RelyOn Australia - High Voltage Training & Consulting to Power & Utilities

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Cert III in ESI Apprenticeship

Dates announced for Cert III in ESI Apprenticeship for 2025

We service the Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) Sectors that generate, transmit, distribute and use electricity.

training & advisory video

Specialists in electrical training services for skills, safety and compliance

Cert III in ESI Apprenticeship

Dates announced for Cert III in ESI Apprenticeship for 2025

Training

Short & Public courses, qualifications and eLearning

Engineering Consultancy

For Procedures, Audits, Calculations & Instructions

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Case Studies

Arc Flash Risk Assessment for Transgrid Substations

Client Background and Problem Statement
Transgrid, a leading energy provider managing a vast network of substations, sought assistance in addressing arc flash hazards present in their low voltage distribution boards connected to the step-down transformers.Recognising that many of their substations carried an elevated risk due to high incident energy (I.E) levels, Transgrid engaged RelyOn Australia to conduct a preliminary arc flash risk assessment to identify the highest risk substations, and develop comprehensive risk mitigation plans.Given the scale of Transgrid’s operations and the inherent safety risks of arc flash incidents, effective and practical risk mitigation strategies were essential.
Scope of Work
The project aimed to evaluate and manage arc flash risks across Transgrid’s substations using the IEE1584 standard for arc flash calculation. RelyOn Australia undertook the following tasks:

Arc Flash Calculations: Conducted incident energy calculations based on IEEE 1584 to assess potential arc flash hazards across different substations.
Risk Assessment by Substation: Identified substations with the highest I.E. values to prioritise mitigation measures.
Risk Mitigation Recommendations: Provided tailored mitigation strategies, including engineering controls, procedural controls, and recommended arc-rated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for different risk levels.
Implementation Guidance: Suggested practical procedures for integrating these mitigation measures across substations, ensuring operational feasibility and safety compliance.

Key Deliveries
RelyOn Australia provided the following:

Arc Flash Risk Assessment Report: This detailed report included arc flash risk levels for each substation, categorised based on calculated incident energy and potential exposure risks.
Control Measures and Risk Mitigation Plans: Recommended specific control measures based on each substation’s risk profile, covering aspects such as remote operation, insulation upgrades, optical detection for faster arc flash clearing times, and the use of arc flash blankets for high-risk sites.
Hierarchy of Controls Implementation Plan: A structured plan that prioritised safety measures using a hierarchy of controls to ensure that the most effective controls were adopted where feasible.
Procedures for Field Adoption: Developed clear and actionable procedures to support field personnel in implementing and adhering to new arc flash safety measures effectively.

Results and Benefits

Improved Safety: The risk assessment and tailored mitigation strategies significantly improved the safety profile of Transgrid’s substations, particularly at high-risk sites, by reducing the potential impact of arc flash incidents.
Compliance and Standardisation: Transgrid’s LV DBs were now managed in line with IEEE 1584, ensuring compliance with industry standards and fostering a consistent safety approach across multiple sites.
Operational Efficiency: Through remote operation recommendations and advanced detection systems, RelyOn’s solutions minimised the need for direct interaction with high-risk equipment, improving overall efficiency and reducing operational downtime.
Enhanced Safety Culture: By providing field staff with training and clearly defined procedures, the project promoted a proactive safety culture within Transgrid’s operations.

How We Can Help You

Full-Service Arc Flash Consultation: From initial studies to training and ongoing compliance.
Regulatory Guidance: Stay aligned with local and national standards, including Victoria’s Bluebook and ESV guidelines.
Site-Specific Solutions: Customised approach for unique operational challenges and risk profiles.
Long-Term Partnerships: Ongoing support to maintain up-to-date compliance and safety best practices.

