Electrical safety summit 2026

Electrical safety summit 2026

Belinda Watton: Good morning everyone and welcome to the 2026 Electrical Safety Summit. My name is Belinda Watton, and I will be your MC today. With a long history in the electrical industry, including tenure on the Electrical Safety Board, it is always an absolute pleasure to be here with you all today. I'd like to begin by acknowledging the Honourable Jarrod Bleijie, MP, Acting Premier and Deputy Premier of Queensland, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, and Minister for Industrial Relations; Keith McKenzie, Commissioner for Electrical Safety; Megan Barry, Deputy Director-General, Office of Industrial Relations; Robert Wicks, Executive Director, Electrical Safety Office; Electrical Safety Board and Committee members; and guest speakers here today. Can you believe this is the 10th Electrical Safety Summit? For the past 10 years, this event has brought together industry leaders, safety professionals, and stakeholders across Queensland to share knowledge, foster collaboration, and strengthen our collective commitment to electrical safety across the state. Thank you all for being here. Whether you're with us here in the fantastic Greek Club in Queensland’s West End or tuning in online, welcome. It’s fantastic to have you as part of this event. Today, we'll hear from industry leaders and safety experts as we explore safety culture and discuss current and emerging issues impacting Queensland’s electrical industry. From a housekeeping perspective, toilets are behind me to the left. In the event of an emergency or fire, please follow instructions from Greek Club staff. Online viewers — if you have technical problems, ensure your sound is on, try refreshing your browser, or contact us via the Q&A chat box or email events@oir.qld.gov.au. If you’ve noticed a hex nut on your table, no need to check your chairs — all will be explained later. Please keep them safe. I’d now like to introduce the Honorable Jarrod Bleijie, MP, Acting Premier and Deputy Premier of Queensland, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, and Minister for Industrial Relations, to give the opening address for this year’s Electrical Safety Summit.

Jarrod Bleijie: Good morning, everybody, and thank you, Belinda, for MCing the summit. Welcome to everyone here and online — around 600 people joining us across the state. This marks the start of our two-week program, Electrical Safety Fortnight. Electrical safety is so important that we dedicate a full fortnight to it. I acknowledge Deputy Director-General Megan; Keith McKenzie, Commissioner for Electrical Safety; and Rob, who you’ll hear from shortly. Thank you to all teams across OIR and the Electrical Safety Office for your work across Queensland. My message is simple: we all have an obligation to ensure safety on worksites across the state. Thank you to those in business doing everything you can to keep workers safe. You’ve seen the regulation change as of yesterday — the new safety regulation replacing the 2013 version. If you were compliant the day before yesterday, you are still compliant today. Legislative reform has gone through parliament, and you’ll see great things across the state during Electrical Safety Fortnight.

We’re educating schoolchildren about electrical dangers — at worksites, homes, businesses, shopping centres. Our electrical safety trailers are out across Queensland, starting conversations with young people. We’re also undergoing reform in worksite safety. The CFMEU Royal Commission is underway, and this government will not tolerate bullying, misogyny, threats, or assaults in workplaces. Those times have changed. We will protect workers from disruptive behaviour on worksites. The government is investing $119 billion in infrastructure over the next four years — not just Olympic and Paralympic venues, but schools, roads, rail, hospitals. Opportunities for the electrical industry are immense. We’re planning beyond 2032 to avoid a construction cliff. We want stable, ongoing work and legacy projects. Carry the safety message forward strongly. Safe workplaces are productive workplaces. We must increase productivity — some sites were operating at 2.4 days per week, which is unacceptable. Thank you for your work during Electrical Safety Fortnight. Teach young kids about electrical dangers. One life lost is one too many. Let’s ensure everyone goes to work, is well paid, safe, and returns home safely. I declare the 2026 Electrical Safety Summit open.

Belinda Watton: Thank you, Deputy Premier. It is my pleasure to introduce Keith McKenzie, Queensland’s Commissioner for Electrical Safety. Keith was appointed commissioner in August 2022 and brings extensive experience across the electrical industry, having started his career in 1986. He has worked across domestic, commercial, hospital, petrochemical, and industrial projects, and served on numerous boards and committees. Before becoming commissioner, he spent considerable time on the Electrical Licensing Committee and the Electrical Safety Board. Please welcome Keith.

