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I would just like to make it clear that I do not now, nor have I ever, professed to have any knowledge of "how they do things" in SA. I've been there twice in my life. If it's legal in SA, then maybe all the people who complain about not being allowed to do their own wiring can move there and wire away to their heart's content.
You should have been a politician.Quote:
if I am again proven correct
I'm also wondering if you've read any of the stuff above, because I honestly can't see how anyone could logically still argue that it's not illegal to do your own wiring in NSW.
Yeah well I'm pretty sure I can do my own wiring in Queensland :)Quote:
Originally Posted by silentC
No, I did not, I said it above, and the excerpts allowed my interpretation.
Ok, it has been quick. As life often goes, I was only partially right. And I could not possibly be a politician, because I always stick to my word. I hereby offer my sincere partial apologies and expect only partial apologies.
The misunderstanding with Consumer Affairs was around the word "licence". No licence is required if the work is unpaid. What is required in an urban area is a "worker registration", i.e. the qualification we were really talking about. Cockies are allowed to kill themselves :D.
I am going to repeat this in the other thread re maintenance of applications. On that count I was 100% correct. On this side of the power point it is a free country.
Yep, this farm has it's own wiring SilentC :)
You need to read it properly. The Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act refers to the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Regulations and the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Regulations refer explicitly to the section of the Home Building Act where it makes reference to unqualified work.Quote:
when an Act refers to regulations, they are the regulations pertaining to that Act, not other Acts (eg the Building Act in this case).
This is from the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Regulations:
It is the author of the legislation making the cross-reference, not me. I simply quoted section 14 for your convenience.Quote:
Section 14 (Unqualified electrical wiring work) of the Home Building Act 1989 makes it an offence for a person to carry out electrical wiring work unless the person is authorised to do so under that Act.
Not in NSW. At least, not in any loophole I've found. Glad I'm not a farmer in SA. :)Quote:
Cockies are allowed to kill themselves
Another thing the Inspector told me the other day was that the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act also now makes it illegal to do your own wiring on stand alone installations. That would include people running a generator capable of producing more than 50 volts.Quote:
Cockies are allowed to kill themselves
Yep cockies are allowed to be killed here in Queensland - at least they were by the canetoads in the State of Origin :)
OK, so a registered worker is an electrician, who has completed a trade certificate and is qualified to do electrical work under supervision. A licensee is (presumably) an electrician who has also jumped through the necessary hoops to become a supervisor or certified inspector. So both of these options leave Joe Blow out of the equation.Quote:
What is required in an urban area is a "worker registration"
In that case, it is identical to NSW (except for the cockies bit), and the upshot is that a common or garden variety householder is not allowed to do his or her own wiring, unless under the direct supervision of a licensed person. So not even your mate Bill the sparky will do, unless he is licensed. And that's what I've been saying all along.
I think Frank&Earnest have verified my original claim regarding the legal status of doing your own non-fixed wiring - i.e. wiring of your own plug-in appliances for your own use.Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisp
My understanding is that doing your own fixed wiring is illegal except when done under appropriate supervision.
I've found the discussion in this thread quite interesting, and it seems that there is some genuine, but well intentioned, confusion about the legality of electrical work. I hope that this thread will go someway to alleviating the confusion.
I have asked the OCEI in writing for clarification on this - I'm still awaiting a response. But my understanding from previous verbal contact with the OCEI is that they are only concerned with fixed wiring (and new appliances). In the meantime, I have not heard anything to suggest that the impact of the regulations has changed.
There are other interesting matters that have arose in this thread, such as:
- The "closed shop" issue. The barriers to being about to sit the required tests to achieve a license.
- The "indistinguishability" issue - if the work is done according to standard and done in a workmanship like manner, but by an unlicensed person, who would know, and who would have a prove the work was legal or illegal?
Agreed, and I know a lot more about the legal side of it than I did before.Quote:
I've found the discussion in this thread quite interesting
I think it would be a good idea to have some sort of statement or link to the legislation as a sticky on the forum so that we don't have to debate this all the time. People can then make up their own minds if they want to go ahead and do it any way or give advice on it, knowing what is and isn't legal.
And isn't that what we've been on about - access to information?
Seconded. And now, NCArcher, can I have your half apology?
There is not much left that you can do.:C :~