4.2 PEW Risk Categories: Low, General, High
Key Takeaways
- ESR groups PEW into three risk categories—low, general, and high—and the category drives the certification chain.
- Low-risk PEW typically follows a simpler ESC path rather than the full general/high CoC model.
- General-risk PEW requires a CoC (reg 65 framing) and an ESC (reg 74A framing) when connection safety must be certified.
- High-risk PEW requires CoC plus inspection with RoI by an Electrical Inspector (reg 72 framing), plus ESC when connecting.
- Keep certification records for at least 7 years: regulation 74E(3) for certificates of compliance, 72A(1)(b) for records of inspection and 74G(1)(b) for electrical safety certificates.
4.2 PEW Risk Categories: Low, General, High
Once work is prescribed electrical work, ESR does not treat every job the same. It sorts PEW into three risk categories—low, general, and high. The category is the switchboard of certification: it decides whether a simple connection-safety certificate is enough, whether a Certificate of Compliance (CoC) is required, and whether an Electrical Inspector must inspect and issue a Record of Inspection (RoI) before connection. Exam stems that skip category and jump straight to “just issue a CoC” are testing whether you know this ladder.
Where the definitions actually live
Two regulations do the work, and knowing the numbers turns an ambiguous stem into a 20-second lookup.
- Regulation 6 defines prescribed electrical work itself: electrical work of a type described in clause 1 of Schedule 1 that is not work of a type described in clause 2 of that schedule. Schedule 1 is the list; regulation 6 is the switch that points at it.
- Regulation 6A then splits PEW into the three categories:
- 6A(1) — low-risk means PEW comprising the maintenance or replacement of a fitting in an existing installation, and includes relocation or extension of a conductor to facilitate replacement of a fitting; it excludes maintenance involving adjustment of protection or gas monitor settings of mining electrical equipment.
- 6A(2) — high-risk is defined by a list. The two triggers a general electrician meets most often are an extra-low or low voltage installation that does not, or will not, comply with Part 2 of AS/NZS 3000 (that is, work designed under Part 1), and mains work on an installation. The list also captures high voltage installations, mains parallel generation and photovoltaic systems, installations in hazardous areas other than ERZ0 or ERZ1, installations for use with electrical medical devices, fittings controlling earth potential rise, animal stunning and meat conditioning appliances, low voltage AC railway signalling equipment (except where tested to ECP 60), and several mining categories.
- 6A(3) — general is the residual: any PEW on an installation, or on mining electrical equipment, that is not low-risk and not high-risk.
Regulation 6A(4) adds a useful edge case: work done under the section 79 domestic wiring exemption in the Act is not categorised at all — unless regulation 57 requires it to be certified, in which case it is categorised normally.
Two memory hooks that answer a lot of stems: “replace a fitting” points at low-risk, and “mains work” points at high-risk.
Three risk categories under ESR
| Category | Control idea | Certification emphasis (exam framing) |
|---|---|---|
| Low-risk PEW | Lower consequence work still controlled as PEW | Typically ESC path; simpler certification than general/high |
| General-risk PEW | Default bulk of installation PEW for many Electrician jobs | CoC (reg 65) + ESC (reg 74A) when connecting |
| High-risk PEW | Elevated public-safety consequence | CoC + RoI by Electrical Inspector (reg 72) + ESC when connecting |
Memorise the ladder, then open ESR for the exact category definition when a stem is ambiguous. Teaching lists of examples are illustrative, not exhaustive—exam writers can invent lawful fact patterns that still fit the principle.
Low-risk PEW
Low-risk PEW is still PEW: authorisation and competence rules apply. What changes is the certification burden. In the common EWRB teaching model, low-risk work is associated with the Electrical Safety Certificate (ESC) path rather than the full general/high CoC model. Do not read “low-risk” as “no rules,” “anyone may do it,” or “no records.” Someone still has to be authorised to carry out the PEW; the work still has to be safe; and connection-safety documentation still matters where the ESC pathway applies.
