One thing my reply above neglected Rob, under AS/NZS3760 safety features fitted by an item's maker must be present, unmodified and functional for the item to be visually assessed as "safe to use", this part of the test & tag regime is something that in my experience sparkies typically ignore.

How will your proposed alternative address this? Typical visual fails are guards missing or modified to reduce their effectiveness, Things like trigger release buttons on circular saws missing and replaced with a metal screw

Functional, correctly wired RCDs "should" prevent an unlucky soul from becoming the dearly departed in most circumstances Rob, however there are at least four possible scenarios where even if the RCD trips at its rated leakage current within the time limit, they will receive a zap that proves lethal.

The Electrical (Safety) Regs don't "require" items to be tested & tagged, but a current tag indicating an item has been inspected and tested IAW AS/NZS3760 is a method to get to "deemed safe", a history of test results provides evidence of an items safety over the period of time an item has been the subject of regular testing.

There are some obvious limitations of TnT, it depends on the skill, training, knowledge, equipment and enthusiasm of the person performing the inspection and tests. It is a snapshot of how something is at the time it was tested, I've TnT'ed a tool in a builders shed one afternoon, gone back to finish off the following morning and found that tool back in the rack with a damaged lead and my tag removed.

I would suggest that your installation RCDs are tested annually and their correct operation confirmed, depending on the nature of your work and the use tools and other electrical equipment are put to, and the environment these items are used in, possibly look at longer retest intervals. This assessment should ideally be documented for future reference.

Under Clause 3, I don't see an exclusion for domestic users, so I'd argue that at least Regulation 15 of the E(S)Rs applies equally to all in NZ that use/consume mains voltage electricity.
Somehow,I don't see Claude being much use in respect of that, though I have a feeling that ES produced a cartoon about the requirement for compliant plugs and voltage markings on appliances, some years ago.

Claude, the much disliked Cat is a product of Energy Safety, a subset of Worksafe since 2012. Personally, as a retired electrical worker, i would prefer that they expended their energy (pun intended) on getting the Electrical (Safety) Regulations 2010 to cite the latest versions of the various electrical AS/NZS Standards they reference as a means of complying with those regulations, along with keeping updated the regulations relating to Gas Work, Gas Appliances etc

EVs are another area ES should be bringing into the E(S)Rs,,

Energy Safety, the Electrical Regulator in New Zealand is lumped under their banner.

The safe supply and use of electricity, components, appliances, work practices in homes,businesses, work sites, mines etc etc means there is a safety education component to their workload,that has to reach the average domestic consumer, small business owner/manager, appliance retailer/wholesalers, mining etc etc,

As ill conceived as Claude The Cat undoubtedly is, this is how the "communications specialists" chose as a means of alerting ordinary domestic users of risks that they may face and measures they can take to reduce them. Everyone that visits Worksafe's web page is a domestic consumer firstly, but may be a "business consumer", or a "Responsible Person" for an Electrical Installation also, as such, they are expected and required to take steps in the business operation they own/manage, but typically may ignore their personal circumstances.

It does not belong under the guise of worker safety. — Andrew

Energy Safety has oversight of the Electrical (Safety) Regulations,amongst other workplaces, Electrical Safety in mines,building sites, the list goes on and on, object to that if you wish. I'd certainly agree that they don't spend their funding wisely given that the regulations that they are responsible for, cite Electrical Standards that are well out of date and are causing compliance anxiety as to what version of a given standard should be followed.

FYI, Standards NZ have released a new version of 3760, AS/NZS 3760:2022

While it does a lousy job, WS is the Electrical Regulator in New Zealand, and they have a small team dedicated to "electrical safety". this isn't confined to workplaces,Andrew. Hence their advice on electric blankets.

Good strategy Shannon, a win win.

Primary hours of work, shifts per week? How many hours do you let/ask/make employees work? How do you manage fatigue with your sites?

Good move Janet, that's the whole flaw with any employment matter, particularly in New Zealand where there are generally few,if any, degrees of separation. The issue is the same with company directorships, where breaking into the "old boys" club is nigh on impossible.

