INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Appointment of Mr Peter Lamont (ACRS Director)
New Wiring Rules (S009) and Cabling Products (S008) unveiled
BICSI Webinar re S009 (Tuesday 8 Sept 20) Delivered by: Murray Teale
Has your Registration LAPSED?
Cabling Advice Form TCA1
Electrical Safety Awareness Sessions (QLD)
ACMA research on AI and IOT
Early access to Superannuation
Useful Links
ACRS is pleased to advise that Mr Peter Lamont (ACRS Director) and NECA QLD ED has been appointed as a member of the Electrical Safety Board (the Board).
The Boards’ function is to give advice and make recommendations to the Minister about policies, strategies and legislative arrangements for electrical safety. Its secondary role is to give advice and make recommendations to the Regulator under the Electricity Act 1994, as requested by the Regulator, about energy efficiency and performance of electrical equipment.
The Board provides an essential link between industry, the community and government in working to improve electrical safety. ACRS is confident that Mr Lamont’s skills, previous experience and expertise will be important to the ongoing success of the Board and in continuing to build a positive culture for electrical safety in Queensland.
ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE
Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.
For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.
NEW WIRING RULES and cabling products UNVEILED
New and updated editions of the Communications Alliance ‘best sellers’ – the rules for telecommunications customer premises cabling products and wiring – have been published.
Significant revisions to the Standards include safeguards for the distribution of hazardous voltages over communications cabling – an important step, given the growing trend toward communications cables also being used to carry electrical power.
New provisions also cater to the explosive growth of connected devices in Australian homes and businesses – ‘Smart Homes’ exploiting the ‘Internet of Things’.
The revised Standards are AS/CS S008 Requirements for Customer Cabling Products and AS/CA S009 Installation Requirements for Customer Cabling (Wiring Rules).
The Standards have been the backbone of the cabling industry in Australia for several decades. The objective of the Standards is to set out the minimum requirements to ensure:
- the safety and integrity of a cabling installation in customer premises and of the telecommunications network to which it is connected; and
- that cabling products used in Australia are fit for purpose.
The Standards are enforced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the nation’s 70,000 registered cablers treat them as their cabling ‘Bible’.
John Stanton, CEO of Communications Alliance, said the review of the Standards was extensive and benefited from expert input from more than 20 stakeholder organisations and individuals across the communications and broader industry.
“The cabling sector touches the lives of every Australian and it is important that Standards remain ‘fit for purpose’, particularly as new technologies and connected solutions change the face of cabling and networks”, Mr Stanton said.
The Working Committee responsible for the revision was chaired by Mr Murray Teale from VTI Services and has drawn upon the most currently available cabling industry information to review and update the two Standards.
One of the fundamental aims of the Standards is to prevent the exposure of telecommunications service provider employees, cabling providers, customers or other persons to hazardous voltages.
“New uses of cabling, such as for the Internet of Things, saw the Working Committee address a range of topics” Mr Teale said. “One was a fundamental change to the way the Standards reference new classifications of electrical power.”
The updated Standards include new and revised requirements in a number of key areas, including:
- a new three-stage classification system or ‘hazards-based standard engineering’ approach against potentially increasing risks from rising energy levels in cables, and safeguards between hazardous energy sources and body parts;
- new voltage and amperage limits on electrical circuits that can be carried over generic customer cabling;
- new requirements for communications cables that are also intended to be used to carry electrical power – for example to remotely powered devices such as wireless access points, surveillance cameras, smart lighting, digital signage, building management controllers and sensors;
- new requirements to assist cablers to select cabling products that are fit for purpose for a particular installation;
- additional rules for optical fibre systems to guard against laser hazards that can be associated with optical fibre systems;
- incorporation of elements of the National Construction Code relating to cable flammability and ‘fire-stopping’ to help inhibit the propagation of fire; and
- new rules for pit and access hole products, with the aim of improving public safety through a reduction in the number of trip hazards.
The Australian Standards are available free of charge from the Communications Alliance website ( https://www.commsalliance.com.au/Documents/all/Standards ).
· AS/CA S008:2020: https://www.commsalliance.com.au/Documents/all/Standards/s008
· AS/CA S009:2020: https://www.commsalliance.com.au/Documents/all/Standards/s009
INVITATION TO ALL REGISTERED CABLERS
BICSI WEBINAR
Tuesday 8th September 2020
Hosted online via GoToWebinar
TIME: 11.00AM to 12.30PM AEST
The New S009 Cabling Standard – A Fundamental Direction Change in Cabling Regulations
Delivered by: Murray Teale, Technical Director, VTI Services
and Chair WC80 and CT001 Cabling Standards committees
The long-anticipated revision to AS/CA S009 Wiring Rules was released just days ago, replacing the 2013 edition, effective immediately. The updates to this regulatory standard are significant, bringing with it major safety and technological changes that all ICT professionals must be aware on.
Some of these changes involve the distribution of hazardous voltages over communications cabling, field terminated plugs, remote powering, new optical-fibre safeguards and fire-stopping.
Register now to learn how you will be impacted by these changes.
Click above to register your
attendance
Has your Registration LAPSED?
If you are performing any type of cabling work then you are required to be registered.
Under the Telecommunications ACT 1997, it is an offence to perform any customer cabling work without the appropriate cabler registration.
If your cabling registration has expired within 12 months, you can renew your registration without any additional requirements.
If more than 12 months have lapsed, contact ACRS to discuss your circumstances and possible next steps.
