NSW Fair Trading and the Queensland Government Electrical Safety Office are now recommending that safety switches (also known as Residual Current Devices or RCDs) are tested every six months to provide protection against electrocution. Detector Inspector now offers safety switch checks as an add on to the smoke alarm service.
What is a safety switch and why is it important?
A safety switch (also known as a Residual Current Device or RCD) is a life-saving device designed to protect people from electrocution.
A safety switch can detect when the supply and return of electrical current is imbalanced, indicating a leak to earth—in other words, it detects when a person touches live current and the current runs through their body. The safety switch cuts off the current within fractions of a millisecond, soon enough to prevent serious injury or death by electrocution.
Safety switches are more sensitive than circuit breakers, which are designed to detect larger overloads of current and cut off in time to prevent damage to appliances. Circuit breakers do not provide personal safety against electric shock. Safety switches are designed to cut the circuit much sooner, at lower levels of current imbalance that aren’t detected by a circuit breaker. A safety switch is the only effective protection against potentially fatal electrocution.
What are the legal requirements in NSW & QLD?
QLD:
- Owners of residential rental accommodation must have safety switches installed in their rental properties. The penalty for landlords is a fine of up to $1500.
- Older properties built prior to 1992 are less likely to have safety switches installed; if you purchase a property like this, you are required by law to install safety switches within 3 months.
- The Residential Tenancies Authority recommends that old-style switchboards are upgraded to the latest technology for better protection.
- Safety switches must be installed by a licensed electrician; DIY electrical work is illegal in QLD.
NSW:
- Safety switches have been required on all new powerpoint circuits installed since 1991 and on all new light circuits installed since 2000.
- It’s not a legal requirement to install safety switches on older circuits, but for safety reasons their use is strongly recommended by NSW Fair Trading.
- At the start of every new tenancy, both the agent/landlord and the tenant must indicate on the entry condition report whether the safety switch is working; the only way to confirm this is by testing it.
- If a safety switch is found to be faulty or is detecting an electrical fault at any point during a tenancy, this is considered an urgent repair.
- Under NSW law, any electrical installation work must be done by a licensed electrician, and the electrician is required to provide a uniquely numbered Certificate of Compliance Electrical Work (CCEW).
In both NSW and QLD, local authorities recommend that safety switches are tested every six months to ensure they are working.
The solution: an add-on to your regular smoke alarm service
For your peace of mind, your Detector Inspector technician can test the safety switch every time we’re at your property for a regular smoke alarm service. If the safety switch is found to be faulty, we’ll organise a prompt replacement by a licensed electrician for a flat fee.
Since the requirements vary from state to state, we tailor our service to local regulations so you can be sure your property is meeting the right standards.
The safety switch testing service includes:
- Safety & compliance check - A safety check on current safety switches to ensure they meet the relevant guidelines for the push test in each state
- Video evidence - Where a safety switch fails, video evidence is provided
- Safety switch replacement - Replacement of any faulty unit for a flat fee with no hidden extra costs
- Service report - A digital Service Report that details the property’s compliance with all applicable safety switch legislation
What if there are no safety switches in my property?
If you’re a landlord of a property with no safety switch, or a faulty safety switch, you could be open to legal exposure if there’s an injury or death caused by an electrical fault.
In QLD, having no safety switches is a breach of the law.
In NSW, there may or may not be a legal breach depending on the age of the appliance.
Regardless of the legislation, safety switches are the only effective personal protection against electrocution, serious injury and death. Installation of up-to-date safety switches and testing every 6 months saves lives.
