy Action, said that energy retailers are likely to process a carbon adjustment to clients’ bills by either increasing contract energy rates or introducing a new line item to bills. Most existing retail electricity contracts do not charge for carbon, but do contain clauses allowing for adjusted prices in response to the carbon tax.
Jemena: smart meters sabotaged
22 March, 2012Jemena has announced that the failure of 21 smart meters was the result of sabotage “by an unknown person or persons”. The company said that the sabotage was confirmed by independent chemical testing and that each meter failed safely.
Legislation passed to abolish the ABCC
21 March, 2012The Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) is to be abolished after the Building and Construction Industry (Transition to Fair Work) Bill was passed in the Senate on 20 March. The Office of the Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate will replace the ABCC.
Industry bodies disagree with IPART’s ‘fair and reasonable’ solar price
16 March, 2012The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s (IPART’s) recommendations for solar power pricing have caused quite the industry stir.
Coalition introduces Bill to reinstate solar hot water rebate
14 March, 2012The Coalition’s Greg Hunt gave notice on 13 March to introduce a Private Members’ Bill to restore the solar hot water rebate. The Bill will demand the government commit to the remaining $64.5 million of funding it had allocated for the solar hot water rebate scheme for 2011-2012.
Unions to take legal action over energy privatisation
14 March, 2012Unions NSW said it will take action in the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) in response to the state government’s move to privatise electricity generators.
Visa changes welcomed by industry
13 March, 2012Changes to the visa program for skilled migrants have been welcomed by industry groups as a solution to the skills shortage that’s being experienced - particularly in the resources sector, such as in engineering and the skilled trades.
NBN Co and Telstra Definitive Agreements commence
07 March, 2012The Definitive Agreements between NBN Co and Telstra come into force on 7 March 2012, allowing NBN Co to increase construction activity.
New code guidelines show no tolerance for illegal practices
06 March, 2012New implementation guidelines for the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry will make the process of tendering for government-funded building works much simpler, Bill Shorten, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, said.
ACA criticises amendments to building industry legislation
21 February, 2012The latest amendments to the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Amendment (Transition to Fair Work) Bill 2011 have been criticised by the Australian Constructors Association (ACA).
