AUGUST 2022
In this newsletter, we welcome Ben Shaw, joining current ACRS Director Peter Lamont
Women in the electrical and construction industries
NECA NSW Industry nights
Electrical safety in the workplace
ACMA’S Cabling Provider Rules, Australian standards and useful information for cablers
CEDIA Tech Summit Tweed Heads & Comms Connect Melbourne 18 – 20 October 2022
ACRS Welcomes Ben Shaw
The Australian Cabler Registration Service (ACRS) welcomes Ben Shaw as a new ACRS Director. Ben is also the State Manager for Government Relations and Member Engagement for NECA in Tasmania. Ben comes to ACRS with a wealth of experience both as a director and in the electro technology sector. Ben has experience at the top level of Local Government both in Tasmania and nationally, serving on the LGAT (Local Government Tas) and ALGA (Australian Local Government) boards in director roles. Ben has strong links and relationships with government at all 3 levels which will support ACRS in its advocacy regulatory endeavours.
Ben has over 20 years in technical sales and marketing roles in the electrical sector including 9 years at Tricab an Australian owned and made cable manufacturing company, with his many contacts within the sector will be able to broaden the reach of ACRS even further.
ACRS is one of five official registrars for the Cabling Provider Rules (CPR) accredited by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to offer cabling registration service under the Telecommunications Act 1997.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority requires technicians to have a current cabling registration when they install or maintain cabling that connects or is intended to be connected to the telecommunications network – monitored security alarms, access control systems, closed circuit TV, extra phone lines, internet connected computers, building automation or smart home systems.
ACRS is a totally owned subsidiary of the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA), which represents the electrical and telecommunications contractors across Australia. ACRS plays a vital role in assessing training and competency of those persons who wish to perform cabler work.
Ben joined current Director Peter Lamont as part of the ACRS team in June 2022.
“It is exciting to have Ben join the team and to bring some fresh ideas to the table,” said Peter Lamont. “Ben will also be particularly good at promoting ACRS and also raising cabler requirement awareness in Tasmania.”
Young women empowered to join electrical industry
With only 8% of licensed electricians in Australia being female, according to recent Workplace Gender Equality Agency figures, the National Electrical and Communications Association’s ( NECA) Women-in-Power program has been specifically designed to remove industry barriers by providing female high school students and school leavers with the skills and knowledge required to secure an apprenticeship.
In the final year of her Electrical Apprenticeship with NECA, Tiana Cameron is one of many young women who have joined the industry through the Women-in-Power program. She said, “It’s important to realise that, in a male-dominated industry, you can actually do everything and do it well. It’s not as scary as you think it’s going to be. NECA’s Women-in-Power program was brilliant.”
NECA is bridging the gender diversity gap within the electrical industry through a variety of initiatives aimed at educating young women about the trades. The association hosts a range of workshops, pre-apprenticeship programs (such as the Women-in-Power program) and educational seminars to encourage young women to join the electrical industry.
“NECA is excited and proud to be supporting more women, like these skilled apprentices, to enter the electrical trades. Improving gender diversity across the industry is a key goal of ours,” said NECA Project Manager Michelle Ellis.
“We support innovative programs that assist in addressing gender imbalance in the construction industry and, like our Women-in-Power program, encourage young women to realise a vocational pathway into the industry.”
Ellis commended the ACT Government’s recent $1 million commitment to the Understanding Building and Construction Program for early learning about the construction industry in schools. Being piloted with four ACT high schools, the program is geared towards students in Years 7-10.
A group of five female NECA apprentices from the ACT recently met to share their feedback on a range of industry issues faced by women within the electrical industry, with the group agreeing that “the electrical industry needs to be talked about more in high schools” and that “careers advisers need to promote females in the electrical trades more”. Participants recommended providing access to more female trade networks like the Women-in-Power program and Build Like a Girl , founded in 2020 by ACT-based builder Jo Farrell.
The group also discussed their experiences within the industry. First-year electrical apprentice Piri Songsara said, “It’s very interesting. I feel empowered. The tradies are welcoming, and I feel I can learn from them.”
When asked to provide advice to other women or girls considering an electro trade, every one of the participants was enthusiastic.
“Go for it!” Songsara said. “Even if you think you can’t, you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone.”
Praise for female-led construction project
NECA/National Electrical & Communications Association
The National Electrical and Communications Association ( NECA) has commended the ACT Government’s focus on gender equity for women in the construction industry after the government announced that the new Strathnairn Primary School will be a female-led construction project.
