Dear Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment,

I am writing to request information regarding the Electrical Workers Registration Board’s (EWRB) Competence Programme requirements for Hazardous Area endorsements.
In the Electricity (Prescribed Requirements for Competence Programmes) Notice 2023 (2023-sl4076), the Competence Programme requirements for Hazardous Area endorsements reference the following standards:
• AS/NZS 60079.0
• AS/NZS 60079.11
• AS/NZS 60079.14
• AS/NZS 60079.17
• AS/NZS 60079.18
• AS/NZS 60079.29.2
• AS/NZS 60079.35.1
I seek clarification on the inclusion of some of these standards:
1. AS/NZS 60079.11 and AS/NZS 60079.18 are manufacturing standards. They set requirements for the construction of intrinsically safe apparatus and encapsulated equipment, respectively. These are not standards relating to installation, inspection, testing, or maintenance, which are the prescribed electrical work activities relevant to registered electrical workers.
2. AS/NZS 60079.35.1 is specifically for battery-operated Caplights for use in mines susceptible to firedamp. This appears to be outside the scope of general hazardous area electrical work for two reasons:
• Mining is a distinct area of practice with its own endorsement.
• The devices in question are battery-operated Caplights, which are not considered prescribed electrical work under the Electricity Act, as they are self-contained battery devices rather than mains or fixed electrical installations.
Accordingly, my request is as follows:
• Please provide the reasoning, documentation, or policy basis that explains why the above standards (AS/NZS 60079.11, AS/NZS 60079.18, and AS/NZS 60079.35.1) are included in the Competence Programme requirements for hazardous area endorsements as set out in the 2023-sl4076 Electricity (Prescribed Requirements for Competence Programmes) Notice 2023.
• Please advise whether the EWRB has considered limiting the scope of required standards to those directly relevant to prescribed electrical work (e.g., installation, inspection, testing, and maintenance), such as AS/NZS 60079.14 and AS/NZS 60079.17.
• Please provide any internal guidance, working papers, or consultation feedback received on this matter.

Yours faithfully,

Andrew McGregor

Dear NoReplyMinisterialServices,

Dear Mr. Connor,

Thank you for your letter dated 31 October 2025, responding to my Official Information Act request regarding the Electrical Workers Registration Board's (EWRB) competence programme requirements for Hazardous Areas endorsements.

I am writing to follow up on this matter in light of the recently published Electricity (Safety) Amendment Regulations 2025.

My original query questioned the inclusion of AS/NZS 60079.11 and AS/NZS 60079.18 in the hazardous areas competency programme. I note that your response stated these standards are cited in Schedule 2 of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010.

However, the "Updating Energy Safety Standards Citations in Regulations" paper released by Simon Watts, and the subsequent Electricity (Safety) Amendment Regulations 2025, indicate that AS/NZS 60079.11 and AS/NZS 60079.18 have now been moved from Schedule 2 to Schedule 4 of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations.

These amendments come into effect on 13 November 2025. Given that these standards are no longer cited in Schedule 2, which you noted as the basis for their inclusion, I would like to ask:

Will AS/NZS 60079.11 and AS/NZS 60079.18 now be removed from the mandatory requirements of the hazardous areas competency programme?

Additionally, I would like to raise a specific query regarding AS/NZS 60079.35.1. Your response noted this standard provides specific requirements for caplights for use in mines.

This standard, which applies to battery-operated devices, only appears in Schedule 2 of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations. As AS/NZS 60079.35.1 modifies parts of AS/NZS 60079.0 for this specific equipment, could you please clarify:

Does the EWRB include this standard in the competency programme because it considers work on such battery-operated devices in a hazardous area to be prescribed electrical work (PEW)?

Finally, your previous response mentioned that my feedback would be retained for consideration when the Competency Programme Notice 2023 is next reviewed. With the legislative backing for the inclusion of some of these standards now changed, I am keen to understand the Board's intended timeframe for this review.

When will the Electricity (Prescribed Requirements for Competence Programmes) Notice 2023 be updated to reflect these changes in the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010?

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew McGregor