Electrical safety law is different in each state and territory in Australia, and in New Zealand.
SAA Certificates are accepted in all of Australia and New Zealand as per our JAS-ANZ accreditation. SAA certifies all types of electrical equipment covered by our JAS-ANZ accreditation.
All electrical equipment must comply with the safety criteria of AS/NZS 3820 Essential safety requirements for low voltage electrical equipment. This standard sets out the principles of electrical safety and requires compliance with the relevant Australian/New Zealand safety standard for each class of product.
Some electrical equipment – variously known as declared, prescribed or Level 3 in the EESS – must be approved and certified, prior to sale, and must be marked with the approval certification number or be marked with the regulatory compliance mark (RCM). It is an offence for a person to sell declared/prescribed/level 3 electrical equipment unless the electrical equipment has been approved and certified.
In states where the RCM is mandatory, any household products must comply with the requirements for electrical equipment set out in the AS/NZS 4417 series of standards. SAA is accredited by the Queensland Government as a Recognised External Certification Scheme to provide a certification service for these products.
Non-declared electrical equipment does not have to have electrical safety approval certification prior to sale, but you have a legal obligation to ensure equipment is electrically safe. It is an offence for a person to sell non-declared electrical products unless the electrical product complies with the relevant Australian standard.
CE marking and certification is not recognised in Australia or New Zealand. The best way to ensure compliance is to have the equipment tested to the applicable standard and certified by SAA Approvals.
The seller has an obligation to ensure the electrical safety of any electrical product sold. Manufacturers and importers are encouraged to voluntarily submit any non-declared electrical product that they wish to sell for certification.