Exam trap: treating low-risk as a free pass for unlicensed work. Risk category modifies certification intensity, not the basic rule that PEW is reserved to authorised persons (and lawful supervised trainees).
General-risk PEW
General-risk is the category you will meet most often in domestic and commercial installation scenarios that are not specially elevated. On completion of general-risk PEW, the regulations pathway taught for the exam requires a Certificate of Compliance under the reg 65 framing: the person responsible certifies that the PEW complies with the Regulations and applicable standards. When the installation (or work) is to be connected / energised, an Electrical Safety Certificate under the reg 74A framing addresses safe to connect—a related but not identical statement to CoC compliance wording.
Operational picture for general-risk:
- Authorised person carries out (or lawfully supervises) the PEW.
- Appropriate testing and verification are completed.
- CoC issues for the PEW (reg 65 pathway).
- ESC issues when connection safety must be certified (reg 74A pathway).
- Records are retained for the required period.
A finished general-risk job with no certificate is a classic fail pattern on both the regulations paper and in practice.
High-risk PEW
High-risk PEW attracts the full chain: compliance certification and independent inspection controls. Teaching emphasis:
- CoC still records that the PEW complies (reg 65 framing for general and high-risk PEW).
- An Electrical Inspector must complete the inspection pathway and issue a Record of Inspection (RoI) under the reg 72 framing for high-risk PEW.
- ESC still addresses safe to connect when connection is in play (reg 74A framing).
- Connection should not be treated as freely available until the high-risk inspection/certification chain the Regulations require is satisfied.
Common high-risk themes (principle + examples, not an exhaustive legal list): certain work involving mains-parallel generation / PV / inverter arrangements, work in medical or other special / hazardous locations where elevated controls apply, and other PEW the Regulations place in the high-risk class because failure modes are severe or specialised. When a stem signals these contexts, check high-risk inspection requirements before you assume Electrician-only CoC/ESC finishes the legal chain.
Exam trap: “I installed it and I certified it, so no inspector is needed.” For high-risk PEW, the Inspector’s RoI is not optional decoration—it is part of the statutory control.
EWRB paperwork overview and retention (~7 years)
Use this as a rapid exam map (detail of form content sits in the certification chapter):
| Risk category | Core documents (teaching overview) | Who is central | Retention (common teaching) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-risk | ESC pathway | Authorised worker / certifier as applicable | Keep records ~7 years |
| General-risk | CoC + ESC (when connecting) | Electrician (or other authorised certifier within class) | Keep records ~7 years |
| High-risk | CoC + RoI + ESC (when connecting) | Electrician certifies compliance; Inspector issues RoI | Keep records ~7 years |
Seven-year retention is a high-yield number across CoC, ESC, and RoI pathways. Stems that ask how long certificates must be kept are probing this duty, not inventing a new period for each form type.
Choosing the category under time pressure
- Confirm the activity is PEW.
- Read facts that raise the category: generation interconnection, medical/hazardous areas, mains-related specialised work, or explicit “high-risk” cues.
- If no elevating factor, many ordinary installation PEW scenarios sit in general-risk.
- Apply the matching document set; do not mix “low-risk = no CoC” thinking into high-risk stems.
- Remember roles: electrician certifies PEW compliance; inspector records high-risk inspection; ESC speaks to safe connection.
Risk categories convert a vague “job” into a regulatory pathway. Master the ladder—ESC emphasis (low) → CoC+ESC (general) → CoC+RoI+ESC (high)—and the ~7-year retention rule, then let later sections lock who may supervise and when the Inspector must act.
For general-risk prescribed electrical work, which certification pair is required in the standard EWRB teaching model when the work is completed and connection safety must be certified?
High-risk PEW differs from general-risk PEW primarily because high-risk work also requires which additional control?
For how long must certification records such as the CoC, RoI and ESC be retained under the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010?