Safety switches fitted, tested and written up the same day

Buy a house or start a new tenancy in Queensland and you have 90 days to get approved safety switches on the power point circuits. That is the rule, and it catches most people by surprise.

A safety switch, or RCD, cuts the power in a fraction of a second when it detects current leaking to earth. A circuit breaker protects the wiring. A safety switch protects the person.

The 90 day rule

WorkSafe Queensland states it directly: owners of residential land must have approved safety switches installed for any general purpose socket-outlet in the domestic residence within 90 days after becoming the owner of the land, or after a residential tenancy agreement they entered into starts.

In practice that means every property settlement and every new lease in the Douglas Shire starts a 90 day clock. Most people never find out until something goes wrong.

Rentals

The Residential Tenancies Authority is blunt about it: all power point circuits in rental properties must have a safety switch attached, and owners must install approved safety switches as soon as practical once a tenancy agreement is proposed.

One is often not enough

Plenty of older Douglas Shire homes have a single safety switch covering the power points and nothing on the lights, the hot water or the air conditioning. That is a common finding when we open a board here. We will tell you what is actually protected and what is not, in writing.

Testing

The Electrical Safety Office recommends pressing the test button every three months. The easy trick is to tie it to the quarterly electricity bill or the rates notice so it actually happens.

Sources: Electrical Safety Office, RTA Queensland, WorkSafe Queensland, 2024 amendment regulation.