An interesting paper on EV battery fires is available here Somewhat scary when you look at the figures it quotes and pictures of fires

You might also want to verify with your insurance company. Fire protection standards (sprinklers, etc) may not be suitable for a fire involving an EV. — Aaron Marshall

They probably aren't up to speed yet, but certainly a" watch this space"

Time is counting down if you want to comment on the proposed revision to AS/NZS 3760, the 23rd of August is the cutoff for submissions.

Tweaks I would like to see(in bold):

Clause 2.6.1.1 In New Zealand where testing is undertaken by a third party testing provider full records including test values of all tests performed should shall be kept........In the same Clause under notes add
(3)Copy of Current Calibration Certificate for all test equipment used shall be included in the clients copy of test results supplied under 2.6.1.1

Appendix A.6
The test equipment required to carry out the tests detailed in this standard should be subject to routine verification in accordance with its manufacturer's instructions, or not greater than annual intervals to ensure it is working correctly and it's accuracy is maintained

Appendix B.1.6
Where a person is gaining the body of knowledge and proficiency using test equipment to gain competency to test electrical appliances to this standard through attendance at a training course, this should be provided by a recognized training provider and be of not less than 16 hours total duration

The preamble to the draft asks the question, should the maximum earth continuity value permitted in Clause 2.4.3.1 be reduced from 1 ohm to .5 ohm, I believe it should not be lowered. There is unlikely to be a significant improvement in safety outcomes if it is reduced.

New Zealand's version of AS/NZS 3760 recommends testing and tagging before first use — Steve H

Unless protected by an RCD — MattD2

The caveat with that Matt is,only while it is new- so how long does new last?

Alternatives for the protection of people from the risk of electrocution / electric shock: — MattD2

So long as the RCD operates correctly (they don't always- have failed plenty on test) it should prevent someone under certain circumstances form being "electrocuted", but it will not prevent them from receiving a shock for 30 (or more milliseconds), that small amount of time could still see them die

.

Alternatives for the protection of people from the risk of fire causes by unsafe electrical appliances -

ensure that all electrical circuits are suitably fused to prevent overcurrent. — MattD2

Fuses are incorporated in circuits to prevent overloading of cables supplying outlets and other fittings in an electrical installation, Arc Fault Detection Devices will open if they detect micro arcs, and are a great option to prevent fires

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This makes no sense at all - tag and testing to AS/NZS 3670 is going to do nothing to manage the risk of fires from overloading. — MattD2

That is of course, just your opinion Matt, in the UK their test & tag regime was shown to have reduced fires in workplaces by a substantial percentage, in the final analysis, if TnT and Thermal Imaging is what an insurance company asks for, then you comply or risk voiding your insurance cover.

overrides working, particularly when multi boards were plugged in parallel
Is that correct? — Mark Taylor

The thermal overloads fitted to both cheap and expensive multiboards do not operate reliably, and that is the reason they should not be used anywhere, some multiboards do have Miniature Circuit Breakers fitted to limit overloading, these do work reliably (but that must be rated to match the outlets fitted to the board- ie 10A outlets, 10A MCB etc)

If you buy "house brand" power tools they won't last until the next test is due. Not a great alternative. — Michael Wilson

No guarantee that any electrical appliance is safe from the moment it is sold Mark, that would be why New Zealand's version of AS/NZS 3760 recommends testing and tagging before first use

The disparity in information and evidence required between different third party qualifiers is enormous. We have just completed two from the leading contenders, two different standards, varying amounts of evidence, and two very different results. I'm not saying one is better than the other, but we are the same company doing the same job regardless of our pre qualifier, how do different results accurately reflect our ability to 'do' health and safety? — Alan Boswell

Hazarding a guess, neither had boots on the ground Alan? So they have no real idea if what you say you do, is what actually happens.

And that would be the disingenuous part of their "advice" in the link Robb provided above Mark.

4. Moving from a standard 2 dimensional risk 4 x 4 matrix to a 3 dimensional 6 x 6 x 6 Matrix (we added frequency)
5. Debating at length the context, and definitions of the risk matrix and the outcomes
6. Trialing the new process across the group with great success - taking on board any room for improvement. For this part, we made sure we have people from the factory floor in the trial - they have tp understand it.
7. Getting the Executive Management Team to sign off on their role/responsibility when a risk is considered High/Very High. — Craig Macdonald

Liking all these in particular Craig, especially the last one, takes away the "I didn't know' excuse.

Generally being able compliance with appropriate regulations/codes of practice would provide a defense Matt for a charge under 38, or 36, but given WS's low rate of compliance action against anyone, what are the odds you are ever going to need to defend anything?.

And I certainly wouldn't rely on just testing & tagging alone, as you have repeatedly suggested an items electrical safety state can change minutes after it has been tested.

But done properly, and the caveat is "properly", it will identify items not rated for use at NZ Standard Voltage, fitted with plugs that are below the rated current draw of the appliance, missing/non functional safety features, damaged/electrically unsafe items. Done over several retest intervals, it establishes that a company has a system for managing the electrical safety of it's electrical appliances.

But testing and tagging alone isn't sufficient, RCD's Arc Fault Detection Devices and regular user checks of items are all a part of a robust and systematic approach to electrical safety.

I saw the future, back in the mid 90's a new marina was proposed for Lyttelton, it was badly conceived and under subscribed, despite crewing on a number of Lyttleton keelers and a supporter of better facilities, I was aghast at what was being proposed, a $30 solution to a $50 problem.

