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Body-protected areas in New Zealand

Medical and dental room electrical rules in New Zealand

In New Zealand, AS/NZS 3003 is the same joint standard, cited by the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 (the amended 2018 edition from 13 November 2025). Installation work in a patient area is high-risk prescribed electrical work: the electrical worker issues a Certificate of Compliance, a registered electrical inspector inspects the work and issues a Record of Inspection before it is connected, and you receive an Electrical Safety Certificate. Routine inspection and testing at intervals of no more than 12 months applies in New Zealand exactly as it does in Australia.

NZ

High-risk work: inspected and recorded

Who certifiesThe licensed electrical worker, on a Certificate of Compliance (CoC); you receive an Electrical Safety Certificate (ESC).
Independent inspectionYes. Patient-area work is high-risk prescribed electrical work, so a registered electrical inspector inspects it and issues a Record of Inspection (RoI) before connection.
StandardAS/NZS 3003:2018 including Amendment 1:2019, cited by the regulations from 13 November 2025.
Routine testingNot exceeding 12 months, with the date on the sign’s test label, as in Australia.

Regulator: WorkSafe New Zealand (Energy Safety)

Western AustraliaNorthern TerritoryQueenslandSouth AustraliaNew South WalesVictoriaTasmaniaAustralian Capital Territory

Other states
Rules differ by state. Pick yours.

What to do as the practice

  • Tell your electrical worker in writing which rooms are patient areas and their boundaries.
  • Ask who the registered electrical inspector will be and when the inspection is booked.
  • Keep the CoC, the Record of Inspection, the ESC and the AS/NZS 3003 test results with your compliance files.
  • Book the 12-month routine test, and have the room tested before any alterations.

Classification record template · Changing an existing room

Testing, everywhere

AS/NZS 3003:2018 (including Amendment 1:2019) requires routine inspection and testing of body-protected areas at intervals not exceeding 12 months. The date of the last test goes on the label on the green sign in the room. The room itself is built to the same rules in New Zealand as in Australia: the rules, one by one.

Work out when yours is due

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Do you do this work in New Zealand?

Electricians and fit-out builders with AS/NZS 3003 experience can be listed here. Licence checked first, free while the directory is new.

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Sources for New Zealand

What this page relies on. Every link is re-read monthly; the footer shows when.

ActElectricity Act 1992 (NZ)
RegulationElectricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 (NZ), including the high-risk prescribed electrical work provisions
CertificateCertificate of Compliance from the worker, Record of Inspection from a registered electrical inspector, Electrical Safety Certificate to you
Regulator guidance on patient areasWorkSafe New Zealand treats patient-area installation work as high-risk prescribed electrical work. The Royal New Zealand College of GPs also publishes a technical sheet on body-protected areas for general practice (September 2025).
StandardAS/NZS 3003:2018 (including Amendment 1:2019), the same joint standard in every Australian state and territory and in New Zealand

Pages we read

Sources checked 8 October 2026. Rules change: always confirm with WorkSafe New Zealand (Energy Safety). Spotted something out of date? Tell us. Changes are logged on the Updates page.