Duynhoven Harry: Energy Safety Review Bill — First Reading 
Duynhoven Harry: Energy Safety Review Bill — First Reading 
[Volume:627;Page:21798] 
Hon HARRY DUYNHOVEN (Associate Minister of Energy) 
: 
 I move  
That the Energy Safety Review Bill be now read a first time. 
 At the appropriate time I intend to move that the Energy Safety Review Bill be considered by the Commerce Committee. 
The Government is committed to the safe delivery and use of electricity and gas. This bill is designed to ensure that the safety regime for the supply and use of electricity and gas most effectively protects members of the public and protects property. It also provides for the occupational regulation of electrical workers gasfitters plumbers and drainlayers as a particular means of delivering electricity and gas safety outcomes recognising that health objectives are essential and that plumbing and drainlaying make a major contribution to their achievement. 
I want to reassure members that the current electricity and gas safety regimes and occupational regimes for electrical workers gasfitters plumbers and drainlayers generally work very well. Improvements are necessary to provide for efficient and robust regimes whereby consumers can have confidence in the work done by licensed workers and where unsafe work can be quickly remedied and deterrent penalties taken. Consequently this bill will amend the Electricity Act 1992 the Gas Act 1992 the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 and the Ministry of Energy (Abolition) Act 1989 and replace the Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act 1976. 
Safety is the main focus of the bill. The major change that the bill brings is to move to a competency-based licensing regime for electrical work gasfitting sanitary plumbing and drainlaying. To become licensed workers will need to meet competency standards. They will need to update their competence as a condition of licence renewal. Equipment standards and regulations continue to change and it is no longer sufficient to assume that qualifications gained as an apprentice are adequate for a lifetime of work in the trade. 
Worker licences will continue to be issued by licensing authorities: either the Electrical Workers Licensing Board or the Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board. Those boards will be able to designate classes of licence and to specify the work that may be done under those licences as well as the minimum standards for licensing. They will also have an enforcement role ensuring that complaints are investigated and taking disciplinary action where necessary. 
The bill also allows for each board to delegate to the other the power to issue licences. For example this will give the potential for plumbers who meet the competency requirements to gain or renew their licences for both plumbing and specified electrical work from the board. This recognises the increasing need for multiskilled people for example installing a hot water cylinder where both electrical and gas work may be necessary. 
Along with licensing a register of licensed tradespersons is to be established. This will enable members of the public to obtain information about licensed workers. This register will also facilitate the licensing authorities in their administrative and disciplinary functions. For large employers of energy workers the employer licensing scheme is retained as an alternative to licences held by individual workers with some improvements. Changes to the regime are that employer licences are to be issued by the boards; employer licence requirements are satisfied if a recognised person certifies the compliance of the system of operation; and a greater range of sanctions are available in the event that an employer licence has failed to comply with any term or condition of the licence. 
In the electricity and gas supply sectors a new requirement is introduced for owners to implement and maintain safety management systems that ensure that the supply system does not present a significant risk of serious harm to any member of the public or significant damage to any property. The precise scope and nature of the safety management systems will be specified in regulations. 
 Other steps to improve safety include extending the special powers of the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Economic Development to require any person to remove or minimise an electrical or gas related danger or potential danger. This includes the production of documents and the supply of information to assist the removal of that danger. 
The bill will also simplify accident notification. Under present legislation if an accident comes under both the Health and Safety in Employment Act and the Electricity Act or the Gas Act it has to be notified to two separate agencies. The bill will simplify this so that such accidents will have to be notified only once. 
Finally there are new offences including offences in respect of a person intentionally or negligently creating a risk of serious harm or significant property damage and offences in respect of breaches of occupational licence conditions. Penalties for serious harm to a person or serious harm to property have been increased to reflect those in the Health and Safety in Employment Act. 
This bill will give the public confidence in the work done by electrical workers gasfitters plumbers and drainlayers and will provide workers with a consistent scheme that encourages competency and safety for themselves and their customers. As a former tradesman I am pleased that this bill is finally before the House and I commend it to the House.