Report an electrical safety incident

If an electrical safety incident happens in your home or your workplace you must report this to NT WorkSafe.

There are two types of incidents under Section 5 of the Electrical Safety Act 2022 (the ES Act) which must be reported. Incidents are known as events under the ES Act, and the term event will be used for the rest of this information

Serious Electrical Event

A serious electrical event is when:

  • An individual is killed by electricity.
  • An individual receives a shock or injury from electricity, and is treated for the shock or injury by or under the supervision of a health practitioner.
  • An individual receives a shock or injury from electricity at high voltage
    (above 1000 volts AC RMS or 1500 volts ripple-free DC).

Dangerous Electrical Event

A dangerous electrical event is:

  • When a person, for any reason, is electrically unsafe around electrical equipment1, even if the person does not receive an electric shock or injury.

1 Electrical equipment using extra-low voltage (50 volts or less AC RMS or 120 volts or less ripple-free DC) is excluded.

Example: A frayed power cord or cracked power board with exposed live parts under a workstation is considered a dangerous electrical event.

  • Significant property damage caused by electricity or something originating from electricity (e.g. electrical fire).
  • Unlicensed electrical work.
  • Unsafe electrical work.
  • Unsafe electrical equipment or electrical equipment that does not have electrical equipment safety scheme (EESS) approval markings.

Who needs to report?

The following people have a duty under Section 37(2), to report an electrical event to NT WorkSafe:

  • An electrical licence holder if the electrical event:
    • Occurred as part of their work.
    • Occurred as part of the work of someone they were supervising.
  • The occupier of the premises where the event occurred.

Examples.

  • A licensed electrical worker changing a switchboard who notices the existing wiring is unsafe, will need to report it to NT WorkSafe as a dangerous electrical event.
  • If an electrical apprentice receives an electric shock and receives medical treatment, the supervising electrical worker would need to report the shock to NT WorkSafe as a serious electrical event.
  • Occupants of a private residence (homeowners and tenants) would need to report a serious electrical event, if someone in their home receives an electric shock and receives treatment.
  • A Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) would need to report a dangerous electrical event to NT WorkSafe if an electrical fire occurred at their workplace and caused significant damage.

How to report

Serious Electrical Events and Dangerous Electrical events must be reported to NT WorkSafe immediately after the person becomes aware that the event occurred.

The report can be made by calling 1800 019 115 or by completing the electrical event notification form.

  • There are overlaps in reporting requirements under the ES Act, and the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011 (the WHS Act). A person with overlapping reporting requirements does not have to report the same event twice under the ES Act and the WHS Act.

    Example: Using the electrical fire example above, a PCBU would only have to report the electrical fire as either a dangerous electrical event under the ES Act, or as a dangerous incident (uncontrolled fire) under the WHS Act.

    Where the same event has overlapping reporting requirements for different people, both persons will need to report the event.

    Example: Using the apprentice receives an electric shock example above, the supervising electrical worker would need to report the shock to NT WorkSafe as a serious electrical event under the ES Act and the PCBU as the apprentice’s employer would need to report the event as a dangerous incident under the WHS Act.

    However, if the supervising electrical worker is also the apprentice’s employer, they would only need to report the event once.

Site preservation

There is a requirement on the person with management or control of a site of a serious or dangerous electrical event to preserve the site until an Electrical Safety Inspector arrives, unless told otherwise by NT WorkSafe. The exceptions of when a site of an event can be disturbed are:

  • Assisting an injured person or removing someone who has died.
  • Making the site safe or minimising any electrical risk.
  • NT Police conducting their investigation.
  • Any other action allowed by an Electrical Safety Inspector or the Electrical Safety Regulator.
Last updated:
17 September 2024

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