The Electricity Engineers' Association has opened consultation on the revised Safety Manual – Electricity Industry. The draft went out on 11 August 2026 as a PDF for industry feedback, with the final version to be published as a printed booklet.
SM-EI is one of the industry's principal safety documents. It sets the core rules for work on or near generation, transmission and distribution assets, so it sits behind the permits, isolations, access authorities and competency requirements our clients work to every day. The review has focused on clarity, navigation and alignment with current legislation and standards, which puts it in step with the HSWA changes taking effect on 1 April 2027.
Whatever comes out of the EEA's process becomes the rule set your crews are held to, so this is the window where the people doing the work can shape the wording before it is locked in.
On our side, the practical question is whether your gear stacks up against it: isolation and earthing devices, test instruments, live line tools and electrical PPE, all in test with records you could produce on the spot. If you want that checked before SM-EI is finalised, get in touch.