ACRS will assess each request on a case-by-case basis. It will depend on how long you have held your registration and how long ago you completed the training. If re-instatement is granted by ACRS, you will be permitted to re-register without the need for further training or assessment of your qualifications.
Evidence of having a current ACRS cabling registration card, confirms you have the knowledge to complete the work to the required industry standards, using only approved, fit for purpose product.
If your ACRS registration has lapsed, please call the friendly team at ACRS on 1300 667771 or email: enquiries@acrs.com.au who will be pleased to assist you in reinstating your registration.
Cabling Advice Form
All registered cablers must provide a compliance declaration form (a job sign-off form) to the customer. This form is also known as a Telecommunications cabling advice form-TCA1 form. This is requirement of the Cabling Provider Rules.
You must sign this form every time you finish a job for a customer. It tells your customer what work you have done and confirms that you have followed the standards.
How to complete TCA1
Complete all sections of the form.
- Print clearly.
- Describe the type and location of the work; for example, room, floor, section, department, building.
- Give the customer a copy of the signed form.
- If you have an employer, give them a copy of the signed form.
- Keep a copy for at least 12 months. You will need to provide these copies to inspectors or auditors from the ACMA if they ask you. If you have an employer, you can ask them to keep your TCA1 forms on your behalf but you are still responsible for them.
You do not need to complete a TCA1 form in these two situations:
1. Your invoice or business documentation contains all TCA1 form information.
To avoid extra paperwork, you may choose to:
- add the signed TCA1 declaration section to the electronic version of your invoice
- use a rubber stamp on a printed invoice to add the signed declaration section
This information must be available to ACMA inspectors or auditors if they ask for it.
2. You have completed a small cabling job.
‘Small’ cabling job means:
- replacing sockets, detectors (for fire and security alarms)
- replacing other minor cabling equipment for maintenance purposes
- running, transposing and removing jumpers on distribution frames
- marking, replacing and upgrading cabling records
- all testing and transmission measurement activities
Electrician killed while working on house
A self-employed electrician is believed to have been electrocuted while working on a house last week.
The 37-year-old man was working on a property in Croydon at the time of the incident, which led to his death.
WorkSafe Victoria is investigating.
The fatality brings the number of deaths this year to 47, which is three more than at the same time last year.
ESO looks to boost electrical safety awareness
A series of electrical safety awareness sessions have been scheduled around regional Queensland, ahead of Electrical Safety Week (7-11 September).
The Electrical Safety Office (ESO) is also offering community groups and local businesses the chance to book free electrical safety demonstrations, featuring a portable electrical switchboard and highlighting the importance of safety switches.
ESO Head Donna Heelan is urging everyone to think long and hard about installing safety switches on all circuits.
“Tragically, eight Queenslanders have lost their lives over recent years after receiving electrical shocks while doing everyday things,” Heelan said.
“Sadly, electricity is an invisible and silent killer – it rarely gives second chances.
“These people were just doing simple things in and around their homes – digging a hole in the garden, touching something in the garage, returning to the house after picking fruit, walking around under a highset house and checking submersible pumps.
“However, seven of these eight Queenslanders (87%) could have been saved if they had a working safety switch on all of their electrical circuits.”
Looking to spread the word about electrical safety, especially in regional Queensland, the ESO is heading to workplaces and community events such as local home shows with a working electrical switchboard to discuss safety switches.
This includes how to:
- find them on switchboards,
- test them,
- reset them,
- and work out how many are recommended.
· The awareness sessions also include other important electrical safety information for home owners and tenants.
https://www.ecdonline.com.au/content/electrical-distribution/news/eso-looks-to-boost-electrical-safety-awareness-1277896267#axzz6WroKmpdW
Read more: http://ecdonline.com.au/content/electrical-distribution/news/eso-looks-to-boost-electrical-safety-awareness-1277896267#ixzz6Wrorn0eh
ACMA research on AI and IoT
Australia’s communications and media environment continues to undergo significant change, driven by new technologies and evolving consumer expectations. Over the past decade, the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) have emerged as a key drivers of change, transforming business models and consumer experience.
These technologies offer wide-ranging economic and social benefits and create new opportunities for products and services across businesses. Regulation plays a key role in contributing to an environment where these benefits can be realised and delivered within communities.
The ACMA’s two new occasional papers- Artificial intelligence in communications and media and Internet of Things in media and communications -explore these technologies, the regulatory environment that supports them, and the challenges and opportunities they bring.
These papers are a part of the ACMA’s research program, which helps us to better understand communications and media markets and the issues that matter to Australians. Our research ensures that we are well informed as a regulator, so we can assess whether and how to intervene when issues arise.
Temporary Early Access to Superannuation Extended
The Australian Government is extending the second round of Tax-Free early access of up to $10,000. Eligible Australian and New Zealand citizens and permanent residents are able to apply directly to the ATO through the MyGov website to access up to $10,000 of their superannuation from 1 July 2020 until 31 December 2020. Read more here on eligibility.
Useful Links
ACRS www.acrs.com.au
Registered Cablers website www.registeredcablers.com.au
Dial before you dig www.1100.com.au
A2A and Network Boundary Issues https://www.smartwiredhouse.com.au/ nbn™ www.nbnco.com.au
ACMA www.acma.gov.au
ACMA Complaints line www.acma.gov.au/Industry/Telco/Infrastructure/Cabling-rules/cabling-complaints
Communications Alliance www.commsalliance.com.au
Smart wired www.registeredcablers.com.au/smart-home-news.html