Project Details

Client: Transgrid
Location: Multiple Substations Across New South Wales, Australia
Industry: Electricity Generation Industry
Date of Completion: August 2023
Prepared By: RelyOn Australia

Metro Trains Melbourne Agile course development on electrical safe operations in Rail Tunnels & Level Crossing Removal

Working closely with Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM) to develop courseware to educate their workers and contractors in complex and hazardous construction environments.
Background
Victorians are experiencing the building of the largest ever rail infrastructure pipeline, with more than $30 billion invested in metropolitan and regional rail projects.
These projects include the Metro Tunnel which will create a new end-to-end rail line from Sunbury in Melbourne’s west to Cranbourne/Pakenham in the south-east, the removal of 75 level crossings across Melbourne, the Geelong Fast Rail which will be enabled through a major investment to the Werribee corridor. Other projects include Melbourne Airport Rail, the Cranbourne Line Upgrade and Regional Rail Revival.
Metro Trains Melbourne staff and Alliance Partners require training to ensure they are competent and skilled to work safety in the rail corridor. RelyOn Australia’s partnership with Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM) delivers electrical and hazard management training programs that are developed specifically at the direction of MTM and the Level Crossing Removal Project.
This is an environment where there is a lot of infrastructure work going on. MTM has a big and highly mobile workforce and recognise that training is important for safety and skill development. So MTM needed a training partner that was electrically literate that could work in an agile and collaborative mode to develop short courses and a choice of training delivery modes as needs arise.
Our role
RelyOn Australia develops customised electrical safe access and operator training for the rail infrastructure and project teams in what is an extremely complex and hazardous construction environment. It’s material that is fit for purpose for MTM’s own staff and meets the requirements of their training and authorisation processes. Additionally, it includes development of training and delivery of training courses for the Alliance Partners and contractors to ensure that they are competent and skilled to work safely in the rail corridor.
Some of these courses include HV Operator for Lines, Signals and Substations, Recipient, Applicant, Permit to Work Near, Underground Safety Spotter, and the Rail Corridor Construction induction for Planning and Project Managers.
We found that MTM were spending a lot of their own staff time on upskilling contractors on activities such as how to apply for a permit. So, we worked with them on methods to reduce their own staff time used to educate people on MTM business practices, especially with contractors on how to do business with MTM safely and efficiently.
Working closely as partners, we developed the optimum delivery mode to meet the key messages and learnings that MTM want to convey to their community. These modes include face to face; virtual and self-paced. Some programs requires for practicals, some are short and only require one to two hours, which others require one to two days.

Project Details

Client: Metro Trains Melbourne
Location: Victoria
Industry: Rail and HV Operations
Our Role: Working closely with MTM to develop courseware to educate workers and contractors on electrical safe access and operator training in complex and hazardous construction environments.
Outcome: Ongoing partnership with an electrically literate training organisation for course development for MTM workers on electrical safe operations in rail tunnels and Level Crossing Removal construction.
Related Case Studies:

Yarra Trams - Electrical Safety Rules Education program for staff & contractors
Level Crossing Removal Project - Building courseware to address rail skills shortages in critical infrastructure works

Level Crossing Removal Project - Building courseware to address rail skills shortages in critical infrastructure works

Background
Australia is in the middle of a rail infrastructure boom with multibillion-dollar projects scheduled around the country to help manage the growing population. Light and heavy rail are being built and upgraded both to support the need for better integrated transport systems and to meet the national freight challenge. This boom is leading to many skilled job opportunities and has made technical skills development a priority for the rail industry. The Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) was established by the Victorian Government to oversee one of the largest rail infrastructure projects in the state's history.To underwite skills, LXRP has overseen a significant investment in the development of modern courseware for over 20 rail specific qualifications. This body of work is intended to equip TAFE and private sector training organisations with the tools to educate new entrants and upskill existing workers who want to take advantage of this massive rail infrastructure build.

Our role
Skilled overhead rail lineworkers who undertake the construction and maintenance of rail networks are in particularly short supply. In response to this need, the LXRP through “Training for the Future” and the “Workforce Training Innovation Fund” appointed RelyOn Australia’s Technical Design Team to develop the courseware and assessment tools required to offer a contextualised qualification in light and heavy rail, this is the UET30719 Certificate III in ESI - Power Systems - Rail Traction.
Our technical design engineers worked with Subject Matter Experts from light and heavy rail networks to develop the courseware. We partnered with Swinburne TAFE, who provided project management and ASQA compliance services.