Keith McKenzie: Morning everyone. Welcome to those online. This is a great event at the Greek Club, with more attendees than Victoria Park. Thanks for making the effort to attend. Electrical safety is more than workplaces — 5.7 million Queenslanders use power daily. It’s everywhere: homes, schools, workplaces, the internet. Our job is to make people aware of electrical risks. There are electrical safety board members and licensing committee members here today — thank you for attending. I want to talk about what the Electrical Licensing Committee sees regarding safety and responsibility. Everyone has duties: business owners, directors, persons in control of equipment, workers, and others. You may not read the Electrical Safety Act, but you can’t escape your responsibilities. The Electrical Safety Regulations 2026 commenced yesterday — the first day of Electrical Safety Fortnight. The main changes are numbering. The ESO and policy unit have provided a ready reckoner. Licensed electrical workers must ensure installations comply with wiring rules. Employers must ensure installations comply with requirements. Consumers must be kept electrically safe. Queensland is a safe state, but shortcuts and DIY work cause incidents. Failing to test can lead to serious harm. Every shock has a story. Many people remember their first electric shock. Some people weren’t lucky: Tim Martin, Dale Kennedy, Kerryn O’Connor, Jason Garrels, Jordan Crocker — all lost their lives from a single shock. Jason Daniels survived a severe shock from overhead lines. The licensing committee deals with workers whose work is found unsafe. A recent case involved a worker shocked while working near energised equipment — his mate had to kick him off the board and perform CPR. Electric shocks require medical assessment — ECGs, monitoring for psychological effects, cognitive changes, depression, personality changes. Apprentices are still receiving shocks — unacceptable. Failing to test, failing to isolate, ineffective supervision. Statistics show improvement, but more work is needed. A micro-credential course, Effective Supervision of Electrical Apprentices, has been developed — free and essential for tradespeople and apprentices. Unlicensed electrical work remains a problem. Incorrect DIY work can liven earthing systems and harm families. More engagement is needed with multicultural communities and regional areas. Regional engagement programs, like in Hughenden, help communities understand electrical safety. Queensland has a strong electrical safety framework — commissioner, regulator, act, regulations. When you return to your workplaces, implement something you’ve learned today to make Queensland safer.

Robert Wicks: Good morning and thank you for joining us. I’m Robert Wicks, Executive Director for the Electrical Safety Office. Our role is to prevent death, injury, and property destruction caused by electricity. We provide education, guidance, and enforce compliance. We regulate designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers, installers, repairers, workers, and even homeowners performing unlicensed work. Preventing incidents is our primary objective. Today, I’ll outline key priorities shaping ESO’s regulatory focus, advice for industry, and updates on the remade electrical safety regulations. Priorities are based on data identifying highest electrical risk areas. Key priorities include: working on energized equipment, apprentice supervision, contact with overhead powerlines, and community awareness. Over 20% of serious incidents occur from work on energized equipment. Since January, requirements have expanded to working on or near energized equipment. We promote isolating upstream wherever possible. A dedicated webpage provides guidance, videos, self-assessment tools, and technical guides. Apprentice supervision remains a priority. Strong supervision reduces risks and improves safety outcomes. A Safe Working and Supervision Guide is available. Contact with overhead powerlines remains high in construction, agriculture, and transport. Energy Queensland is using LiDAR technology to monitor clearances. ESO is developing an overhead and underground line strategy. Community safety includes auditing retailers, monitoring unlicensed work, encouraging safety switch testing, and storm preparedness messaging. Electrical Safety Fortnight includes apprentice events, the summit, webinars, licensing committee events, and community engagement. The Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 expired on 31 August. A review confirmed its importance, and it has been remade as the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026. Changes are structural and drafting improvements — no new policy positions or obligations. Regulations now have 17 parts aligned with the act. Transitional arrangements ensure continuity. Safety management system provisions for electricity entities commence in 2027. Industry should review risk assessments, procedures, training, and ensure competence. Resources are available on worksafe.qld.gov.au, including comparison tables and summaries.

Greg Caldwell: Good morning. Today I’ll give insights into our aerial LiDAR inspection program and how we maintain safety of the overhead network, audit compliance, and support the Build Safe from the Start campaign. We maintain compliance across 180,000 km of overhead network using aircraft-based LiDAR — light detection and ranging — creating 3D models of the network. Data is captured at 700 meters altitude, 270 km/h, with 30 points per square meter. Fugro generates the 3D model. We match voltage to point cloud data to generate line clearances. Every pole-to-pole span has its own clearance. We assess measurements against regulations and prioritise high-risk areas. Energex has 17 sub-campaigns; Ergon Energy has 47. Bay counts exceed 1.5 million combined. LiDAR helps identify defects in remote areas, such as a pole that had completely burnt down. The Build Safe from the Start campaign highlights structures built too close to energized lines. Customers often assume council approval means compliance — it does not. Prevention is essential. We brief councils, planners, QBCC, and Master Builders. Early detection during development applications is critical. LiDAR provides permanent, traceable snapshots of the network. QA is essential to avoid false positives. Design benefits include reduced survey costs and consistent standards.

Belinda Watton: Thank you to all speakers — Keith McKenzie, Robert Wicks, Greg Caldwell, and Theo Venter. Thank you to everyone attending in person and online for supporting the 10th Electrical Safety Summit. Register for upcoming events including webinars and the Electrical Licensing Committee forum. Visit worksafe.qld.gov.au for more information. Please complete the feedback survey after the fortnight concludes. Encourage young artists to enter the Farm Safety Calendar Art Competition — entries close 9 October. Thank you for your attendance and support. Stay safe and enjoy the rest of your day.