Dear ACRS member,
We hope you and your family are keeping safe.
We understand this time has been incredibly difficult for many in Queensland and New South Wales affected by the recent floods.
ACRS CALLS FOR IMPROVED COMPLIANCE BY THE ACMA FOR 2022-23
Peter Lamont (Author) – Director ACRS and NECA Senior Policy Advisor
ACRS is firmly of the view that there is a need for improved industry compliance in regard to data and telecommunications cabling. As such, ACRS would like to encourage ACMA to initiate a robust compliance audit of the cabling industry, particularly on the grounds of health and safety.
On many occasions, NECA has provided ACMA with information on the number of fatalities that have been occurring across the electrotechnology and communications industries. NECA is a staunch believer that all fatalities can be avoided with adequate planning and risk management and with continual safe work practices.
Whilst we won’t repeat all that information, it is worth re-emphasizing that according to ERAC, in the 20 years from 2000-01 to 2019-20, there were 334 electrical fatalities in Australia. This is an average of 17 fatalities in Australia each year. Of these some 42% of these deaths were electrical workers; 50% were non-electrical workers (including data and telecommunications workers) and 8% the general public. The main contributing factors to these fatalities related to deterioration of equipment or wiring; misuse or interference with equipment or wiring; installation failures; or poor work practices.
These statistics highlight the fact that our electrotechnology and communications industry still has a lot of work to do to achieve zero harm. NECA must emphasise that data and telecommunications workers are often working in confined wall and ceiling cavities that contain electrical cabling near their working space.
Dangers for electrotechnology and communications workers include exposure to live electricity and loose fill or bonded asbestos; hazards such as slips, trips and falls; sharp objects; asbestos and crystalline silica exposure; gas piping and the risks associated with noncompliant products.
These dangers have been significantly exacerbated in Queensland and New South Wales in the recent weeks by the extreme level of rain and flooding that has occurred.
Vital lifeline was lost. Entire communities were left in isolation for days, unable to make calls to triple zero.
Their desperate pleas for help at the height of the floods went unanswered.
Many domestic and commercial properties have been heavily inundated by flood waters, that in many cases will have ruined or damaged data and telecommunications cables. This will result in considerable demand for new, replacement or repair to these damaged cables.
With this, two considerable risks will occur. The first being that workers will be required to work in high-risk environments during flood clean-up, where there could be a number of unseen hazards, such as damaged electrical cables, damage to wall and ceiling infrastructures, considerable debris, and health hazards from toxic moulds and algae, just to name a few.
The second risk is that rectification work will be in high demand, with the potential for unregistered work to occur, resulting in poor workmanship and inferior product choice. Recently, NECA raised concerns in discussions with ACMA, through our subsidiary company Australian Cabler Registration Service (ACRS) about the number of registered cablers who were not renewing their registration at time of expiry. This worrying trend was also confirmed by other cabler registration services.
So, if your registration has LAPSED, do not panic. Call the friendly team at ACRS on 1300 667771, who will be pleased to assist you in reinstating your registration.
Following the successful launch of the first ever market research into the Australian residential systems integration industry in 2021, CEDIA is once again calling on the entire A/NZ sector to participate in its 2022 Market Research Insights – Australia and New Zealand campaign.
“The only way we can successfully lobby governments, work with associated industries and influence end users is to be able to show the full scope of what our industry does and how big it is,” CEDIA Regional Development Consultant – A/NZ Paul Skelton says.
“Taking a few minutes to participate in the survey will go a long way in ensuring our industry is well represented for years to come.”
To participate in the 2022 Market Research Insights – Australia and New Zealand survey, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3SKTGGY
The survey closes 29 April 2022.
HOUSE FIRE SPARKS IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT APPLIANCE PLUGS AND CORDS
Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) is encouraging Victorians to ensure their electrical plugs are properly plugged in following a recent fire in a Roxburgh Park garage last week.
The 16 February fire started at around midday where a plug was found to be only partially plugged into a power point after it was believed to be dislodged.
Once the plug was dislodged, the partial connection created heat, which led to the plug catching fire.
The incident is a reminder to all Victorians to always check their appliances are properly plugged into power points.
ESV is also urging the community to regularly check that plugs and power cords are kept clear of furniture or left wedged in tight spaces that might lead to them being pulled out, frayed, bent or dislodged.
If there is no adequate space around the power point, move the equipment to a location that allows for more room or, instead, have the plug replaced with one where the cord and plug enters from the side.
