Ever since 1992 when the permit system was dumped and self-certification came into being, many electricians have looked back to those days and lamented the loss of the local power board inspector and the free advice he gave.
Many have argued in favour of going back to the way safety was assured under the old regime with every job having to be permitted at the outset, and getting rid of the current post-installation, self-certification system.
The opportunity to do this arose last year with the review from the ground up of the certification regime and the fees associated with it. But, in the absence of any call from the industry to go back to the old system or to any effective alternative to the current way of assuring the safety of work, Energy Safety has been directed by the Minister of Energy to advance the current self-certification regime and to extend compliance requirements in several significant areas.