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Electricity Act 1992

Miscellaneous provisions - General electricity matters - Regulations—General

169A: Regulations that prescribe requirements for safety management systems

You could also call this:

“Rules for keeping people safe when working with electricity”

The law says that rules must be made about safety management systems for electricity. These rules need to cover how you find and deal with dangerous things that could harm people or damage property.

You need to look for dangers that already exist and new ones that might happen. You should try to get rid of these dangers, keep them separate from people, or make them less harmful if you can.

You must regularly check the dangers you’ve found and write down how you’re managing safety. Someone also needs to check that your safety system is working properly.

The rules might include things about how to design, build, run, and look after the electricity supply system. They could also cover how to keep it secure, make sure workers have the right skills, and plan for emergencies.

The law also talks about improving safety all the time and looking into accidents when they happen.

When the rules say to check the safety system, they might say who can do this, how often it should be done, and what it should achieve.

The law explains that a ‘hazard’ is anything that could seriously hurt people or damage property not owned by the electricity company. This includes situations where someone’s behaviour might be dangerous, even if it’s because they’re tired, on drugs, or in shock.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM283367.

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169B: Miscellaneous provisions relating to regulations that prescribe requirements for safety management systems, or

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Part 14 Miscellaneous provisions
General electricity matters: Regulations—General

169ARegulations that prescribe requirements for safety management systems

  1. Regulations made under section 169(1)(3A) must provide for requirements relating to—

  2. the systematic identification of—
    1. existing hazards; and
      1. new hazards (if possible before, and otherwise as, they arise); and
      2. the elimination, isolation, or minimisation of those hazards, so far as is reasonably practicable; and
        1. the regular assessment of each hazard identified; and
          1. the documentation of the safety management system; and
            1. the audit of the safety management system.

              1. Regulations made under section 169(1)(3A) for the purposes of subsection (1)(b) may include, for example, requirements relating to—

              2. the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and inspection of the electricity supply system; and
                1. security and the control of access to the electricity supply system; and
                  1. the skills, knowledge, and experience of persons who do, or assist in doing, work on or in connection with the electricity supply system; and
                    1. the implementation and management of contingency plans for emergency situations that may affect, or be affected by, the electricity supply system; and
                      1. processes for the ongoing improvement of safety in connection with the electricity supply system; and
                        1. the investigation of accidents that involve or affect the electricity supply system.

                          1. Regulations made under section 169(1)(3A) for the purposes of subsection (1)(e) may include, for example, requirements relating to—

                          2. who may conduct audits; and
                            1. how often audits must be conducted; and
                              1. the outcomes and objectives of audits.

                                1. Subsections (2) and (3) do not limit subsection (1).

                                2. In this section, hazard—

                                3. means an activity, arrangement, circumstance, event, occurrence, phenomenon, process, situation, or substance (whether arising or caused within or outside the electricity supply system) that presents or may present a significant risk of—
                                  1. serious harm to any member of the public; or
                                    1. significant damage to property owned by a person other than the electricity generator or electricity distributor; and
                                    2. includes—
                                      1. a situation where a person's behaviour may present a significant risk of the matters referred to in paragraph (a)(i) or (ii); and
                                        1. without limitation, a situation described in subparagraph (i) resulting from physical or mental fatigue, drugs, alcohol, traumatic shock, or another temporary condition that affects a person's behaviour.

                                        Notes
                                        • Section 169A: inserted, on , by section 27 of the Electricity Amendment Act 2006 (2006 No 70).
                                        • Section 169A(1)(b): replaced, on , by section 232 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (2015 No 70).