Conductive ceiling insulation and electrical safety – Insulation installers, licensed electrical contractors and licensed electrical workers

The Electrical Safety Office has issued previous Safety Alerts about the management of electrical safety risks associated with ceiling insulation.

The purpose of this safety alert is to remind insulation installers and licensed electricians about existing requirements relating to the management of ceiling insulation risks, and to provide details about new requirements regarding foil insulation which took effect from 9 March 2010.

The Minister for Industrial Relations has made a Ministerial Notice under the Electrical Safety Act 2002 effective from 9 March 2010. This Ministerial Notice requires installers to take additional precautions when installing electrically conductive ceiling insulation (other than metal foil batts) in premises where the insulation is applied onto the ceiling structure.

Insulation installers have been prohibited since 1 November 2009 from using conductive fastenings for foil ceiling insulation, and required to comply with the Wiring Rules (AS/NZS 3000: 2007) as they relate to the placement of any type of insulation near recessed downlights.  Risk assessment training, and documented risk assessments dealing with electrical safety risks are also required.

These requirements were mandated under the Electrical Safety (Installation of Ceiling Insulation) Notice 2009 and are now incorporated into a new Ministerial Notice, the Electrical Safety (Installation of Ceiling Insulation) Notice 2010 with the following additional provisions:

• an electrical safety inspection and test of the electrical installation related to the ceiling space at the premises must be performed by a licensed electrical contractor before electrically conductive ceiling insulation is installed,
• following the inspection and test, if any part of the electrical installation in the ceiling space is not electrically safe, the installation of electrically conductive ceiling insulation must not proceed until the installation is made safe or repaired.

If the outcome of the inspection and test of the electrical installation undertaken confirms that the electrical installation is electrically safe, then electrically conductive insulation may be installed under the following conditions:

• before commencing the installation of electrically conductive ceiling insulation, a safety switch is installed on each final sub-circuit and sub-mains located in the ceiling space where such installation is possible; and
• the consumer’s mains and/or cables of the electrical installation not able to be protected by a safety switch are clearly identified and marked permanently at the most accessible point and at intervals not exceeding one metre in the ceiling space to the extent that is reasonably practicable; and
• the electrically conductive ceiling insulation is installed so as to ensure that the consumer’s mains, and any circuit not able to be protected by a safety switch, are not covered at any point by the ceiling insulation; and
• during the installation, a minimum of 25mm separation is maintained between the ceiling insulation material and the consumer’s mains and/or any cables of the electrical installation not able to be protected by a safety switch.

The Ministerial Notice applies in Queensland, irrespective of any requirements or conditions of the Australian Government’s yet to commence Household Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme.

For further electrical safety information telephone 1300 650 662.

Peter Lamont

Executive Director
Electrical Safety Office

10 March 2010