Lesson 4: Electrical Safety Legislation

Legislation Governing Electrical Safety

There are a number of governing bodies that set requirements around electrical safety. This is what you need to know to protect yourself from electrical hazards when working near or with electricity.

Federal - Canada's Occupational Health and Safety

• equipment must be guarded when a worker is working on or near live electrical equipment

• equipment must be insulated from the worker or from the worker to the ground

• a worker can not work near a live part of any electrical equipment if a sudden movement will bring them closer to the live part than the designated distance

• more information regarding the federal legislation with respect to electricity can be found here .
  

Provincial - Occupational Health and Safety

• no worker shall get close to or operate within 7m of a live overhead power line

Provincial - The Safety Codes Act

• all contractors and homeowners must obtain permits prior to starting work on buildings covered by the Alberta Building Code or work governed by the Canadian Electrical Code

• for more information on The Safety Codes Act, click here .

• under The Safety Codes Act, the Permit Regulation states that, "a permit, in the electrical discipline, is required to install, alter, or add to an electrical system".  The Permit Regulation also outlines for when a permit is not needed when working with electricity.  To view the guidelines around requirements for a permit, click here .