Electrical Safety Regulation 2026
The Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 commences on 1 September 2026.
At a glance
- The Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (2026 Regulation) replaces the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 (2013 Regulation), which automatically expires at the same time.
- It does not introduce new policy or regulatory obligations.
- It has been restructured and clarified to make it easier to navigate, understand and apply in conjunction with the Electrical Safety Act 2002.
Background
The 2026 Regulation is subordinate legislation made under the Electrical Safety Act 2002 (the Act). It is an integral component of Queensland’s electrical safety framework as it provides detailed compliance requirements and prescribed ways to meet obligations created by the Act.
Following a sunset review, the regulation has been remade with amendments to improve its relevance, effectiveness and efficiency. There are no changes to the underlying policy or intent.
For more information on the sunset review and the public consultation undertaken visit Public consultation on Work Health and Electrical Safety Policy | WorkSafe.qld.gov.au
Summary of amendments
The table below summarises key changes to the 2026 Regulation.
| Topic | Change | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Structure and navigation | Sections have been reordered and reframed throughout and grouped into new parts. | To improve navigation and strengthen alignment with the structure and provisions of the Act. |
| Legislative references | New sections throughout to make clear the regulation’s connection with corresponding provisions in the Electrical Safety Act. | Improves navigation and understanding of the legislative framework. |
| Streamlining sections | A small number of provisions have been removed where they could be combined with other provisions or were no longer required. | To reduce duplication, simplify the regulation and improve overall readability and usability. |
| Definitions relating to electric lines | Definitions for exclusion zone (section 10) and unsafe distance (section 11) have been relocated to Part 1. | Improves accessibility by placing key definitions at the front of the regulation where they apply throughout. |
| Work near electric lines | Requirements relating to work near overhead and underground electric lines have been restructured and separated according to the different risk profiles for each (sections 13-15). | Improves clarity of obligations and makes requirements easier to understand and apply. |
| Qualified business person (QBP) and qualified technical person (QTP) | Provisions relating to QBPs and QTPs have been consolidated into the licensing part. Definitions are included for QTP and QBP (section 143) and applicant and employee (section 161). | Improves clarity, organisation and usability of licensing requirements. |
| Definitions for licensing part | New definitions have been included for terms used in Part 7 relating to the issue of an electrical work licence (section 152). | Provides greater certainty and consistency in interpretation and application. |
| High voltage live line work | Requirements for the performance of high voltage live line work have been separated into two sections (205 and 206). | Improves readability and application of the requirements. |
| Safety management systems (SMS) | SMS requirements have been restructured into discrete sections (sections 237-240) and a transitional provision has been provided (section 339) to delay the commencement of the requirements for 12 months. | Improves readability and application of the requirements and provides prescribed electricity entities time to become familiar with the new structure. |
| Audit documents (SMS) | Clarifies that the audit report is required to be provided to the regulator following an audit and removes the broad obligation to provide ‘any further information’ required by the regulator. | Removes ambiguity and improves regulatory certainty. |
| Annual audits (SMS) | The subject of an annual audit has been clarified where the provision was previously silent, while maintaining flexibility for a prescribed electricity entity to set the scope of an annual audit. | Provides greater certainty while maintaining flexibility for prescribed electricity entities. |
| Annual audit plan (SMS) | The timeframe for providing an audit plan to the regulator has been expressly stated being the later of 30 days before an audit begins or an agreed date, where the provision was previously silent. | Provides administrative certainty while supporting flexibility of existing practices whereby the audit plan may be informed by information provided by the regulator, e.g. hazard and incident data etc. |
A high-level overview of the changes to the structure of the 2026 Regulation compared with the 2013 Regulation (PDF, 0.93 MB) is also available.
Your answers to frequently asked questions
These common queries will help you understand changes to the Electrical Safety Regulation.
If you still have questions, phone Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Advisory Services on 1300 362 128 or submit your query online.
Queensland regulations automatically expire after 10 years unless they are remade. This ensures regulations have continuing relevance to the economic, social and general well-being of Queensland.
The 2013 Regulation expires on 31 August 2026.
A review of the 2013 Regulation found that the regulation is still needed to support Queensland’s electrical safety framework. As a result, the 2026 Regulation was made to replace the 2013 Regulation to ensure these important safety requirements continue to apply.
If you already comply with the 2013 Regulation, you are unlikely to need to change your work practices. However, you should:
- familiarise yourself with the structure and section numbers of the 2026 Regulation using our quick summary guide.
- Refer to the section table comparison, to identify where provisions from the 2013 Regulation have been relocated to.
- review any provisions that apply to your business or activities to understand how they are presented in the 2026 Regulation.
- review any of your own policies and procedures and make any necessary changes to reference the new 2026 Regulation.
If you are unsure how a requirement applies to your circumstances, please email safetyinfo@oir.qld.gov.au for assistance.
The 2026 Regulation has been reorganised to better group related provisions together and to better align the regulation with the authorising Electrical Safety Act 2002. This includes changes to the order of some parts and sections, and all sections have been renumbered as a result. Learn more about the structure of the 2026 Regulation compared with the section in the expired 2013 Regulation.
