This unit involves the skills and knowledge required to manage and/or coordinate the inspections of hazardous area electrical installations during the maintenance phase of an installation by the ‘continuous supervision by skilled personnel’ maintenance strategy, as described in AS/NZS60079.17:2017.

It includes: understanding the provisions of the hazardous area standards applicable to area classification, electrical installation design, selection and erection, repair and reclamation of electrical equipment; assessing the viability of a continuous supervision process and the frequency and grades of inspections and levels of maintenance required for a given hazardous area installation; ensuring personnel are competent to undertake inspection tasks required; specifying and overseeing the inspection and maintenance processes to be followed; and, maintaining the required documentation.

This unit applies to personnel within technical/engineering management job functions or maintenance departments of companies that have electrical installations within Classified Hazardous Areas, in relation to the strategies for inspection and maintenance of Ex equipment as part of other routine inspection and maintenance activities. This unit is considered to be appropriate for personnel that are required to complete some, or all, of the responsibilities required of ‘The Person with Executive Function’ (TPEF), as described in AS/NZS60079.17:2017.

Site-specific work permits may be required to work in the hazardous environment. In addition, other permits may be required, such as confined space and to operate specific pieces of equipment such as elevated work platforms in various jurisdictions. The continuous supervision inspection strategies adopted need to consider these permit systems and understand the limitations.

Additional and/or other conditions may apply in some jurisdictions subject to regulations related to electrical work. Practice in the workplace and during training is also subject to work health and safety (WHS)/occupational health and safety (OHS) regulations.

This unit of competency and associated assessment requirements is adopted from clause 2.10 of AS/NZS 4761.1:2018 Competencies for working with electrical equipment for hazardous areas (EEHA). There may be differences between the content of this unit and AS/NZS 4761.1:2018, so the Standard must be checked to ensure compliance with it. Clause 2.10 of AS/NZS 4761.1:2018 also includes the following precondition for assessment:

• “A candidate seeking assessment in this unit shall have been deemed competent in engineering management of electrotechnology systems at AQF 6 or NZQF level 7 or equivalent.”