Anyone had their CT/caravan power lead Tag status checked by a CP?

Submitted: Friday, Sep 25, 2015 at 20:50
ThreadID: 130405 Views:6084 Replies:8 FollowUps:24
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Following on from thread 130397 just below and the referenced Collyn Robers article on "Power leads & regulations" I realise I have never been asked over the past decade of staying in perhaps 20 different CP for a period of say 15 weeks in Qld, NSW, SA and NT.

I certainly don't question any Collyn Rivers statements of fact, but I have never had my 15A lead or tagged status checked by any caravan park staff as Collynn suggested now happens. I only use a 15A lead (male and female fittings) in caravan parks, but my lead has never been tagged.

Anyone actually had their lead "Tagged" status checked? Is it a "WA thing" where Collyn lives/lived?

Mark
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Reply By: Member - Scrubby (VIC) - Friday, Sep 25, 2015 at 21:13

Friday, Sep 25, 2015 at 21:13
G`day Mark,

Is it mandatory for extension leads to be tested and tagged if it is only used as private/personal equipment, i.e. not for commercial or business use?
There are "test&tag" businesses here in Vic.

Scrubby.
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Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Friday, Sep 25, 2015 at 22:08

Friday, Sep 25, 2015 at 22:08
The only time you need your leads tested by law is if there are any health and safety regulations in place (ie in work places.)

There have been reports in some forums where park owners have demanded that non tagged leads are not to be used in their parks. Some even have declared that their parks are work places and therefore leads must be inspected and tagged. These reports been very few and I have not seen any lately. Maybe those parks have learnt better and are no longer making this insistence.
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Follow Up By: Batt's - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 11:18

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 11:18
No you don't need it tagged for personal use around the house etc.
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Follow Up By: D-MaxerWA - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 19:46

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 19:46
Tags are only any good when they are first issued. They name a date when tested and a date for re-testing. What happens to the lead between those two times...............

My leads are tested every 3 months, but they have to be as I use them for work. So are all my power tools, but the only thing the safety people on building sites worry about is that they are tagged.

Some mine sites test everything when you arrive and put their own tags on, but once that is done, it is only after the expiry of the tag that it is re-tested.
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 09:29

Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 09:29
Sorry D-MaxerWA .... but that is the biggest ignorant bull bleep cop out circulating about electrical testing & tagging .....I hear it sprouted all to commonly......... it completely ignores the whole point of inspection, testing & tagging.

At least if an item has a tag on it .... it shows that it should have been inspected and tested and was fit for use in living memory.

If something does not have a tag on it who knows what is wrong with it and how long that fault has existed.

I have not done a session of "in service electrical inspection" and not found something not up to scratch.

One thing that the general public and many electrical workers are ignorant of is ...... the system of electrical practice puts many layers of protection in place ..... the system is so effective that you pretty much have to have multiple faults occur to get a major life threatening incident.

IF equipment is not inspected ..... it can continue to function with multiple faults that peel away those layers of protection.

The notion that "Tags are only any good when they are first issued." is ignorance and stupidity.

The fact that there is a current tag indicates, at that time .... ALL those layers of protection where in place AND not just on a single item, but all items on the site .....and most likley a single fault (due to damage,neglect or stupidity) will not cause a life threatening situation.

and ... AND ..... each individual worker should be doing a visual inspection of every item they use, before they use it.

In service inspection and testing, indicated by the attached tag, combined with daily visual inspection by the user, and basic safe practice should reduce the risk if life threatening electrical sutuations to pretty much zero


The reason many high risk sites insist on doing their own inspections, particular on incomming contractors ...... is they dont trust you to be doing the right thing.

cheers
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Reply By: Ron N - Friday, Sep 25, 2015 at 22:12

Friday, Sep 25, 2015 at 22:12
The tagging question appears to be one of jurisdiction. Each State has its own Workcover/Worksafe/Safework regulatory body. They each all have slightly different ideas and wording, there is no standard Australia-wide agreement. However, the regulations appear to be BROADLY the same, from State to State.

I have just had a quick look at Worksafe W.A., Safework S.A., and Workcover NSW tagging regulations.
I have not checked every single States regulations.

W.A. and S.A. have absolutely no extension lead tagging laws or regulations, as regards people living/staying in caravan parks.
Both Worksafe W.A. and Safework S.A. are only concerned with WORKPLACES - that is, anywhere in the business operation where employees/owners are working, which is classified as a workplace.
The caravan park grounds where holidaymakers are staying is not treated as a workplace, as far as holidaymakers are concerned.