ESV, Victoria’s energy safety regulator, also recommends Victorian householders regularly test their safety switches.
Safety switches are mandatory on both power and lighting circuits in new homes and older properties where extensive renovations have been carried out.
If homeowners do not have safety switches installed, they should consider engaging a licensed electrician to have them fitted.
A safety switch monitors the flow of electricity through a circuit, if a problem is detected that causes a leakage to ground, it can turn off the power within 0.03 of a second.
ESV Commissioner and Chairperson Marnie Williams
“This incident is an important reminder about how dangerous dislodged plugs can be and the damage they can cause.”
“Victorians need to be vigilant, regularly inspecting the condition of their cords and plugs and the power points they are connected to.”
“Cords and plugs can become damaged over time due to repetitive movement especially when trapped or dislodged behind large equipment like fridges, freezers and ovens.”
“Safety switches save lives. If your home is not protected, consider engaging a licensed electrician to have them installed.”
ESV website 25February 2022
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) have mandated through the Telecommunications Cabling Provider Rules 2014 (the CPR’s) that any work on fixed or concealed telecommunications customer cabling must be undertaken by a suitably registered cabler in accord with the Communications Alliance industry standardAS/CA S009:2020Installation requirements for Customer Cabling (Wiring Rules).
The requirements to become a registered cabler are included in the ACMA’s Pathways to cabling registration document (the Pathways document) – please refer to the charts commencing on page 5 of this document.
Note : a person who is not a suitably registered cabler can undertake telecommunications customer cabling work provided that s/he is being directly supervised by a suitably registered cabler whilst undertaking such work.
To undertake the required training, a person must approach a Registered Training Organisation . Once the training has been completed, the person must then approach an accredited registrar to apply for a registration.
In addition to the registration, you are required to hold the applicable competencies in order to undertake specialised cabling work – i.e. work on aerial, underground, co-axial, fibre-optic, or data cabling.
These competencies became mandated 1 July 2014.
Telecommunications customer cabling is any telecommunications cabling located on the customers’ side of the carriers’ network boundary that is connected, or is intended to be connected, to a telecommunications network. This includes, but is not limited to, telecommunications cabling associated with network (LAN) cables, telephone cables, fire alarm cables, CCTV cables etc. and also includes cabling associated with telecommunications customer equipment including devices like ADSL modems, routers, network switches, telephone handsets (analogue and digital) etc.
Connected to a telecommunications network includes connection by any means including a direct or indirect connection via other items of equipment or even connecting wirelessly (e.g. via Wi-Fi or a 3G/4G modem).
Appendix J of the Wiring Rules includes pictorial representations of where the carriers network boundary is located in various scenarios.
A person installing CCTV security cameras, that utilise co-axial or Cat5/6 etc data cables must be a registered cabler, with a co-axial or a structured (data) endorsement/competency, to install these cables.
The CPR’s require that a registered cabler must, in most instances, issue a TCA 1 form to the customer on the completion of the work.
Failure to comply with the requirements included in the CPR’s and the Wiring Rules is an offence under section 421 of the Telecommunications Act 1997 (the Act) and could result in a court imposed penalty of up to $21,000.00 per offence.
There are 3 types of cabling registration;
- Open,
- Restricted, and
- Lift.
In all cases, a registered cabler is only permitted to undertake the type of cabling work they are authorised to undertake by the CPR’s – please refer to Part 2 of the CPR’s.
In addition, Part 4 of the CPR’s requires a registered cabler to hold the applicable competencies for the type of “specialised” cabling work (aerial, underground, fibre, structured (Data), co-axial, or broadband) they will be undertaking – please refer to the table included on page 11 of the Pathways document for a list of the specialised competencies.
4.1 Performance of cabling work
(1) Cabling work must be performed by:
(a) a registered cabling provider who:
(i) is registered to perform the type of cabling work being undertaken; and
(ii) has complied with the competency requirements that are specific to the type of cabling work being undertaken; or
(b) a supervised unregistered cabling provider.
Note : a person with a restricted or lift registration cannot obtain the fibre, structured, or co-axial competencies. They can only obtain the broadband competency which only permits them to undertake point-to-point (i.e. not involving patch panels or distribution frames) co-axial and data cabling. work.
