Electrical Safety

The electrical safety regulatory regimes of Australia and New Zealand are broadly similar to each other. They are influenced by the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement (TTMRA), where New Zealand's appliance safety regimes are harmonised with Australia's, enabling a market-to-market supply and sale relationship.

Australia:

The Electrical Safety Act of 1945, otherwise known as the Uniform Approval Scheme, is administered through a reciprocal agreement between each State/Territory regulatory authority to cover electrical safety requirements for products for sale in Australia. Under this scheme electrical products are classified as either declared/prescribed or non-declared/non-prescribed articles.

New Zealand:

The Ministry of Economic Development - Energy Safety is the government agency which monitors and encourages compliance with the laws relating to energy safety.  The Electrical Appliance Safety Regime also classifies products as declared or non-declared articles.

Summary:

Declared Articles:

These are products considered to offer a high safety risk and mandatory approval is required.  For example, in NSW, the product must be approved by the Commissioner for Fair Trading or by an approved equivalent, carry the appropriate approval mark and comply with the relevant safety standard to enable the product to be sold.  Declared Articles are categorised in each jurisdiction, eg Schedule 3 of Queensland Electrical Safety Regulation 2002 and Schedule 1 of NSW Government Gazette No. 30.

Please also refer to these NSW Office of Fair Trading April 2008 explanatory notes.

Information Technology Equipment (ITE) is not generally categorised as being Declared Articles.  Further requirements do apply to ITE should it fall under other regulatory regimes, eg should it feature a PSTN interface.

Non-Declared Articles:

These are products considered to offer a lower safety risk and mandatory approval is not required.  They are identified by their exclusion from the declared article listings in each jurisdiction.

It is an offence for any person(s) to sell a non-declared electrical article that does not comply with minimum requirements specified by clause 4 of Australian Standard AS/NZS 3820:1998 Essential safety requirements for low voltage electrical equipment.

For further information, please contact Braco Compliance Ltd.