The same area IS treated as a workplace for the caravan park owners or employees. As a result, it is normally only the caravan park (owners) leads and electrical fittings/equipment that comes under Worksafe regulations.

A holidaymaker who supplies his own extension lead is not required to have that lead tagged in W.A. or S.A., as no employees are involved and the area of use is not deemed to be a workplace.

NSW appears to be a slightly different story, with some caravan park owners making their premises subject to "site rules", precisely the same as a construction site.
The quote below, is from page 13 of the NSW Workcover document listed below the quote ...

"WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR TESTING AND TAGGING ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT AT A CARAVAN PARK?
The owner of a caravan park has a number of responsibilities under the Act and the Regulation:
1. The owner has a responsibility as an employer to any employees who work at the caravan park
2. The owner, as a ’controller of premises’, has responsibilities to other employers who may use the caravan park facilities (e.g., a shop leased to another employer)
3. The owner of the caravan park has a general duty of care to the residents, holidaymakers and visitors to the caravan park.
The owner of the caravan park (as an employer and controller of premises) must therefore comply with the specific requirements of the OHS Regulation to ensure a safe electrical installation and safe electrical equipment.
This requirement extends to both the electrical installation, and any plug-in type electrical equipment under the ownership and control of the caravan park owner.
The owner must comply with the specific legislative requirements contained in clauses 41, 64 and 65 of the Regulation.
Note: These legislative obligations do not extend to plug-in electrical equipment owned by a holidaymaker that is plugged into the caravan park’s electrical installation.
There is no requirement for this electrical equipment to be inspected, tested and tagged in accordance with the Standard, AS/NZS 3760.
Regardless of this, WorkCover is aware that some caravan park owners have exercised a site rule (based on public liability requirements), requiring holidaymakers to have their extension lead tested and tagged."

Electrical testing and tagging - FAQ - NSW Workcover

The general attitude by the States I examined, appears to be one of "no requirement for tagging for extension leads" when they are owned and solely used by a holidaymaker.
The exception appears to be, those NSW caravan parks who have declared holidaymakers in their park to be subject to a "site rule" - which effectively means that holidaymakers extensions leads fall into the same category as any workplace extension lead, and they require tagging.

Cheers, Ron.

(P.S. - I am not an electrician, and the above is posted as my opinion, as I have interpreted it from what I have read on official documents. Anyone who is electrocuted by a dodgy lead can only blame themselves, and I hereby declare I accept no responsibility for anyone trying to claim electrical injury or death resulting from reading my opinion!)

(P.P.S. - the above release from liability is the lawyer in me, talking!) [;-)

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Follow Up By: K&FT - Friday, Sep 25, 2015 at 22:30

Friday, Sep 25, 2015 at 22:30
The requirement by caravan park owner/manager may be due to a previous insurance claim involving a defective extension lead therefore the insurance company may have made testing and tagging a condition of the insurance policy to help prevent any further losses.

frank
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Follow Up By: Ron N - Friday, Sep 25, 2015 at 23:11

Friday, Sep 25, 2015 at 23:11
Frank, that is quite likely a possible scenario. PL insurance is a real headache for businesses today.
My rented workshop (perfectly good steel-framed shed) is slated for demolition in the next couple of months - purely because it is asbestos-sheeting clad - and my landlord claims he can no longer get PL insurance on it, because of the high potential for a mesothelioma or asbestosis claim.

The landlords claim seems odd to me, as there are still tens of thousands of rented industrial buildings clad in asbestos - but perhaps his insurance companys attitude is just the start of the ball rolling, and soon every other insurance company will pick up on it, and also adopt the same attitude towards asbestos cladding.

Re the OP's question about whether they have had leads checked for tags - I forgot to mention I have stayed in numerous caravan parks in W.A. and the N.T. in recent years, and not one has ever requested to see tagged leads.
We have hired several motorhomes in the last few years - and in every case, they came equipped with 15A extension leads as part of the hire deal - and not one of them was tagged.

Cheers, Ron.
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Follow Up By: mike39 - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 07:45

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 07:45
We very seldom stay in caravan parks and have never been asked a question regarding extension leads.

However, at the last CP we stayed at only 1 out of the 4 "box on pole" power outlets worked.
The manager wanted to provide a double adaptor so that we could share one outlet with the adjoining van.

