WorkSafe has updated its guidance on charging employer-owned electric vehicles, removing references that treated employee homes as workplaces and addressing compliance concerns raised by corporate fleet operators.
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden said the change followed feedback from businesses that warned the previous wording could discourage companies from switching thier fleets to EVs.
“Crucially, employee homes are no longer referred to as workplaces in the new guidelines,” van Velden says.
Industry concern over workplace obligations
Under the earlier guidance, employers were discouraged from allowing staff to charge company-owned EVs at home using Mode 2 chargers, due to uncertainty around the safety of residential wiring. The 2020 addendum also stated that an employee’s garage could be considered a workplace for health and safety purposes.
Van Velden said that wording created confusion around employer responsibilities.
“These guidelines discouraged employer-owned EVs being charged at home,” she says.
“It was that wording that raised concerns. If an employee’s garage became a workplace any time an employer provided them an electric work vehicle, that introduces questions about what the employer’s obligations are around risk assessments, monitoring, and liability if there were issues with a charger in an employee’s home.”
Businesses warned the guidance could slow EV uptake within corporate fleets.
“I was told that these guidelines were making employers hesitant to provide EVs to employees for fear of unlimited compliance and liability risk, which would ultimately mean less employers choosing to electrify their fleet for employees, and less choice in the market for businesses.”
Addendum amended after consultation
Van Velden said she directed WorkSafe to consult with stakeholders and review the 2020 addendum after concerns were raised.
“Following these issues being brought to my attention, I asked WorkSafe to get in contact with stakeholders about their concerns and subsequently met with some myself. Given the amount of feedback I heard, I asked WorkSafe to expedite amending the 2020 Addendum that contained these guidelines to clarify the situation.”
The revised guidance removes references to treating an employee’s home as a workplace and no longer states that charging must take place in a garage.
“Now, I’m pleased to say that the issue has been addressed with the release of an updated addendum.
“This is a positive example of removing unnecessary red tape holding back businesses and sectors.
“I expect this to free up the employer-owned EV landscape and give businesses more confidence to choose EVs for their organisations,” van Velden says.
The amendment is expected to provide greater regulatory certainty for organisations operating or considering electric vehicle fleets, particularly where home charging forms part of standard fleet arrangements.
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