When the local council took over ownership, as a local Lyttelton ratepayer I was even more horrified and opposed that. None the less, it went ahead, on Friday July 28 2000, The Akaroa Mail published a letter from me detailing what would happen,

On Friday the 13th Of October, my prediction came to pass, almost exactly as I predicted it would, under exactly the circumstances I predicted- fortunately the vision of the bodies of friends floating in the wreckage, a vision I had lived with for five years, didn't come to pass.,

Been watching The Block lately Sarah? Seems to be a little more interest in H&S, and the Wolf is on the prowl :smile:

But watching these DIY, Renovate It From The Ground Up For 50 Quid And A Bag Of Rice type shows, they probably all should come with a H&S warning from our friendly workplace heath & safety regulator.

Watched one the other night where a young stone mason was renovating an old barn to live in. At one point, he was cutting sand stone to make some cantilevered steps to a first floor he planned to build, no dust mask, no blade guard on the angle grinder he was using to cut the stone, and for the trifecta, no safety glasses.

means any agency or agent (including any item, product, part of a facility structure, or piece of equipment) capable of igniting a flammable gas, vapour, or other form of combustible substance; and — Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017

Worthwhile remembering that fine dust (of any kind) combined with an ignition source can result in an explosion,typically something disturbs a dust buildup which suspends it in the air and then whammo when an ignition source does it's thing - has happened in NZ before (Plastic moulding company and a Flour mill). Some Dust Explosion Info here

And, of course - don't lose sight of the fact that following AS/NZS 3760 is NOT a mandated requirement. Having electrically safe equipment is - how you determine something is electrically safe is up to you. — Robb

Great advice Robb, of course if it goes pear shaped and you've used an alternative route, you will need to be prepared to defend your alternative. Testing to AS/NZS 3760 and the item having a current pass tag gets you to deemed safe under ESR 26.

Of course, you wouldn't want to rely on a smudgy tag alone handwritten by person or persons unknown. You'd want to have a detailed set of the results of the tests that were applied to the item. The item would want to have been electrically compliant at the time of testing (ie correct voltage rating, correctly rated plug ete etc).

Then there is also the consideration that your insurance company may want evidence that the appliances connected to your installation are electrically, and they may want thermal imaging of your switch boards, control cabinets, air con etc etc.

Slight correction, where a Standard is cited by a Regulation as mandatory to comply with, then it is enforceable. So for example, AS/NZS 3000:2008 is cited in the Electrical Safety Regulations as mandatory for low and extra low voltage installations (Reg 59).

AS/NZS 3760 details what the procedure is Sandra, you do have some more interesting items in your labs to test, and some are a bit more problematic to test than the average workplace.

By using modern latest generation Portable Appliance Testers with properly configured test sequences, there are no issues with testing your centrifuges, titration equipment , fume cabinets etc etc, but a certain amount of knowledge and experience is required..

Forklift Safety

When driving my forklift, I must always keep my mast and load as close to the ground as possible



I must not use a pallet as a work platform

Registered electrical workers with a current practicing license can access all Standards cited in the Electrical Safety Regulations as either being mandatory to comply with, or a means of complying with the requirement to ensure electrical safety of installations and equipment or fittings connected to them.

With any equipment Sandra, accurately determining what the risk that damage might occur between one inspection and the next can be trying and somewhat inconsistent.

By this I mean an extension lead that is sitting protected in a tray, plugged into a wall outlet and supplying a large printer could quite reasonably tested (properly) and tagged for retest in five years time, The same lead, laying on a floor, moved, unplugged and plugged back in several times a week, used to supply a variety of different items could be tested yearly. If it was used for commercial cleaning equipment then six monthly. Assuming it was a heavy duty lead, take it on a building site and three months may not be frequent enough.

The thing is, it is up to the person responsible for the equipment, in conjunction with the person testing to determine a suitable retest period with regard to the specific environment it's being used in.

Hmmm seems H&S good faith differs to accounts team — robyn moses

Gosh, that would be unusual Robyn :lol: But it can be difficult, negotiating that fine line between fairness and being taken advantage of.

Sort of in line with your comments Darren, in a thread a few months back, staff working away from home at night, couldn't check into their accommodation until 2-3pm and then having to start work at 5pm, whizz back at 3AM in the morning, sleep and shower and be out by 10:am. With most of their sleep taking place in the company vehicle- so sorting out a suitable accommodation pack would be something to add to your list Sarah.

Hmm, employee was told " you must wear spiked shoes that we supply" chose not to. Employee was told to take both a buddy and a radio with him when performing his duties, chose not to.

Arguably, not having a radio with him to communicate with the ship's bridge watch keeper may not have made a lot of difference given the language difficulties identified in the sentencing report. At least having a ships crewman with him, should have seen him moved to the ships sickbay sooner.

The real issues were, having fallen and being in chronic pain, he had no access to industrial strength pain relief, trust me after falling and breaking the tibia and fibia in several places of my left leg, a few Panadol aren't going to do it. And not being able to communicate his plight directly to Genera.

To really address the courts concerns, a few more things would seem to need to be added to the fix. A Genera buddy, with both trained to at least Offshore Racing Medic level, along with at least a Cat 1 level first aid kit, and a satellite phone to communicate directly with HQ in the event there's a medical issue.