Compliance and enforcement priorities

Annual and enduring priorities

Annual priorities change when safety outcomes improve. This lets us focus our compliance and enforcement efforts elsewhere. Every year, we choose new annual priorities to work with.

Enduring priorities have a long-term regulatory focus. This lets us address ongoing safety issues, appropriate to scale and complexity. It also lets us work alongside the operational functions of regulated entities.

Compliance and Enforcement Policy

The Compliance and Enforcement Policy sets out Energy Safe’s approach – how we promote and enforce compliance with Victoria's energy safety legislative framework.

The Compliance and Enforcement Policy can be viewed here:

ESV_ComplianceAndEnforcementPolicy_2021

PDF 104.59 KB

This year’s priorities

Energy Safe’s priorities for financial year 2023–24.

When vegetation contacts distribution powerlines, it can cause:
- bushfires
- power outages
- network disruptions
- electrocutions
- house fires.
Clearing tree branches and vegetation around distribution powerlines is important – especially before bushfire season.

Major electricity companies and councils must deliver vegetation management programs. This ensures both the network and Victorian public are safe.
Utility scale and residential batteries can cause:
- house fires
- bushfires
- serious injuries
- fatalities.
Anyone supplying or operating these batteries must ensure their systems are safe. This includes:
- suppliers
- owners
- operators
- homeowners.
Lithium-ion batteries power many appliances and types of equipment, such as:
- cordless vacuums
- e-scooters
- hybrid bicycles
- laptops
- power tools.
Lithium-ion batteries can overheat and catch fire when:
- incorrectly charged
- incorrectly used
- using the wrong charger with equipment or an appliance
- faulty.
Fire incidents caused by lithium-ion batteries are increasing in Victoria. This is due to the increase in manufacture and use of products containing them.

The increasing popularity of lithium-ion batteries – and the fact that fires in the batteries are hard to put out – has made this issue a priority for Energy Safe this year.
Hydrogen technologies are important for Victoria's renewable energy future.

Several hydrogen technologies will soon be available for consumers, making hydrogen technology a focus for compliance.

Energy Safe supports industry through:
- innovation
- pilots
- trials
- guidance on acceptance of appliance applications for new technologies, such as fuel cells.
Operating mechanical equipment near overhead powerlines is dangerous. There's a high risk of contact, which can cause serious injuries and fatalities.

Energy Safe advises the Victorian community and industry on No Go Zones. No Go Zone safety prevents injury and death from contacting live powerlines.

Contact with a powerline can cause a fire, result in electric shock or electrocution. These incidents can also threaten nearby properties and the electricity network.

Enduring priorities

Energy safety issues that pose continuous risk to Victorians will always be priorities.

Energy Safe continues to track management of infrastructure, such as:
- powerlines
- electrical assets
- pipelines
- gas distribution assets
- complex electrical installations
- complex gas installations.
Failure of powerlines in high winds or hot weather can lead to bushfires.

Failure of pipelines and gas mains can also cause fires and injury.

Major electricity companies, pipeline licensees and other asset owners need to undertake inspections and have regular maintenance programmed to ensure the safety of their assets – and report on failures.
Equipment and appliances cause safety incidents each year.

Technology and product lines change, as does buyer behaviour – shopping online, from overseas vendors and used marketplaces.

Energy Safe continues to:
- watch trends
- identify risks
- issue prohibition notices
- issue safety alerts
- post product recall notices.
Energy Safe will continually protect Victorians from products that don't meet safety standards.
Third-party asset strikes are the most common cause of:
- pipeline damage
- gas damage
- loss of containment.
These strikes – which can occur in front of the meter, behind the meter or on transmission pipelines – can lead to serious incidents, such as explosions.

Pipeline licensees must protect their pipelines. They must also manage the risk of encroachment on transmission pipelines.

Works around transmission pipelines need Ministerial Consent. This includes work done by:
- construction firms
- contractors
- farmers
- landowners.
Find out more about where pipelines are by contacting Before You Dig Australia

Date: 20/05/2024 14:54

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