This could have potentially doubled the load on that single outlet (2 x 15a. = 30a.)
Said no thanks, he then provided a long lead connected to another box outlet.

And this in a Council owned CP!
Mike
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Reply By: Member -Pinko (NSW) - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 07:16

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 07:16
And ... does the lead have to be supported on insulated poles two metres above the ground between connection points.
IE not laying on the ground ???
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Follow Up By: Ron N - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 09:49

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 09:49
Pinko - There's general acceptance that laying an extension cord on the ground is perfectly O.K., provided it is not run over by vehicles.
If you position a long extension cord where it provides an opportunity for someone new to the area to drive over it, you should take appropriate steps to prevent that - by clearly marking its location and installing some kind of driving deterrent.

Vehicles running over cords damage the insulation (and the cord obviously), resulting in potential for short circuits.
Construction sites are generally a madhouse of rushed movement, thus every single opportunity for damage or injury has to be taken into account.

Cheers, Ron.
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Follow Up By: Member -Pinko (NSW) - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 10:07

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 10:07
Ron
This is the very reason us brickies have a generator close by the mixer or using a chaser.
If OHS rock up and that lead is in danger of damage then expect some corrospondance in the mail.
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 11:53

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 11:53
In the past in some of the suplimentary standards such as carnivals and shows, tempoary buildings, tents for residential purposes and the like there was provision for things like slot burrying flexible cables and supporting them on pitchforks ...... but a lot of that has gone from the standards ....... if poles are used in situations that are vehicle traficable ... they now need to be 4 meters or some such ....... most informed site users are using portable covered cable tray on the ground where in the past those cables would have been burried or supported on pitchforks.

There is nothing wrong with cables laying on the ground as long as they are not traficable or represent some other sort of risk.

Plugs, sockets, connections and powerboards are another story though.

cheers
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Reply By: The Bantam - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 09:35

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 09:35
This is an interesting matter ...... like so many other things this is a situation that is not specifically addressed in legeslation or standards.

As has been mentioned ..... the Caravan park it's self is a business and workplace thus inspection, testing and tagging requirements apply to all the electrical equipment owned and operated by that business ..... in addition all contractors working on that site are bound by test & tag requirements. ..... AND the caravan park manager is responsible for ensuring those contractors comply.

However ..... caravan parks would be one of the very few situations where a private individual brings electrical equipment onto a business site and operates it.

I know many businesses will reasonably require any and all electrical equipment braught onto their site to be in current compliance with testing and tagging requirements ........ and this would be an expectation of many risk assessors and advisors.

As for this testing and tagging of privately owned caravan leads ....... yeh ..... this is an interesting one.

The caravan park manager clearly has an obligation and a duty of care to ensure electricall safety on their site ....... but how do they adequately discharge that.

This is where so many rediculous OHS decisions come from ...... a propper and reasonable risk assessment needs to be made.

I'll digress a little ........ IF the site manager sees the need for a caravan lead to be tested and tagged ..... surely it would then make sence that they would require a certificate of test or statement of compliance for the caravan its self and that every appliance within that caravan is tested and tagged ..... ya see where I am going with this. ...I believe in some places overseas caravans are required to carry a current statement of compliance.

Seem this test & tag requirement on the caravan lead alone is nothing more than token effort safetyism ....... and those requireing it are willingly blind to the real issues.

To properly discharge their obligations I believe the CVP managers should .

#1 and above all ... conduct a propper risk assessment after informing themselves of the real risks.

#2 ensure that their electrcal house is in order ...... if their site is compliant with current regulations there are a couple of very solid layers of safety already in place ..... specifically every site outlet double pole switched, individually protected for both overload and earth leakage. .... I would expect some sort of programed inspection and testing on the site connections ..... how much of this happens?

#3 they should inform and require all clients to declare that their caravan and all associated equipment is compliant and in good order.

#4 they should make daily cursory inspection of their site ensuring propper care an attention to electrical safety, in particular visual inspection of the connections of the vans to the site connections

Requiring testing and tagging of the caravan lead alone, does very little to discharge their responsibility.

It would however be entirely reasonable for a caravan park manager to require a visual inspection of the caravan lead ........ evreybody is capalble and qualified to conduct a visual inspection ... and everybody should every time an item is used.

