Safety Code. Update on the 25th edition of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code p.4. What s Inside. Ontario Electrical.

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1 News, Views and Updates from the Electrical Safety Authority Winter 011 Safety Code Update on the 5th edition of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code p ESA-SAFE What s Inside Ontario Electrical 5 Important Licence 8 ESA s New Fee Safety Awards Information Schedule

2 what s new Ontario Electrical Safety Awards Technically Speaking Important Licence Information Scores + Stats Safety Alerts + Recalls ESA s New Fee Schedule New General Manager of Northern Region Our Mission: To improve electrical safety for the well-being of the people of Ontario. Our Vision: An Ontario free of electrical fatalities and serious injury, damage or loss. 011 Ontario Electrical Safety Award Winners Honoured Last year s inaugural Ontario Electrical Safety Awards program had such a positive response that we have turned it into an annual event. And this year, we worked to increase participation by introducing a broad-reaching call for nominations. ESA recognizes that we operate as part of a larger safety management framework and that the support of safety stakeholders is critical to reducing electrical fatalities, injuries and loss in Ontario, says Peter Marcucci, Chief Public Safety Officer. This year, we received more than double the number of nominations of individuals and/or organizations for the judging panel, made up of ESA s Advisory Council Chairs, to review. The following 011 Award Recipients were recognized on September 3, 011 at the Achievements in Electrical Safety event attended by ESA employees and Board Members, safety stakeholders, the Deputy Minister of Consumer Services, George Ross, and Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion. As we start to plan for the 01 Awards program, watch for our call for nominations so that you can help us identify champions of electrical safety. For more information on the Ontario Electrical Safety Awards, visit ESA-SAFE

3 Safety Recognition CONSUMER & HOME SAFETY CATEGORY Mike Holmes, for his outstanding contribution to advancing public electrical safety through his uncompromising work ethic to Make it Right. His dedication to identifying the dangers associated with undertaking home repairs, renovations and maintenance has raised public safety risk awareness. Photo: Mike Holmes, The Holmes Group PRODUCT SAFETY CATEGORY Whirlpool Corporation, for their industry-recognized efforts to benchmark product safety in their leadership program, business and manufacturing process standards and tracking systems that start with product design and continue with ongoing product safety monitoring to ensure early identification and response to potential hazards. Photo: John Wiersma, Chair, ESA Board, Larry Latack, Whirlpool Corporation, David Collie, President & CEO, ESA POWERLINE SAFETY CATEGORY Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro, Guelph Hydro, Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro and Waterloo North Hydro, for their collaborative efforts to improve worker safety by educating and reminding electrical workers, construction trades and first responders to follow safe work practices; and public safety through informing and educating the public and children about powerline safety. Photo: Representatives from the four winning Local Distribution Companies WORKER SAFETY CATEGORY Entertainment Electrical Safety Committee of Ontario (EESCO), for responding to electrical safety concerns with the definition and promotion of standards and guidelines to address portable generator grounding requirements for the film and event sector, and their work to establish training and certification requirements with the Ministry of Training and Colleges for Entertainment Industry Power Technicians. Photo: John Wiersma, Chair, ESA Board, Art Wanuch, Chair, EESCO, David Collie, President & CEO, ESA News, Views and Updates from ESA 3

4 technically speaking Introducing the 01 Safety Code The 01 edition of the Canadian Electrical Code introduces significant changes to support the increasing presence of green technologies, including Photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles. As well, changes have been introduced that harmonize the calculations required for certain installations with international and US standards; making the rules more compatible across borders. This Code forms the basis for the Ontario Electrical Safety Code (OESC), which also includes specific amendments for Ontario. The OESC amendments are developed as a result of electrical incident data, changes in technology, and feedback from stakeholders. They ensure the minimum electrical safety standards in Ontario are appropriate for Ontario s marketplace. The 01 Ontario amendments affect administrative requirements as well as some technical rules. Most notably, is the expansion of instances when an application for inspection (permit) is not required for electrical work. Proposed changes to the permit requirements are being considered to ensure that: effort is focused on the greatest safety risks; resources are used in the most effective manner possible to ensure the greatest safety value for the public; rules do not create unnecessary burden for consumers or industry with little safety value; and rules in Ontario are not unnecessarily more burdensome than those in other jurisdictions in Canada. Other examples of the proposed changes include: establishing a six-month expiry for connection authorizations; requiring protection for receptacles exposed to weather; and the need for electrical maintenance. As in past years, ESA will be offering province-wide training on the new Code to support this transition. Please check for more information on training and schedules. 4 News, Views and Updates from ESA

