It’s been a productive day:  You re-lamped the fixtures in both stairwells and the laundry room, replaced a broken lens cover, re-ballasted four fixtures in the office and common room, and switched-out one receptacle that has been heating up and giving its users problems.  It’s now time to go home.  Or is it?

Are you sure that you did everything correctly?  Are you sure that you have no bare or crimped wires and that there are no loose connections?  Did you record or log your actions in your electrical service book?  Did you call the Electrical Safety Authority to apply for the appropriate permits and ask them to inspect your work? If not, you may have compromised your building’s electrical safety and you could be held responsible should something terrible happen.

“Electricity is core to our society. With it, we can do amazing things. Misuse it and it becomes extremely dangerous and a silent killer. Work safe, play safe, be safe – respect the commodity and always work to maximize electrical safety. We all benefit when we do this”

Gerry Lichty, Director, SHSC Technical Services

We all can agree on the need to protect residents as well as the need to ensure that each development operates at maximum safety levels.  But who is the Electrical Safety Authority?  What rights do they have and why should you not only ask them to inspect your work, but to pay for that privilege as well?

The Electrical Safety Authority: Who They Are and What They Do

The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) was established as a stand-alone, not-for-profit organization on April 1, 1999.  ESA assumed the responsibilities of the former Ontario Hydro Electrical Inspection Division and was designated by the Province of Ontario as the sole authority responsible for electrical safety.

Their responsibilities include:

• Enforcing the Electricity Act 1998 and associated regulations including the Ontario Electrical Safety Code
• Responding to fatalities, injuries, and fire losses associated with electrical safety
• Promoting the safe use of electricity
• Increasing public awareness of the dangers of electricity and the requirements for ensuring safe electrical applications and use
• Increasing public awareness of the requirement to have all electrical safety work inspected in accordance with the Ontario Electrical Safety Code

What it Means to You

As the only legal authority in Ontario certified to make regulations about electrical safety, appoint inspectors and prescribe fees, ESA requires that:

1. You keep a record of every electrical task undertaken in your development, including what was done, when it was done, and who did it.
2. You must apply and pay for an electrical permit for each and every electrical job completed on your property, including both capital and maintenance work.
3. ESA has the right to review your log book, inspect your electrical work at their discretion, and require you to make repairs should they decide that the work is sub-standard.

Helping You Lower Costs

From an operational perspective, these requirements are problematic in that the cost of the permit and allowing their inspectors access to the completed work is often far more costly than the value of the work itself.  Recognizing this as a major issue, ESA created their Continuous Safety Services (CSS) program which allows providers to forego the typical permit requirements. Providers can now pay an annual fee, keep the log book up-to-date, and work with ESA inspectors to examine a portion of the completed work once a year. Further, the cost of this program for providers with a portfolio size of 1,000 units or less, has been reduced through a negotiated partnership between SHSC and ESA.

For more information about ESA’s CSS program, contact us.

You can also visit ESA’s CSS webpages.