UEEEL0028 — Conduct compliance and functional verification of electrical apparatus and existing circuits

Elements & performance criteria

Performance evidence

• applying relevant industry standards
• applying relevant work health and safety (WHS)/occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements, including risk control measures
• selecting correct tools and testing equipment
• confirming correct isolation in accordance with workplace procedures, industry and regulatory standards
• completing visual inspection and testing of electrical apparatus and circuits, including: identifying visual non-compliance defects; using effective methods for conducting mandatory and optional tests; using testing devices
• reporting inspection and recommendations, including: identifying non-compliance and functional defects from test results; identifying causes of non-compliance and functional defects; dealing with unplanned events

Knowledge evidence

• electrical safety, including: safety procedures for working on electrical systems, circuits and apparatus; safe working practices as a normal part of carrying out electrical installation work; isolation and lockout procedures
• tools and equipment needed to conduct electrical work compliance inspection and testing
• legislated regulations, including: legislation and regulations that require electrical apparatus and existing circuits to be inspected and tested to ensure they are safe; the person/bodies responsible for the various aspects of ensuring electrical apparatus and existing circuits are safe; results of tests that show an electrical apparatus and existing circuits is safe for connection to the supply; results of periodic inspection and tests that show electrical equipment are safe to use
• visual inspection of electrical apparatus and existing circuits for compliance with relevant industry standards, including: protection requirements; general condition; wiring systems; equipment and accessories; earthing
• testing electrical apparatus and existing circuits, including: tests to ensure insulation resistance is adequate; earth continuity is such that it will ensure the operation of protection devices under earth fault conditions; polarity of active/s and neutral for final sub-circuits is correct; there is no transposition of earthing and neutral conductors; fault-loop impedance is sufficiently low; residual current device (RCD) use for correct operation and sensitivity; functional tests to ensure active/s and neutral for the same circuit are clearly identified with their circuit protection device; tests that show all circuits and devices operate as intended; tests to determine the fault level at a particular point in an installation
• documentation, including: results of tests conducted on an electrical apparatus and existing circuits comply with requirements and ensure the installation is safe; documents of the results of testing electrical apparatus and existing circuits as required by the local supply authority; documents of periodic testing and inspection of electrical equipment, including tagging requirements
• effects of electric current, including: physiological effects of current; basic principles by which an electric current can produce heat, light, motion and a chemical reaction
• single path practical circuit, including: arrangement of energy source, protection device, switch and load in a circuit; the purpose of each component in the circuit; consequences of an open circuits, closed circuits and short circuits
• multiple path direct current (d.c.) circuits, including: circuit configurations and connection; relationship between parameter of voltage, current, resistance power dissipation in the whole or any part of the circuit; safely measuring the parameters for the whole or any part of the circuit; methods of determining circuit behaviour for variation in any of the parameters from measured and calculated values
• alternating voltage and current generation, phase relationships, energy in an alternating current (a.c.) circuit, including: sinusoidal voltage generation and resulting current; the terms period, maximum value, peak-to-peak value, instantaneous value, average value, root-mean-square (r.m.s.) value and frequency; three phase generation; relationship between the phase voltages generated in a three phase alternator and the conventions for identifying each; method of determining the phase sequence or phase rotation of a three phase supply; methods of determining power and energy supplied by three phase circuits
• fundamental safety principles of relevant industry standards, including: definition of terms; fundamental safety principles of protection against direct and indirect contact with live parts; thermal effects; overcurrent; earth faults; abnormal voltages; spread of fire; mechanical injury and external influences; fundamental principles of installation design; selection and installation of equipment; means of compliance (including alterations, additions and repairs) and verification of compliance
• electric motor selection, starting method and overload protection, including: types of motor enclosures suitable for given environmental conditions; criteria for selecting motor starters and overload protection; types and connection arrangements for direct-on-line and reduced voltage starters; thermal, magnetic and thermistor overload protection methods
• protective and functional earthing, including: relevant industry standards requirements; purpose of protective and functional earthing; parts of the protective earthing systems; earthing arrangements, earthing of equipment and equipotential bonding; methods of determining the maximum fault-loop impedance for a circuit; selection of protective conductor and active conductor sizes for each circuit to ensure earth fault-loop impedance is sufficiently low to operate the circuit protective device
• multiple earth neutral (MEN) system and its application, including: the roles of the protective earthing (PE) and neutral (N) conductors in a consumer’s installation and their relationship to the protective earth neutral (PEN) conductor in the electricity distributor system or sub-main to an outbuilding; the importance of the MEN link when a fault occurs; the likely consequences of the absence of the MEN link or high impendence in the PEN conductor when a fault occurs; the requirements for installation of a MEN link in an installation and an outbuilding
