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AS/NZS 3000 It’s your Standard—have your say

Master Electricians Australia (MEA) represents you on the Wiring Rules Standard Committee. The Committee is responsible for reviewing the Wiring Rules and implementing changes when the industry requires it. Each committee member is entrusted to represent the organisation or industry collective. As MEA represents its members, we are asking for your comments and/or concerns about the changes being proposed in the new Wiring Rules draft.

WHY COMMENT?The purpose of this public comment stage is to ensure the industry can provide direct input to the Committee who is bound to take all comments into consideration as the rules are drafted.

This document is designed to help you submit your comments to the Committee.

NOTE: Public comment is open to anyone; electrical employer, electrical employee, apprentice, manufacturers of electrical equipment, or a concerned member of the public.

Comment Categories1. GeneralClauses should be in a logical order (e.g. A lighting requirements clause should not be in the earthing section.

2. Editorial Incorrect grammar, spelling, or phrasing that may make some of the clauses confusing to the reader.

3. Technical

Where you may disagree or agree with a new requirement (e.g. The increased distance of a switchboard to a wall).

If you feel any clause falls into any of the above categories, we strongly encourage you to submit a public comment. Page [00] details how you can do this.

STEP-BY-STEP TO ACCESS THE DRAFTSAI Global is the only authorised publisher of Australian standards. To ensure the document is freely available to all, SAI Global has a simple procedure to control distribution of this document.

CONTACT USA full description of the public comment process is printed at the beginning of the draft standard. We recommend you read this in preparation to reviewing the draft standard.

For any further information, please contact MEA’s Technical Team on 1300 889 198 or email technical@masterelectricians.com.au

STEP-BY-STEP ACCESS TO DRAFT INFORMATION2

Accessing the draft standard1. Go to the Standards Australia website at standards.org.au

2. In the ‘Draft Standards open for Public Comment’ tile—click ‘To View’.

3. Scroll down the page, locate AS/NZS 3000, and click ‘Download draft’ on the left.

EXPERT TIP: Press ‘Ctrl+F’ and type ‘AS/NZS 3000’ to quickly find the Standard.

4. A pop-up will notify you that you will be redirected to SAI Global’s website. Click ‘OK’.

5. On SAI Global’s page, click on the document title ‘DR AS/NZS 3000:2016’.

6. Select the document-type from the list to start downloading the draft.

You have to either sign in with an existing account (7A) or create a new account (7B).

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AS/NZS 3000 | IT’S YOUR STANDARD—HAVE YOUR SAY 3

7A. For existing accounts, enter your account details into the relevant text fields under the ‘Registered User Sign In’ section.

7B. To create a new account, click ‘Create a FREE Registered User Account’ and enter your details in the relevant fields. Once complete, click ‘Register’.

8. Click on the thumbnail of the document to begin downloading. Check your download folder to find the document.

HOW TO USE THE DRAFT STANDARDNOTE: This draft does not effect changes to the way the existing standard is used. It remains a draft document and the current standard still applies.

The draft standard has additional pages describing the draft process and instructions on the changes anticipated to be included (pages 1–9).

For example1. The Committee has identified a number of clauses that may have an impact on the electrical industry and installation owner. These impacts include increased costs, technical difficulty to comply, and other major deviations from previous editions. The Committee has highlighted the relevant clauses for ease of identification throughout the draft Standard.

2. Each change has a vertical line to the left of the paragraph to signify a change.

3. To further assist, the Committee has included a table of changes by clause number at the end of the publication (page 541). This is comprehensive and essential reading to ensure you understand the reasoning behind the proposed changes.

To understand the proposed changes, the latest version of the Wiring Rules should be used to compare the distinct difference between the draft clauses.

Due to a number of new clauses, existing clause titles may have been changed as well as the numbering system used throughout the standard.

Once you have familiarised yourself with the changes, we encourage you to visualise putting

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STEP-BY-STEP ACCESS TO DRAFT INFORMATION4

the new requirements into everyday practice. This may alert you to any impracticalities in trying to meet the new requirements or any conflict with other clauses in this standard or any other standard to which the Wiring Rules may share common scope with, such as AS/NZS 3001 (Transportable Buildings) or AS/NZS 5601.1 (Gas Installations).

Contact usIf you have concerns, please contact MEA’s Technical Team on 1300 889 198 or email technical@masterelectricians.com.au to discuss the implications of these changes on you.

Our Technical Team may be able to clarify the intent of the change and alternative means that may relieve your concerns. However, if you believe the change is unnecessary, inconsistent with other clauses, or the costs to implement will be unrealistic, we are available to assist you in formulating a public comment.

STEP-BY-STEP TO COMMENTThe Standards Australia website is the only channel to submit a public comment and anyone with an email address can comment. This ensures all comments are genuine and sent by an identifiable person or company representative because the Standards Committee is required to consider, discuss—and if appropriate—act on all public comments.

Commenting on the draft standard1. To access the draft standard comment page, go to the Standards Australia website standards.org.au

2. In the ‘Draft Standards open for Public Comment’ tile (as seen in and click ‘To Comment’.

3. Scroll down the page, locate AS/NZS 3000, and click ‘Make a comment’ on the right.

To comment, either sign in with an existing account (4A) or create a new account (4B).

4A. For existing accounts, enter your account details into the relevant text fields under the ‘Single Sign On’ section and click login

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4B. To create a new account, click the ‘clicking here to register’ hyperlink. Enter your details in the relevant fields and once complete, click ‘Register’.

You can enter your comments directly into the form (5A), or a Word document (5B).

5A. To comment online, click the ‘Online Comment’ button and enter your comment in the appropriate fields.

5B. To comment via a Word document, click the ‘Download’ button to download the form. Follow the instructions and make your comments. Once you have completed the form, click the ‘Upload’ button, select your document.

You can at any time log in again and submit further comments, view your comments, and even edit your comments.

How to write a commentTo submit your comments online, complete the online form identified in section 5A.

This form can be completed as many times as required. An example has been filled out below.

Please provide supporting reasons and suggested wording for each comment. Where you consider that specific content is too simplistic, too complex, or too detailed please provide an alternative. Supporting documentation can be attached.

1. For an explanation of how to fill out each field, click the ‘Example’ button (see following page).

2. Select the: a. ‘Submit Comment(s)’ button to submit your comment b. ‘Add another Comment’ button to continue adding comments to this submission c. ‘Save Comment(s) as Draft’ button to save this comment and submit at a later time d. ‘Return to Comment Overview’ to cancel.

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Once you have submitted your comments via the online form, they are automatically submitted to the committee for review. Normally no acknowledgment of comment is sent. All comments received via the Standards Hub Website by the due date will be reviewed and considered by the drafting committee.

You can at any time log in again and submit further comments, there is no limit.

MEA’s Technical Team is available to assist you with writing your comment. Contact them on 1300 889 198.

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CONTACT USA full description of the public comment process is printed at the beginning of the draft standard. We recommend you read this in preparation to reviewing the draft standard.

For any further information, please contact MEA’s Technical Team on 1300 889 198 or email technical@masterelectricians.com.au