Note : Plugging a cable or cord into a socket is ‘cabling work’ as defined in section 418 of the Act, for which cabling provider registration would normally be required. However, end-users (customers) are exempted from the need to be registered cablers to plug properly manufactured and compliance-labelled cords into wall sockets or patch panels by virtue of the Telecommunications (Types of Cabling Work) Declaration 1997 , which declares that the connection by an end-user of a compliance-labelled (with the RCM or in the past the A-Tick), pre-terminated patch cord, pre-terminated patch lead, adaptor or pre-terminated telephone extension cord, is a type of cabling work that is exempt from the cabling provider registration requirements.
Note : The ACMA’s requirements do not apply to a person undertaking work on any carriers’ network infrastructure – i.e. anything on the carriers’ side on the carriers’ network boundary.
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
NBN Co offers further fibre upgrades as part of $4.5 billion plan
- Plans based on the nbn Home Ultrafast speed tier, offering peak download speeds of 500 Mbps to close to 1 Gbps 3, already available to 4.4 million premises across Australia via Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) and Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) networks.
· From today, more than 50,000 Fibre to the Node (FTTN) premises become eligible to upgrade to Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) enabling access to nbn Home Ultrafast, on demand1,2. This will rise to 230,000 eligible premises by mid-year and approximately 600,000 premises by year end.
· By the end of 2023, up to 8 million premises in total will be eligible to access nbn Home Ultrafast, offering wholesale download speeds of 500 Mbps to close to 1 Gbps.
NBN Co is on track to enable up to 8 million premises across Australia to access nbn Home Ultrafast by the end of next year.
Continue reading full article: NBN Co offers further fibre upgrades as part of $4.5 billion plan | nbn
Home Wiring Essentials
Click on the link below to access these publications:
Do you know if you have insurance held in your super? How much do I need?
Generally, super funds provide a basic amount of insurance. But this can depend on a lot of factors including the fund, when you joined them, your age, and how much super you hold.
Whether you are a business owner or employee, It is important to check if you have insurance set up in your superannuation, and understanding what insurance is right for you.
NESS Super offers competitive Death and Total Permanent Disablement Insurance, as well as Income Protection, to protect you and those who matter to you most. The insurance is also designed for work in the electro technology industry, providing more peace of mind.
Contact Calvin Lake
To find out more about how we can help you and your business, please contact our Employer Services Manager, Calvin Lake on 0436 000 401 or email Calvin at calvin.lake@nesssuper.com.au
We look forward to making a positive difference for your business and your employees.
At NESS Super, we are here to help
The NESS Super Member Services Team is also available to take your call, between 8.30am and 6.00pm (AEST/AEDT) Monday to Friday on1800 022 067 or email us at contact@nesssuper.com.au if you have any queries.
Also, please keep an eye on our website nesssuper.com.au for ongoing updates that maybe beneficial to your business and your employees.
Important information
The information contained in this article is issued by NESS Super Pty Ltd ABN 28 003 156 812 AFSL 238945, as trustee of NESS Super ABN 72 229 227 691 and is current at the time of its publication. However, some information can change over time. The contents are for general information only and do not constitute personal advice. We recommend that you consult with a suitably qualified person before making any financial decisions.
An electrician’s guide to flood affected
installations and testing
This fact sheet is a short guide, designed to assist electricians advising owners of flood affected installations and the tests required to be carried out prior to restoring supply.
Electrical Testing of flood affected installations
All electricians should understand and conduct testing as per AS/NZS 3000 “Wiring Rules”. The testing regime under this standard is primarily for new circuits and new installations, although it is the basis of testing regardless of the status of the installation. You will need to electrically test in accordance with Section 8 of the “Wiring Rules”.
The testing will come under AS/NZS 3019:2007 Electrical Installations – Periodic Verification.
This standard outlines three methods of verification which are:
• Basic visual inspection
• Visual with limited testing
• Visual with full testing
This standard allows for a detailed inspection report to be completed and handed to your customer, the customer’s electricity distributor, or your customer’s insurer. This is important for your customer and for you if any unforeseen problems arise after you have tested. At the very least, you can prove what you did in writing.
The electricity distributor will not reconnect power to an installation without proof of testing. Depending on your supply authority region or state, the electricity distributor may request a regulated certificate of electrical testing.
You should always attach the Certificate of Periodic Verification to this form.
More Information
It is more important to determine which level of testing you are going to carry out and detail this on the inspection checklist from AS/NZS3019. Some or all of the points below may be used depending on the site and inspection being carried out.
Disclaimer: This information should be used as a guide only and may not be suitable to specific individual cases.
If you are in NSW, QLD, ACT or TAS contact NECA member services regarding membership enquiries, expert advice and further clarification on your individual circumstance.