5 Licence Information Transitional Period Ending for Provisional Licence Holders In the five years since ESA began licensing Master Electricians and Electrical Contracting businesses in Ontario, more than 18,000 Master Electrician and Electrical Contractor Licences have been issued. Ontario s licensing regulation (Ontario Regulation 570/05) provided a five-year transitional period for electrical contractors to become, or designate, a Master Electrician to their Electrical Contracting business. ESA has been communicating with provisional contractor licence holders during the transition to ensure they understand and meet the requirements to acquire an Electrical Contractor Licence. That transitional period is about to expire and, as of January 1, 01, any electrical contracting business that hasn t designated a Master Electrician and applied to become a Licensed Electrical Contractor can no longer offer electrical contracting services. This will apply to new work as well as work associated with any existing permits in the system. In 01, ESA will be enforcing the requirements and championing the benefits to Ontario homeowners and consumers of using qualified and licensed electrical contracting businesses. Don t Forget to Keep your Licence Information Current Are you moving, or have you recently moved? To ensure your Master Electrician or Electrical Contractor Licence remains valid, please ensure that we have your most current information on file. We would like to remind all Electrical Contractor and Master Electrician licence holders that a Notice of Change to Information form must be completed and submitted for any change to contact information within 5 business days in order to meet Ontario Licensing requirements (Ontario Regulation 570/05). This includes minor changes. Please keep in mind that if you submit a change of address for a Master Electrician Licence and you also hold an Electrical Contractor Licence, or vice versa, you must indicate on the form that you are changing the information for both of the licences. Without this confirmation, we will not make the change. Master Electricians who are designated, please ensure that we have accurate information on file so that your licence does not become invalid. An invalid Master Electrician Licence for a designated Master Electrician renders the Electrical Contractor Licence invalid. You can obtain a Notice of Change to Information form at under Licensing Forms, or you can contact a licensing customer service representative at (choose option #3 for contractor licensing). For further information on this and other licensing-related issues, please the Licensing Department at esa.licensing@electricalsafety.on.ca. News, Views and Updates from ESA 5

6 scores + stats Apr. 1, 011 Sept. 30, 011 Managing wiring inspection services Calls answered at the CSC 68,656 Inspections 51,763 Defects recorded 114,595 General Inspections 5,177 ACP Contractors,640 Wiring compliance and enforcement Hazard Investigation Requests 5,407 Notices of Violation 43 Preventing hazards and harms CSS customers (3,96 sites) Safety materials distributed 3,649 Powerline and Worker Safety, LEC Campaign 33,885 Product Safety Reported Electrical Product Safety Incidents A Proud Moment The Electrical Safety Authority was pleased to present a cheque for $3,000 to to St. John s Rehab and its electrical injury program at this year s Achievements in Electrical Safety event. 875 Recalls 31 Licensing management Licensed Electrical Contractors 7,173 Master Electricians 10,710 Complaints received 569 Complaints resolved 385 Electrical distribution management Distribution-related incidents 117 Due Diligence Inspections 101 Do we have your correct information? For Licensed Electrical Contractors who receive ESA correspondence by , please note that financialrelated information is only sent to your primary address. This includes: statements invoices credit notes confirmations cash receipts Non-financial communication is sent to both your primary and secondary addresses. This includes: Certificates of Inspection Outcome Summary Reports Defect Notices Defect Follow Up Open Notification Report Connection Authorization Verification Expiry Notice If you need to change your primary or secondary information, please contact the Customer Service Centre at esa.cambridge@electricalsafety. on.ca. 6 News, Views and Updates from ESA

