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Equipment Safety in Australia and New Zealand

The EESS

The safety of household electrical equipment in Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania is regulated using the Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS) which has a new standalone website, www.eess.gov.au.

South Australia, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are transitioning to the new Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS). New Zealand will have complementary legislation in due course.

The EESS has three levels of classification of electrical equipment (level 1, level 2 and level 3) with proportional evidence of compliance requirements as well as requirements for registration of sellers of electrical equipment.

New South Wales (NSW) is not participating in the Electrical Equipment Safety System. NSW retain their existing system of Declared / Non-declared classifications and requirements. For NSW requirements please visit http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au.

Post market surveillance includes audits and investigations conducted by electrical safety regulators in each jurisdiction, as well as coordinated check test programs for either targeted or randomly chosen equipment in the market place. Significant penalties can apply as a result of breaching legislative requirements.

Electrical safety – Australia and NZ

Electrical safety, including equipment safety, is regulated by each individual Australian state and territory, and New Zealand, separately.

It is recommended to contact the regulator of the state, territory, or New Zealand, in which you wish to conduct business to ask specific questions about equipment safety. Regulators can assist you with enquiries about the equipment approval process, but if you need technical assistance, you may need to engage an electrical compliance or engineering consultant.

ERAC members work towards a consistent and harmonious approach to ensure the safety of electrical equipment.

Electrical equipment in Australia is regulated utilising pre-market and post-market surveillance.

The pre-market requirements include a certification process for certain electrical equipment. Several regulators operate certification schemes, which require the equipment to be shown, at a minimum, to meet Australian/New Zealand electrical safety standards and to be electrically safe.

Regulation in the states, territories and New Zealand requires all equipment, not just those that require certification, to be shown to be electrically safe and, at a minimum, to meet Australian/New Zealand electrical safety standards.