Overview
An online defects is provided to assist the electrical industry to correctly record defects as required by the Electricity Safety (General) Regulations on Certificates of Inspection or Audit Forms.
The online defects list can be sorted by Defect ID number, Instrument and clause, Defect Type and the keywords used to search the Defect Description.
Top 10 installation defects from prescribed certificate inspections
This table will be updated periodically. Latest update: February 2023.
| Number | Defect ID | Instrument/ Standard | Section/ Clause | Description |
| 1 | 111018 | Electricity Safety Act 1998 | 45A | Certificates of Electrical Safety – Certificate of Compliance errors |
| 2 | 641276 | AS/NZS 5033: 2021 Installation and safety requirements for photovoltaic (PV) arrays. | 5.6.1 | Recording of solar system layout - General |
| 3 | 111010 | Electricity Safety Act 1998 | 45(1) | Inspection of electrical installation work – inspection prior to energisation |
| 4 | 121229 | Electricity Safety (General) Regulations 2019 | 262 | Details to be accurate and legible – certificate of compliance |
| 5 | 211205 | AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1+A2 Electrical Installations | 2.10.7 | SWITCHBOARDS – Fire-protective measures |
| 6 | 211929 | AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1+A2 Electrical Installations | 2.9.3 | PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE HAZARD DUE TO ARCING FAULTS – Rating |
| 7 | 641272 | AS/NZS 5033: 2021 Installation and safety requirements for photovoltaic (PV) arrays | 5.4 | Fire and emergency information |
| 8 | 641280 | AS/NZS 5033: 2021 Installation and safety requirements for photovoltaic (PV) arrays | 6.1 | System documentation and commissioning – General |
| 9 | 211929 | AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1+A2 Electrical Installations | 2.9.3 | PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE HAZARD DUE TO ARCING FAULTS - Rating |
| 10 | 641251 | AS/NZS 5033: 2021 Installation and safety requirements for photovoltaic (PV) arrays | 4.6.3 | Earthing arrangements – Earthing or bonding connections requirements |
Notes:
- Defect ID 111018 Certificates of Electrical Safety – CoC errors identifies the amount of certificates returned by the LEI to the responsible person for certificate information/administration errors.
- LEIs should contact ESV when a prescribed COES returned to the LEW/REC with defects and the LEW/REC has not actioned the rectification of those defects within 30 days. ESV will return the certificate to the LEI for certification as non-compliant.
Top 10 installation defects COES audits
This table will be updated periodically. Latest update: February 2023.
| Number | Defect ID | Instrument/ Standard | Section/ Clause | Description |
| 1 | 211205 | AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1 +A2 | 2.10.7 | SWITCHBOARDS – Fire-protective measures |
| 2 | 211199 | AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1+A2 | 2.10.5.2 | SWITCHBOARDS - Relationship of electrical equipment |
| 3 | 211929 | AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1+A2 | 2.9.3 | PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE HAZARD DUE TO ARCING FAULTS - Rating |
| 4 | 121229 | ES (General) Regs 2019 | 262 | Details to be accurate and legible – certificate of compliance |
| 5 | 211404 | AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1 Electrical Installations | 4.4.2.2 | SOCKET-OUTLETS – Protection of socket-outlets |
| 6 | 211279 | AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1 Electrical Installations | 3.9.3.3.2 | INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS - Wiring systems likely to be disturbed - Support and protection |
| 7 | 211308 | AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1 Electrical Installations | 3.9.9.3 | INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS – Selection and installation to minimize the spread of fire – Penetration of fire barriers |
| 8 | 211917 | AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1+A2 | 2.6.2.2.1 | ADDITIONAL PROTECTION BY RESIDUAL CURRENT DEVICES - General |
| 9 | 212565 | AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1+A2 | 5.4.6.1 | EARTHING OF EQUIPMENT – Structural metalwork including conductive building materials – General |
| 10 | 211256 | AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1 Electrical Installations | 3.7.2.11 | ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS - Earthing conductors |
Application
Where the electrical installation work being inspected and/or audited, does not comply with the minimum requirements of the relevant section of the Act, regulation or clause of the Standards, the defect number allocated to that particular section/regulation/clause must be identified on the Certificate of Inspection or the Audit Form.
Defect review
Where a Licensed Electrical Inspector has added defects to a Certificate of Inspection and the Licensed Electrical Worker or Responsible Person wish to appeal these defects, please contact Energy Safe Victoria's Head of COES for consideration, including all evidence to support your appeal.
Energy Safe Victoria can delete a defect from a Certificate of Inspection if the certificate has been returned to the LEW for rectification.
Note: Defects cannot be removed from completed COES and Energy Safe Victoria does not cancel COES that have defects identified on the Certificate of Inspection.
Electrical installations work defects
The following criteria is used to allocate the selection of ‘Unsafe’ defects in the defect list.
- Immediately unsafe: the ability for a person to make contact with exposed metal that may be live or may become live when energised where only one action is required by a person or animal to come into contact with those live parts and
- Any requirements of the Legislation and or Standards intended to protect persons and livestock from electric shock hazards that may arise from the use of an electrical installation.
An electrical installation or electrical installation work deemed unsafe by an Electrical Inspector or Electrical Auditor must be isolated from supply, or the individual circuit disconnected and made safe.
Defect documentation requirements
The description and location of each defect documented by an LEI during inspection or Auditor during an audit must be accurate, legible and in plain English.
To assist the LEI in preparing a valid defect description, the LEI should always use the text from the relevant clause or section of the document the LEI is defecting the installation on.
Examples:
| Defect | Example description |
|---|---|
211205 – AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1+A2 – 2.10.7 – SWITCHBOARDS – Fire-protective measures – Technical | Wiring systems associated with the switchboard not arranged to mitigate the spread of fire. |
211929 – AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1+A2 – 4.1.2 – Electrical equipment – Selection and installation – Technical | Electrical equipment (enter item) not installed as required or to the additional requirements of the manufacturer’s instructions |
212565 – AS/NZS 3000:2018 +A1+A2 – 5.4.6.1 – EARTHING OF EQUIPMENT – Structural metalwork including conductive building materials – General – Unsafe | Structural metalwork/conductive building materials not earthed as required |
Data collection
Data collected from defects identified on the Certificate of Inspection and completed audits will be used for future targeted education and training.
Note: Energy Safe Victoria no longer provides descriptive content to each defect identified in the COES defect recording system.
To assist the LEI in preparing a valid defect description, the LEI should always use the text from the relevant clause or section of the document the LEI using to identify the installation as defective.
Date: 31/03/2023 0:42
Controlled document
The currency and accuracy of this document cannot be guaranteed once printed or saved to a storage device. If in doubt, please check the ESV website for the current version.
Reviewed 20 February 2023