Electrical Compliance in Sydney: What the Law Requires

Electrical compliance in Sydney is a legal obligation under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW). If you use plug-in electrical equipment in your workplace, that obligation applies to you. Understanding the legal framework and what SafeWork NSW can do when businesses fall short is the starting point for getting it right.

Key takeaways

• Electrical compliance in NSW is governed by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025, and AS/NZS 3760:2022.
• A qualified person must test your equipment at intervals based on the type of equipment and where it is used.
• You need to keep records at least until the next test, but it is a good idea to keep them for longer.
• If you do not comply, you could face instant fines, orders to stop work, or even legal action.
• The WHS Regulation 2025 has raised penalties. For the most serious offences, a company can now be fined up to $11.15 million.

The legal framework in plain terms

There are three main documents that set out the legal rules for electrical compliance in NSW.

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 is the foundation. It requires every person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) to manage risks to workers and others, including risks from electrical equipment.

The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025, effective from 22 August 2025, gives more detailed rules. It says plug-in equipment must be checked and tested regularly, kept in safe condition, and that you must keep records.

AS/NZS 3760:2022 is the Australian standard that explains how to test equipment, how often to test it, and what records to keep. Following this standard shows you are meeting your legal duties.

What compliance looks like in practice

The main requirements are simple.

You need to test equipment at the right times, which depends on the type of equipment and where it is used. For example, power tools on construction sites are tested more often than office appliances. You are responsible for knowing which category each item belongs to.

Testing must be done by someone with the right skills and experience. An untrained worker is not qualified to do this.

After each test, equipment should be tagged and records kept. AS/NZS 3760:2022 also suggests keeping a full list of all your equipment along with the test records.

If any equipment fails a test, you must take it out of use straight away.

What SafeWork NSW can do if you are not compliant

SafeWork NSW inspectors can use several enforcement options at any time, without warning.

• Inspectors can give instant penalty notices for certain electrical offences, without going to court. The WHS Regulation 2025 added more offences to this list.
• You might get an improvement notice, which gives you time to fix a problem, or a prohibition notice, which can stop work right away if there is a serious safety risk.
• Prosecution is used for the most serious breaches. For the 2025–26 financial year, the WHS Act sets these penalties:
  • Category 3 (no risk of serious harm): up to $74,849 for an individual, $748,491 for a body corporate.
  • Category 2 (risk of death or serious injury): up to $447,122 for an individual PCBU, $2.235 million for a body corporate.
  • Category 1 (reckless conduct): up to $1.114 million for an individual PCBU, $11.15 million for a body corporate, plus up to 10 years' imprisonment.

NSW also introduced an industrial manslaughter offence in September 2024. Where grossly negligent conduct causes a death, penalties reach $20 million for a body corporate and 25 years' imprisonment for an individual.

To see all the laws in detail, visit the SafeWork NSW legislation page.