So a list of companies where females have reached branch manager or better level, the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

Downer NZ & Road Sciences (National & Christchurch)
Cable Price (Christchurch)
Southfuels (Christchurch)
Corys Electrical (Ashburton)
Gribbles Veterinary (Christchurch)

Thanks for the explanation Trudy, I've edited my post

What was the outcome Janet, have you stuck with this shorted sighted company? Are you aware of how well the appointee they went with has performed?

Do we need to start a list of companies that support females in their management structure?

I'm not sure i would use Beatrice as an example of women breaking the glass ceiling Andrew, after failing to get a teaching position at Canterbury following her marriage (Uni rules at the time forbade the employment of ladies married to Uni Staff). After moving to Texas, she encountered the same issue, so did post grad research.

After her marriage breakup, she got a teaching role at Yale, and tenure as an Astronomy Professor, but she had to give up custody of her two adopted children to her ex-husband to make the move from Texas, sadly she died aged 40 from skin cancer.

But certainly a brilliant mind, and science was the poorer for her not getting started sooner, and dying at a young age .

Don't hold back Keith,tell us what you really think.

Back in 2009 when Sandie and I launched our test & tag business, one of the early leads we got was to go out to Downer NZ at McLeans Island, talked to the bloke that called us in, it was the first day on the job for his new offsider, a lady.

He's long gone, lasted about 18 months,she's now Downer's National HSE Manager, give it a go, push hard, nothing worthwhile in life comes easy.

An Auckland diver is in critical condition after an incident at an East Auckland wharf.
He was rushed to hospital from Half Moon Bay Marina on Wednesday afternoon, after diving from a Sealink vessel in their Marina terminal, Maritime NZ confirmed.

Multiple Regulators Involved After Diver Critically Injured

Is this Standard cited as the required means of compliance? If it is, then you can make that case Jono,for example various AS/NZ Electrical Standards must be adhered to to comply with the Electrical (Safety) Regulations, MBIE and the Electrical Workers Registration Board has an arrangement with Standards NZ to enable currently registered electrical workers to access these
These are subject to copyright and it would be inadvisable for anyone who has access to it, to flick you a copy Rebecca

3. Benefits > 3.1 Impact on social cost of deaths and serious injuries
Valuation of social cost of crashes
Unit values of crash costs are provided in Appendix 2: Crash analysis for each crash type by movement category, speed limit, severity and vehicle involvement.

The values in the tables in Appendix 2 are based on Denne T (2023). The values per injury (as at July 2021) are:
• $12.5 million per fatality
• $660,100 per serious injury
• $68,000 per minor injury.

(pg 54)

Just over a year ago, I put up a post about the fire alarm going off in my town, summoning the Lyttelton Volunteer Fire Brigade to a workplace accident down on the Coal Wharf at Port Lyttelton.
Today Maritime NZ laid charges against the Lyttelton Port Company, while this will provide cold comfort to the family of the worker killed, at least they will have their day in court seeing someone held to account https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/public/news/2023/april/charges-laid-following-two-fatal-incidents-on-ports-in-april-2022/
Charges have also been filed by Maritime NZ in relation to a fatal accident that occurred at The Ports Of Auckland six days earlier- it may have taken just over a year to get these cases to trial, but Bravo Zulu Maritime NZ :up:

Asked the question of MNZ Aaron,who prosecutes cases that MNZ investigate,and their reply was they do on cases that infringe Acts and Regs they oversee, and in consultation with other Regulators, this page explains the wheres & hows

https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/content/about/what-we-do/compliance/MNZ-prosecution-policy.asp#intro

Not the way MNZ cases are reported Aaron, the way I read them MNZ investigates, and then brings a persecution, as in this case:

Young admitted a Maritime NZ charge that on November 27, 2021 he operated the 8.5m craft C-Works, on a fishing trip with friends and work colleagues, in a way that caused unnecessary danger or risk.

Unfortunately this the Model that OSH / WorkSafe have been following since the mid-1990's, and I don't expect the other agencies vary much from the same Model. The results will continue to be underwhelming! — Rowly Brown

Maritime NZ investigates, and if prosecution is warranted, they charge and usually successfully so. They brought a successful prosecution against one of my former clients under the 2015 HSW Act for a shipboard accident when the vessel was in the South China Sea