7 Worth Knowing Record Turnout at Licence Holders Fall Meetings This year s annual Electrical Contractor Registration Agency (ECRA) Advisory Council Licence Holder meetings had their best overall turnout in its five-year history with nearly 400 Licensed Electrical Contractors attending. The meetings, which were held on September 1 in Mississauga and on October 0 in Sudbury, provided an important forum for ESA and the ECRA Advisory Council to share licensing updates as well as their work plan for the development of policies to support the licensing regulation. Information on initiatives that impact Licensed Electrical Contractors was also shared, including the public awareness campaign, Plug in Safely hire a licensed electrical contractor. In addition to sharing important information, these meetings provide Licensed Electrical Contractors and Master Electricians with an opportunity to ask the ECRA Advisory Council questions related to licensing in Ontario. Watch for next year s meeting dates which will be posted at www. esasafe.com and communicated through the Plugged In newsletter. safety alerts + recalls RCL11-37 Honeywell International Inc. Recalls T4700, CT1957 and CT1950 Electric Baseboard and Fan Heater Thermostats Due to Possible Overheating Issue The thermostat contains a line voltage relay which is used to switch the power to the electric baseboard heater or electric fan heater. The line voltage relay may not work properly, causing the plastic to overheat. Approximately 40,837 units were sold in Canada. RCL11-39 Philips Lighting Recalls EnergySaver a/k/a Marathon or Marathon Classic Compact Fluorescent Dimmable Reflector Flood Lamps Due to Laceration Hazard The glue attaching the glass outer envelope, or globe, to the body of the lamp can fail causing the glass outer envelope to fall and strike people or objects below, posing a laceration hazard to consumers. Approximately 36,069 units were sold in Canada. RCL11-44 Fusion Canada Inc. Recalls 0 inch Box Fan Due to Fire Hazard An electrical component in the product can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers. In Ontario, 3,018 units were sold and 3,434 were sold in the rest of Canada. To learn more about the recent product recalls and safety alerts please click on the link on the front page of the ESA website. News, Views and Updates from ESA 7

8 What s New ESA s New Fee Schedule On January 5, 01, ESA will introduce its new wiring fee schedule. This includes a general.65% increase to fees as well as adjustments to some of the fee categories in response to stakeholder feedback. Specifically, these adjustments are: 1 New apartment buildings and apartment renovations Parking areas associated with apartment buildings will now be included in the base fee for these installations. Ganged meterbase fee re-introduced All work done on Ganged meterbases will be processed on one notification with a $66 fee applied for each meter on the gang. The 01 Fee Guide introduces a policy change that will require a minimum of one inspection (rough-in, service, trench, etc.) for any Residential Application for Inspection within 1 months, or the application will expire. If a Residential Application for Inspection expires, the inspection fees will be credited back less a refund processing fee. When re-submitted, full inspection fees will apply to the new application. New Northern Region GM focuses on prevention and customer service Earl Davison, the ESA s new General Manager of Northern Region, is working to identify opportunities to advance customer service and prevention initiatives. His experience in benchmarking customer service excellence as a Northern Utility Manager, and executive and line management levels in Northern Ontario industry will help Earl in managing the Continuous Safety Services Program portfolio in Northern Ontario. Earl brings a strong background from the electrical industry and understands the requirements, opportunities and challenges associated with ensuring electrical standards, codes, and safe work practices are considered in everyday planning operations. Earl can be contacted at earl.davison@electricalsafety.on.ca. The new fee schedule will be available at at the end of December. What s Happening ESA Holiday Hours Schedule December 3 Regular Hours (7:00am-4:30pm) December 6 Closed December 7 Closed December 8-30 Regular Hours January Closed January 3 Regular Hours Correction Notice A piece of stock art was used to illustrate an article on ESA s Plan Review services in the Summer 011 issue of Plugged In. After printing, we realized that the illustration did not reflect the type of electrical plan that would be reviewed as part of our services. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused ESA-SAFE We d like your input 8 News, Views and Updates from ESA Please send your comments or story ideas to plugged.in@electricalsafety.on.ca