Role of the Electrical Safety Authority
The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) regulates and promotes safety in Ontario. In fact, we’re working towards an Ontario where people can live, work and play safe from electrical harm. To do this we:
- Anticipate, identify and target the leading causes of electrical-related harm.
- Verify compliance with Part VIII of the Electricity Act and its associated regulations.
- Promote awareness, education and training to make the public aware of potential electrical harms.
- Work with Licensed Electrical Contractors, utilities, manufacturers, safety partners and other stakeholders to improve electrical safety in Ontario.
The Ontario government has given ESA a mandate to improve public electrical safety. We administer Part VIII of the Electricity Act and oversee these four related regulations:
- Ontario Electrical Safety Code (Regulation 777/21) — sets out how to do electrical work.
- Licensing of Electrical Contractors and Master Electricians (Regulation 570/05) — sets requirements for businesses and certain people who can do electrical work.
- Electrical Distribution Safety (Regulation 22/04) — provides objective-based electrical safety oversight and sets out the accountabilities of companies licensed to distribute electricity.
- Electrical Product Safety (Regulation 438/07) — governs pre-market approval of electrical products before their sale, distribution and advertisement. We also respond to unsafe industrial and commercial electrical products already on the market. Health Canada responds to unsafe consumer electrical products.
ESA also administers the Appeals Regulation under the Safety Consumer and Statues Administration Act.
ESA is a not-for-profit corporation. Annual business plans, five-year strategic plans and stakeholder feedback guide our work. We administer Part VIII the Electricity Act (under The Safety and Consumer Statutes Administration Act) and have an administrative agreement with the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services.
Video: How ESA helps you safely use electricity — describes ESA’s approach to keeping Ontarians safe.