NECA, which has long advocated for women in construction, stated that the initiative was a significant step forward in improving gender equality within the construction industry.
“With just 2.4% of the construction workforce being women, the industry needs to make cultural changes that encourage more women to join and provide ongoing top-down same-gender support to maintain retention,” said NECA CEO Oliver Judd.
“The Strathnairn Primary School project, with its women-led onsite management and women’s representation amongst all trade subcontractors, is a rare opportunity to implement and improve positive cultural change.”
With just over 15% of NECA’s 150 apprentices in the ACT being female, women could often find themselves with a very small group of female peers onsite, Judd said. “Barriers for women entering the industry are slowly coming down, but male-dominated sites can still create an intimidating environment for women.
“We must continue to work together to remove the gender barriers in the construction industry. Until we see projects with a stronger female representation across all levels of hierarchy, opportunities such as this are extremely valuable. The ACT Government should be applauded on this initiative,” he said.
| Join the NECA NSW team and a panel of industry experts this August and September, as they discuss a raft of key changes to rules & regulations and how they impact your business. We have a great line up of speakers including; |
| NSW Fair Trading SafeWork NSW Training NSW Ausgrid Endeavour Energy NECA Technical NECA Legal NECA Membership Manager |
| By registering and attending, your business will also receive a $1,000 SafeWork Small Business Rebate * NECAs Industry Nights are FREE for NECA members and $20 for non-members. INDUSTRY NIGHT DETAILS |
| REGION VENUE DATE TIME REGISTRATION CHULLORA NECA Centre of Excellence Wed 10 August 4:30pm-7:30pm Register here SANS SOUCI St George Motor Boat Club Wed 17 August 4:30pm-7:30pm Register here PENRITH Event Centre at Panthers Wed 24 August 4:30pm-7:30pm Register here DEE WHY Dee Why RSL Wed 31 August 4:30pm-7:30pm Register here CASTLE HILL Castle Hill RSL Wed 7 September 4:30pm-7:30pm Register here |
| *$1000 SafeWork Small Business Rebate: Small business owners and sole traders who have an ABN and less than 50 full time employees and have not claimed the rebate in the last 5 years. |
| MORE INFORMATION HERE |
Test for ‘dead’ before you touch
The recent decent of two NSW electricians in separate incidents as a result of an electrical shock highlights the dangers of working with live wires. We urge all workers (electrical and non-electrical) to SWITCH OFF all power at the property’s switchboard (meter box) and take steps to prevent the power being switched back ON until the work has been completed and the area has been vacated.
Remember to always apply the safe work principle:
Test for ‘dead’ before you touch. Be aware that some properties may have illegal connections which do not switch OFF under normal circumstances. Treat all wiring as live unless proved otherwise by a licensed electrician.
SafeWork NSW advises:
• Switching OFF power at the meter box does not turn off electricity supply from the street to the meter box. This means the incoming overhead service lines and the consumer mains will still be live.
• Supply cables from solar panels to an inverter unit will be live when the solar panels are generating electricity. Check to see whether the property has a battery storage system and isolate it accordingly.
• Before entering the roof space or subfloor space of a house, let someone who is onsite and contactable know where you are going and how long you will be.
• Electrical wiring work must only be carried out or supervised by a licensed electrician who has the necessary training and experience.
• If you find any damaged wiring, exit safely and let the owner or property manager know so that proper repairs can be organised.
Electricians reminded to keep power off after completing switchboard works
Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) is reminding electrical workers upgrading rental properties to ensure switchboards are not energised before the work is inspected by a licensed electrical inspector.
The Victorian Government introduced new legislation under the Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021, mandating that all rental property switchboards are fitted with safety switches from 29 March, 2023.
With these upgrades already being carried out across Victoria, ESV is reminding electricians that under the Electricity Safety Act 1998, after undertaking prescribed electrical work they are required to ensure the power remains off until the work has been inspected and certified by an inspector.
Unfortunately, ESV has already identified a number of instances where switchboards have been re-energised before an inspection was completed.
This may pose a serious safety risk potentially leading to house fires, electric shock and electrocution if safety defects go undetected.
Electrical workers are also urged to arrange for an inspector to attend the same day to reduce inconvenience for tenants waiting for the power to be turned back on.
Safety switches protect people from electric shock. Each year around 15 people across Australia are killed in incidents that could have been prevented by a safety switch, while a further 300 are hospitalised due to electricity-related injuries.