As the stadards, regulations and the electrical trainers will inform you the majority of "In service electrical inspection & testing" is the visual inspection and will reveal the majority of faults.

That covers the Caravan park responsibilities ...... what a lot of people don't what to hear about is the responsibility of the caravan owner ....... YOU are obliged to ensure that your van is safe, compliant and in good repair ........ considering a caravan is subject to wear and tear, vibration and possible damage ..... how do YOU discharge your responsibility ........ how many caravans have every been electrically inspected after they leave the factory.

Ya see why some of the CVP managers are nervous.

just some thaughts.

cheers
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Follow Up By: Ron N - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 10:25

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 10:25
Bantam, I think you will find virtually all the potential safety issues are covered in the Australian-New Zealand standard - AS/NZS 3001:2008, as amended 2012.
Table 5.1 in that Standard covers caravan extension leads.

Below is one of the best explanatory precis' I have found on the web, with particular emphasis on cable lengths and sizes - and a warning about the illegality and danger involved in utilising a 10 amp plug with a 15 amp plug on the same cable.

Supply cables - Caravans

As far as the electrical compliance goes, all caravans, campers and mobile facilities that contain 230/240V wiring must be inspected by an electrical inspector and be fitted with a clearly-readable electrical compliance notice.

Yes, problems could arise when damage is incurred to mobile equipment and the potential for electrical damage arises.
The onus is then on the mobile equipment owner to check for damage, and to have the wiring inspected again by an inspector if there is doubt about its safety.

No court would ever penalise a caravan park owner for not knowing about damaged electrical wiring in a caravan or camper if someone was electrocuted as a result.
The onus is entirely on the caravan/camper owner to ensure that their 'van or camper meets electrical compliance laws at all times.


Incidentally - there also appears to be a lack of clarity in the operation of circuit breakers and RCD's (also known as Safety Switches or ELCB's).
RCD's are becoming common all throughout Australia - in some States (W.A., I know for sure) it is mandatory to have RCD's fitted to EVERY electrical supply.

However, it's quite likely in many remote areas and older areas, that circuit breakers (or perhaps even fuses!) are still the only protection device fitted.

In essence, an RCD's primary aim is to protect the person from electrical shock and injury. They operate FAST.

A circuit breaker's aim is merely to prevent damage to wiring.
Thus an RCD offers much greater personal protection than just a circuit breaker.

You can still receive a major shock from a system that short-circuits, if the only protection fitted is a circuit breaker or fuse.

Fuses, Circuit Breakers & Safety Switches

Cheers, Ron.
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 11:04

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 11:04
No doubt there are standards and regulations that deal with various parts of this issue ....... but there are no specific standards or regulations dictating what happens when a private individual brings their caravan onto a regulated business site that is a caravan park.

While there may be caravan parks and indeed caravans that do no comply with current regulations ..... a business owner would be wreckless indeed to operate a business such that it is not compliant with current regs in particular not providing earth leakage protection on site supply outlets.

You recon ... "No court would ever penalise a caravan park owner for not knowing about damaged electrical wiring in a caravan or camper if someone was electrocuted as a result."

Well that is not what the QLD regulations say ....... virtually anybody who knows or should have known about an electrically unsafe situation and did not take steps to prevent an accident can be prosecuted. .... Not my business just don't cut it any more in QLD. ... and the perception goes even further than the reality.

If a business owner or in particular a construction site manager allows unsafe or noncompliant equipment to be used on site , they can and will be prosecuted.

And like so many other things these days it is not just the regulators that are dictating terms .... insurers and corporate polocy makers have a lot to do with things.

If a caravan park was not equipped with double pole switching and earth leakage on its site supply outlets and someone was killed or injured as a result .... they could very well be prosecuted or persued for civil damages ..... even if the caravan or connection cable was primarliy at fault.

on a seperate matter .... while there may be a requirement for a statement of compliance at time of manufacture and electrical inspection prior to sale....... there is no mandatory requirement for inservice inspection and testing of private caravans ..... inspite of the probabilty of damage or wear and tear .

AND ..... betya there are plenty of caravans and in particular camper trailers that have been either wired from scratch or electrically modified by their unqualified owners ..... and either bare no statemant of compliance or have not been tested for safety and compliance after the work was done.