A comparison table (PDF, 0.93 MB) has been prepared to help locate former sections on the 2013 Regulation in the new 2026 Regulation.
Alternatively, a PDF copy of the 2026 Regulation can be downloaded from the Queensland Legislation website and searched for key words.
No, however you should ensure that you and your workers are aware of the new structure and updated references. Existing electrical safety requirements remain unchanged.
If your procedures or documentation refer to the expired 2013 Regulation, including section or part numbers, then you should review and update those references. Refer to the comparison table or part summary for an overview of changes. If they describe the practical requirements rather than citing section numbers, changes are unlikely to be required, but it is recommended any existing documentation is reviewed for accuracy against the new 2026 Regulation.
There will be no change to the validity of an electrical licence due to the 2026 Regulation commencing. Electrical licenses issued under the 2013 Regulation will continue to have effect under the 2026 Regulation. License holders do not need to apply for a new license or take any action due to the commencement of the 2026 Regulation. Any conditions, requirements or obligations that apply to a license continue to apply.
If you have any questions, please email safetyinfo@oir.qld.gov.au for assistance.
A notice issued after 1 September 2026 may still refer to the 2013 Regulation if it relates to a matter that occurred before 1 September 2026 when the 2026 Regulation commenced.
The applicable law is determined by when the contravention occurred. If the matter occurred prior to 1 September 2026, the notice will generally be issued under the 2013 Regulation, even if the notice itself is issued after the date.
The transitional provisions in Part 16 of the 2026 Regulation ensure that matters commenced under the 2013 Regulation are dealt with under the appropriate legislative framework.
If you have any further questions, please email safetyinfo@oir.qld.gov.au for assistance.
No, there will be no changes to how the regulation is enforced as a result of the new 2026 Regulation. Further, the remake does not change policy intent or how obligations are intended to operate. The changes are primarily structural and drafting improvements.
The 2013 Regulation was reviewed as part of the review of subordinate legislation (Acts are primary legislation) required every 10 years. The review found the regulation continues to play an important role in supporting Queensland electrical safety framework and identified that a restructure would improve the usability of the regulation.
Consultation identified that some sections of the regulation were difficult to interpret and required additional information to assist in understanding the requirement.
The transitional provisions for the 2026 Regulation can be found in Part 16.
Transitional provisions explain how to move from the old arrangements to the new arrangements and provide certainty about what happens to existing rights, obligations, decisions, licences, approvals, investigations, or proceedings on commencement of the 2026 Regulation. For example, if an electrical licence application was started under the 2013 Regulation but not decided or withdrawn at the time of commencement of the 2026 Regulation, the application will be decided as if made under the 2026 Regulation.
Existing licences, notices and other authorisations continue to operate under the transitional provisions. This means you will not need to reapply or repeat actions because of the commencement of the 2026 Regulation.
Generally, all requirements in the 2026 Regulation will commence on 1 September 2026, with the exception of part 10, division 2 relating to safety management systems, which commences on 1 September 2027 to provide prescribed electricity entities time to become familiar with the new structure. During the period from 1 September 2026 to 1 September 2027, the former section 234 of the 2013 Regulation continues to apply.
No, there are no changes to the requirements for a safety management system. The 2026 Regulation provides clarifying and structural amendments for how these requirements are to be met.
Public Consultation was undertaken in two stages. In February 2025, OIR sought feedback on the effectiveness, relevance and efficiency of the 2013 Regulation and opportunities for improvement to inform a remake of the regulation.
A second round of consultation was undertaken between April and May 2026 on a draft of the proposed 2026 Regulation. The consultation paper provided information on the approach for the sunset review and explained key changes between the 2013 Regulation and the proposed 2026 Regulation. Meetings were also held with interested parties as required.
The amendments included in the 2026 Regulation have been informed by the review of the 2013 Regulation and feedback received during public consultation.
Consultation provided valuable insights from industry, workers, unions, and employers helping identify opportunities to improve clarity, structure and operation of the regulation while maintaining Queensland’s electrical safety framework.
Sunset reviews cannot consider policy changes, and some submissions raised policy matters that were outside the scope of the review. These matters have been recorded on an internal policy register and will be considered as part of future policy work and broader electrical safety policy priorities.
Under common law, public and administrative powers are fundamentally subject to a duty to act reasonably. Contemporary drafting practices seek to remove references to reasonableness in legislation where it relates to how a power is exercised, as it is already implied. This approach is consistent with section 14CA of the Acts Interpretation Act 1954, which provides that if an old law explicitly required for a power to be exercised “reasonably" but the new law removes those words, the new law still requires regard to reasonableness when making a decision.
Yes. Consequential amendments will be made to the existing approved codes of practice to ensure they reflect the 2026 Regulation. It is anticipated these changes will be limited to updating section and part references and terminology where required and will not seek to introduce new policy or change the practical guidance already provided by the codes of practice.
If you have questions about the 2026 Regulation or the changes resulting from the regulation remake, please refer to. If you require further assistance, please contact email safetyinfo@oir.qld.gov.au.