• application of transformers, including: transformers used in distribution and transmission systems and large consumer installations; transformers used in welding machines; applications in appliances; risks and safety control measures associated with connection and disconnection of instrument transformers; safe working procedures when connecting and testing transformers; relevant industry standards requirements and restriction on the installation and use of transformers
• protection of circuit against overcurrent and abnormal voltages, including: relevant industry standards requirements; minimum fault levels specified by electricity distributors; methods and arrangement for protection against short-circuit currents and overload currents; coordination of overload and short circuit protection devices; coordination between conductors and overload protection device; causes of over and undervoltage; device and requirements for protection against over and undervoltage
• use of RCDs and extra-low voltage (ELV) for fault protection, including: limitation of an RCD to protect against contact with live parts; relevant industry standards requirements for use of RCDs; conditions for use of ELV to provide for basic and fault protection; relevant industry standards requirements for installation of separated extra-low voltage (SELV) and protected extra-low voltage (PELV) systems
• control and protection of electrical apparatus and existing circuits, including: relevant industry standards requirements; devices for functions of isolation, emergency, mechanical maintenance and functional control; method for assessing prospective short circuit current; devices and arrangement for protection against overload and short circuit current; additional protection by RCD; protection against switchboard internal arc faults
• electrical apparatus and existing circuits in hazardous areas, including: relevant industry standards requirements; types of areas classified as a hazardous area; standards to which the maintenance of electrical equipment shall comply; addition training required to work competently with electrical equipment for hazardous areas
• verification of compliance of electrical apparatus and existing circuits, including: relevant industry standards requirements; visual inspection to determine if electrical apparatus and existing circuits complies with requirements of relevant industry standards and relevant specific installation standards; mandatory tests in AS/NZS 3017 Electrical installations - Verification guidelines; portable tool safety testing and tagging system in accordance with AS/NZS 3760 In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment
• ability to perform effective safe isolation of any equipment, including: preparation of a safe work method statement (SWMS) or job safety analysis (JSA) for effective safe isolation; safe methods for identifying source of supply to be isolated; switching-off, lock-out and tagging procedures; safe methods for confirming effective and safe isolation
• relevant industry standards requirements to carryout repairs and terminating thermoplastic insulated cables, elastomer sheathed cables, cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) sheathed cables, high temperature cables, armoured cables and neutral screened cables in a wide range of applications
• circuit tests required for electrical cables in a range of installations and final sub-circuit, including: following safe testing procedures; tests to show if the earth continuity and earth fault-loop impedance are sufficiently low; testing to show if insulation resistance is sufficiently high; testing to show if the polarity and circuit connections are correct
• techniques to read, sketch and interpret electrical diagrams including: purpose and characteristics of schematic, block and wiring diagrams, plans and schedules; conventions used in documenting electrical information; read and interpret schematic, block and wiring diagrams, plans and schedules; sketch electrical diagrams using conventional symbols
• WHS/OHS, including: WHS/OHS regulations; legal responsibilities for employers and employees; employer’s and employee’s own duty of care; safety committees and their role; requirements for personal safety in the workplace including: purpose and use of SWMS or JSA; purpose and process of reporting WHS/OHS incidents; safety procedures for working with electrical circuits and equipment; procedures for safe and effective isolation of electrical supply; regulations for the supervision of apprentices and trainees; process to rescue a person in contact with live electrical conductors or equipment and the primary importance of the safety of the rescuer
• application of emergency first aid requirements for an electric shock victim, including: calling for help; applying cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); selection and use of fire extinguishers to control electrical fire at accident site
• dangers of high voltage (HV) equipment and distribution systems, including: step and touch and induced voltages; sources of induced voltage and stored energy; creepage and clearance requirements; application of safe working procedures in the vicinity of HV equipment
• systematic method of commissioning and decommissioning electrical equipment and existing circuits, including: commissioning safety procedures; circuit voltage testing; phase rotation checks; functional testing; instrument and control parameter settings; decommissioning safety procedures; identification of circuits with their control and protection devices; impact of isolation on other parts of an installation; tagging, testing and earthing; safe removal of equipment
• diagnosing and rectifying faults in electrical apparatus and existing circuits, including: faults such as open circuit, short circuit, incorrect connections, insulation failure, unsafe condition, apparatus/component failure and related mechanical failure; apparatus such as control devices, fixed appliances/accessories, lighting, electrical machines motors and controls, socket outlets, transformers, protection and metering devices; circuits such as those supplying fixed appliances, lighting, socket outlets, motors and controls circuits, transformers, electronic or computer-based equipment.

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