For the caravan park owner or manager ..... its realy a safety crap shoot. ... every time a caravan comes thru the gate ... the manager rolls the dice.

cheers
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Follow Up By: Ron N - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 12:09

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 12:09
QUOTE - "virtually anybody who knows, or should have known, about an electrically unsafe situation, and did not take steps to prevent an accident, can be prosecuted."

Bantam, a good lawyer would find a big enough hole in that wording to drive a Mack truck through it.
It is essentially saying that a caravan park owner is now obliged under that clause to carry out a full safety and compliance inspection on every 'van and camper that rolls up to use his/her park.

I personally believe that that situation is unreasonable, unenforceable, and wouldn't stand up in court.

"Anybody who knows", specifies that the responsible party had complete knowledge of an unsafe situation. A caravan park owner would not have that full knowledge of unsafe wiring and could not rightly be found responsible for not knowing. A caravan park owner is not an electrician or electrical inspector.

"(Anybody who) should have known", draws an even longer bow on the above situation. How does a caravan park owner meet the "should have known" test? Once again, the caravan park owner is not an electrician or electrical inspector. Therefore, the "should have known" test must fail on legal grounds, as the caravan park owner is not qualified to test or inspect wiring.

My local electrician is angry because he told me he is now being held fully responsible for all wiring systems he works on - even if someone has been in there before him, and bodged up the last repair/installation.
The new regulation holds the last electrician on the job responsible for any faults/problems/injuries/deaths caused by the wiring system.

In that case, I can understand the new regulations as applied to him, because he is a qualified person, and therefore he should have to ensure the whole system is safe and meets all installation requirements - even if it does mean fixing up the last fools sub-standard handiwork.

To demand the same of a caravan park owner is really stretching the boundaries of responsibility to beyond what would be upheld in a court of law.

Cheers, Ron.
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Follow Up By: Gronk - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 12:13

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 12:13
After seeing some of the dodgy power poles in van parks, there are some that do not take elect safety seriously.

In some industries ( some coal mines ) they don't allow 240V operated devices or leads on site, so everyone has to use battery operated gear or air operated ! Obviously driven by insurance companies .

The way the courts work in this country with lenient sentences, you'd almost have to be caught shoving the bare power lead up someones clacker to be prosecuted !!
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 12:53

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 12:53
Ron that is my paraphrase ..... the wording of the act is very, very specific and virtually excludeds the reasonable person test.

This is the envoronment that gives birth to the situation raised by the OP.


It is probably not reasonable and not enforcable for the CVP manager to inspect the caravan ...... but it would be considered entirely reasonable to hold the CVP manager responsible if a clearly unsafe cable was used or something visable like a damaged inlet, cracked exteriour power point or such caused a problem. ...and the CVP manager permitted connection and use.

It is quite possible and probable that a caravan with obvious faults may come onto the business site and thus the CVP manager should have some means of dealing with the forseeable.

As I have posted the CVP managment having its own house in order is the single biggest risk managment tool ..... making sure that the site outlets are in order, properly overload protected double pole switched and earth leakage protected would controll pretty much all other risks to a very low level.

expecting all customers to have tested and tagged leads is both low in resk reduction and unreasonable to expect ...likewise it is unreasonable to expect the CVP managment to ensure the colpliance of the van ..........

BUT it may not be considered unreasonable to expect assurances or declarations from the customer that the van and all that is within is safe and compliant.

All it would take is one accident with an adverse court outcome ..... and this sort of thing will become the norm ..... particularly if a relative of someone prominent is involved.

As for the CVP manager that had 3 out of 4 outlets on a pole faulty and offered a double adaptor ....... hell just walk arround with a sign saying kick me ....... there should not be a double adaptor on a regulated worksite.

cheers
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Follow Up By: TomH - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 15:25

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 15:25
So I would take it that the wizzbangs I saw on my trip around the block wouldnt comply.

Jurien Bay raining Wizzbang with two short obviously Bunnings type short extension cords with a 4 place exxtension power board hanging from a pole in the rain.

Kings Canyon Similar Wizzbang wth several sort different colored extension cords lying on the damp ground.

Should the Park Operator have hauled them up or just let them get their Darwin Award
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Follow Up By: Member - John - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 15:36

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 15:36
TomH, "wizzbangs" are a new technical thing and are specifically approved.......................LOL
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 16:18

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 16:18
don't know about other states ..... but under QLD regs ..... the CVP manager AND each member of the staff is individually obliged to take action ... in fact any passing licenced electrical worker is obliged to take action.

