Electrical Legislation in OZZ has been changing in each State on a more or less regularly. In Queensland working "Energised" may only occur under certain circumstances.One of these situations is when "Faultfinding and Testing is being done." However, before Electricians begin this activity they must perform a Risk Assessment and produce a written Safe System of Work document which is basicaly a method to follow so that the work is performed in an "Electrically Safe" manner.

Are there the same requirements imposed in other Countries and if so does any one have basic examples of Risk Assesments electrically specific and or generic.

Regards,

400volt.

400V,
No, we do not have to do a written plan, but, it sounds like a GOOD idea!.
Making a reasonable risk assessment, before a job that will encompass Live Work, takes a fair bit of thought, if all of the possibilities(Of What can and May go wrong) are to be taken into account.
Being a worker that works LIVE, pretty much most of the time, here is what I would call a reasonable Assessment:

• What voltage are you working with?
• How can you eliminate any hazards that are nearby, where you are working?.
• What sort of PPE(Personal Protection Equipment), will you need, to do the task without any injuries?.
• Will you require the presence of a Second Competent Person?.
• How can the risk to yourself and anyone else, be minimised, is there a chance that the work can be done at a different time, when the supply CAN be turned off?.
• Have a darn good look around the area where you are about to work, look for any restrictions in your movement or escape paths.
• Figure that you should only be doing LIVE work at the start of a given working day, doing this sort of work when you are tired and cannot concentrate, is just asking for trouble.
• Find out what the PSCC of the installation is, this can have a real influence on the need for extra safety precautions, the arc-flash in two different installations can vary considerably!.

Just a few simple precautions like this can make the difference between a good job and a long stay in hospital.
And another thing is, never work LIVE, without a Fire Extinguisher next to you, CO2, preferably.