ESV is calling on tenants to ensure their rental providers have installed safety switches. If not, rental providers should employ a Registered Electrical Contractor to carry out the work, and not try to do it themselves, to ensure it is carried out correctly and safely.
ESV is Victoria’s energy safety regulator and its responsibilities include issuing and auditing Victorian Certificates of Electrical Safety for compliance with its legislation and electrical standards.
For more information, visit: esv.vic.gov.au
Cabling Provider Rules
The cabling industry is regulated by the Telecommunications Cabling Provider Rules 2014. If you are a cabler, you need to follow these rules, known as ‘CPRs’.
The rules
Download Telecommunications Cabling Provider Rules 2014
If you have questions about these rules, contact us.
Summary of CPRs
This is a summary of the Telecommunications Cabling Provider Rules 2014.
CPRs promote safety and maintain network integrity through requirements including:
- Only a registered cabler can perform telecommunications cabling in the fire, security and data industries
- Cablers must have the right registration for the type of work they are doing: open, restricted or lift registration. For details, see Types of cabling registration .
- Work must comply with the Wiring Rules – industry standard AS/CA S009:2020 Installation requirements for customer cabling
- Telecommunications cabling must be separated from electrical cabling.
- After finishing a task, cablers must give their customers the signed Telecommunications cabling advice forms
- Registered cablers must directly supervise an unqualified cabler’s cabling work. The registered cabler must ensure the work complies with the wiring rules and must sign the Telecommunications cabling advice form.
- Cablers must cooperate with and help ACMA inspectors and cabling auditors
- Cablers must notify their registrar of any change of contact details within 21 days.
You can access the ACMA website or by sending an email to info@acma.gov.au or by calling 1300 850 115.
Australian cabling standards
As a cabler, you need to be familiar with all the cabling rules and standards that apply to your work.
In addition to the Telecommunications Cabling Provider Rules 2014 , you also need to understand and follow:
- AS/CA S009:2020 Installation requirements for customer cabling (Wiring Rules)
- AS/CA S008:2020 Telecommunications Technical Standard – Requirements for customer cabling products
- TLN: Telecommunications (Labelling Notice for Customer Equipment and Customer Cabling) Instrument 2015
- Telecommunications (Types of Cabling Work) Declaration 2013
To view all cabling standards, codes and guidelines, see the Communications Alliance website
Dial Before you Dig has changed its name
Dial Before you Dig has now changed its name to Before You Dig Australia (BYDA).
Before You Dig Australia is Australia’s free referral service for information on the location of underground infrastructure. The service is designed to protect Australia’s network of underground pipes and cables and ensure the safety of those working around this infrastructure.
Before You Dig Australia acts as a single point of contact between underground asset owners and excavators.
Refer to their website for further information:
CEDIA Tech Summit
After two long years, CEDIA is happy to announce the return of the CEDIA Australia Tech Summit & Conference, in partnership with Connected.
Taking place 18-20 October at the Twin Towns Services Club in Tweed Heads, NSW, this three-day event will reunite the smart home technology integration industry under one roof.
Registration link:
Comms Connect Melbourne 2022
18 October – 20 October 2022
After many weeks of monitoring the situation evolving around Covid 19 across the country we have made the difficult decision to move Comms Connect Melbourne to 18-20 October 2022.
This event will showcase the latest information, technologies and solutions in the critical communications industry.
Visitors will have the opportunity to attend presentations, panels and workshops.
The event is suitable for professional communications users, dealers, manufacturers or suppliers.
Event Details
| Date | 18 October, 2022 – 20 October, 2022 |
| Online | Click here to visit the event website |
| Venue | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre |
| Organiser | WFevents |
Has your ACRS registration EXPIRED?
ACRS sends renewal reminders 4 weeks prior expiry date, via email, SMS, post and overdue reminders are often generated throughout the year.
Many ACRS members have let their registration lapse and working unregistered and illegally.
This could result in insurance claims being denied should something to wrong.
Registration process is easy and cheap. Providing a safety net for cablers and owners of premises where cabling work is performed.
Call the friendly team at ACRS on 1300 667771 who will be pleased to assist you in reinstating your registration.
Have you moved or changed your details?
If you have recently moved, changed email or mobile, please contact ACRS to update your new details. This will ensure you receive you renewal notification and renew your registration on time.
ACRS and the ACMA often receive phone calls from builders and members of the public to confirm registration is valid.