In fact in theory under QLD regs ... if the owner of the CVP is the manager and a licenced electrical worker, they can be charged with 3 seperate offences if they allow an unsafe electrical sutuation that they know about to persist.

We most certainly are now our brothers keeper.

cheers
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Follow Up By: Member - Blue M - Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 03:20

Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 03:20
Bear in mind I am not an Electrician nor a Lawyer, and know very little about the Regulations and Rules that cover these sort of things, so please help me out and explain to me how do make my van electrically compliant.

This is how I would see something happening in real life.

Last year I travelled around Australia and one time I stopped at a camp ground where there were lots of mice. Unbeknown to me a mouse got up in between the inner and outer walls and chewed the insulation off a wire that was 2mil from the aluminium sheeting.

This year I am off around the block again, so I get a qualified Electrical person go over my van with his meters and gauges and test the power points, earth leakage etc, and gives me a certificate of compliance.

Now I have been plugged into power several times, then two weeks after I got my certificate, someone leans up against the side of my van and the aluminium sheeting moved inwards that 2 mil and it touched the bare wire and gave you a decent whack. He falls back and hit his arm on a rock and broke his elbow.

He is now looking for some one to sue for damages to his arm.

Now under the Rules & Regulations, does that make me guilty because I should have known a mouse chewed the wire, or does it make the Electrician liable because he didn't strip the walls off the van and visibly check the wiring.

The laws are all there to protect us from someone blatantly not doing the right thing, and using defective equipment/ materials and knowing that could cause grief just to save a dollar.

I may be way off with my way of thinking, and I am sure someone will correct me if I am.
Cheers
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 09:54

Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 09:54
If a live wire came into contact with a metal part of the van and someone got a shock ....... all is not right.

Multiple layers of protection should have prevented this.

#1 was the van connected to a supply with earth leakage protection.
#2 was the mandatory earth leakage protection in the van functioning

AND importantly

#3 was all the metal in that van properly bonded to the earth conductor.

I could go further concerning vermin proofing and more detailed methods of electrical insulation.

BUT I'd say at least 2 of the above would have to be incorrect to cause the problem.

IF that person would have died or even if the incident of electric shok was reported ( as the regs require) and this incident was properly electricaly investigated ( particularly when the various insurance company legal teams get involved)...... the most likely party to be prosecuted would be the caravan manufacturer.... because obvioulsy the metal skin was not bonded to main earth conductor.

From what I hear this is not surprising.

The electrician may be in some trouble because he did not thoroughly check earth bonding ...... but the main fault lies with the manufacturer

cheers
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Reply By: Allan B (Member, SunCoast) - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 16:43

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 16:43
I never knew we had so many qualified electricians and practicing lawyers among our ranks!

Gawd I love "Electrical" threads. Even better entertainment than Mythbusters. LOL
Cheers
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Follow Up By: Gramps - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 19:09

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 19:09
Amen

Regards
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Follow Up By: Member - Duncan W (WA) - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 19:31

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 19:31
Now if it was Friday I've got a funny story about power cords, rain and a flooded oval.

Cheers
Dunc
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Follow Up By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 20:14

Saturday, Sep 26, 2015 at 20:14
Allan, The problem is that everyone knows a little bit, the problem is putting all those little bits together to form a sentence!! Michael
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Follow Up By: Gronk - Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 00:19

Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 00:19
And, sometimes for the person who knows diddly squat, is which post do they believe is true ??

I'm glad I'm not a qualified electrician or lawyer, because those qualifications just aren't good enough here !!
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Reply By: Slow one - Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 06:06

Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 06:06
Mark,
here is an answer your original post.

Over many years we have stayed in caravan parks, show grounds, racecourses, football grounds and rodeo grounds in all states of Australia except Tassy.

In that time no one has ever looked at our leads.

Some of the show grounds have signs on the switchboards that leads have to be tagged but they are only interested in the showies leads at show time.
AnswerID: 590780

Reply By: Frank P (NSW) - Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 09:16

Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 09:16
G'day mark

No, I've never been asked to show proof of tagging or inspection of my power leads. Nor have I seen a sign asking for same or specifying the requirement.

Cheers
FrankP

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AnswerID: 590783

Reply By: Member - Mark (Tamworth NSW) - Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 10:13

Sunday, Sep 27, 2015 at 10:13
Thank you all, looks like I don't have to have my 15A lead (and plugs) tagged.

Mark
AnswerID: 590785

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