Project Details

Client: Victorian Government through the “Training for the Future” and the “Workforce Training Innovation Fund”
Location: Victoria
Industry: Rail
Our contribution: Applying our technical design skills to the development of contextualised, modern nationally recognised Qualifications
Outcome: Contextualised qualification courseware to enable the delivery of Apprenticeship and Adult bridging programs in the Certificate III in ESI - Power Systems - Rail Traction.

Resources

Rail Network Electrical Safety Audit

Background
Suburban rail networks are complex. They often contain a mix of different technologies and many significant hazards. Staff working on or around these networks need clear and detailed but practical safety rules, procedures and accountabilities in order to work safely and do their jobs well.
Our Client operates an electrified rail network for suburban passenger services. As part of its ongoing risk assessment, the network's leadership team sought an external audit of the electrical risks to the business.
Our Role
The review, conducted by our experienced electrical engineers, used an audit methodology and included extensive interviews with key stakeholders within the organisation along with an analysis of key documents such as the Client's High and Low Voltage Electrical Safety Rules, Health and Safety Policy and Procedures, Risk Assessments, the organisational structure and position descriptions relevant to electrical work.
After concluding the data collection and analysis, RelyOn Australia developed a report presenting a clear, detailed and benchmarked view of the processes and systems keeping workers safe around the significant electrical hazards of the network. This report combined the detailed data gathering of the review with RelyOn Australia's decades of High Voltage experience to identify where best or leading practice was being applied, where the key risks were, and where priorities for improvement of the system should be. This report was presented to senior managers within the client organisation who accepted all findings and recommendations and responded swiftly to implement changes.
While the findings were on balance positive, and it was recognised that the network had procedures in place for the safe access to its electrical network that were compliant with relevant regulations and standards, a key finding was that many key procedures were written in a manner which assumed a linear process which did not always adequately deal with deviation or issues that arise from real world situations. Also, the organisational structure and its roles were ambiguous in respect to responsibility for the electrical network and open to interpretation.Changes implemented on the basis of the report include the appointment of a senior manager to the role of Operating Authority, and a clear line of delegation to appropriately trained staff. The Electrical Safety Manual was also re-formatted to ensure that the responsibilities outlined were clear and matched the intended work processes.

Project Details

Client: Rail Network owner
Industry: Rail
Our role: A health check of electrical risks to a transport network
Outcome: A positive report card and the opportunity to refine and clarrify roles of responsibility and delegation

Vales Point Power Station - Auspice for High Risk Work Licensing

Background
Operation of Boilers and Turbines is classed as High Risk Work (HRW). A Licence to perform HRW is part of a national system which authorises individuals to carry out classes of work including boiler and steam turbine operation. The HRW licence has been incorporated into each State’s law via their respective WHS Regulations.
To obtain a license, a student must complete class room training, a log book recording workplace evidence of operational tasks and then a formal assessment against the National assessment Instrument.
The candidate must complete the applicable Unit(s) of Competency by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and then be assessed as competent against the applicable national assessment instrument (NAI) by an assessor who is accredited by the work health and safety regulator (the regulator) under the WHS Regulation.
Vales Point have an extensive and well established power station training program that is delivered inhouse by experienced Trainers and Subject Matter Experts. This program combines Instructor led classroom based training modules, on the job mentoring and practical activities that are documented via logbooks.
To ensure compliance against state regulations and the specific requirements of HRW, Vales Point needed to partner with an RTO.
Our Role
RelyOn Australia’s Pressure Equipment Subject Matter Experts have extensive experience in operating PS equipment. They are also licensed across multiple states to undertake HRW assessments for boiler and turbine and are familiar with the requirements of Work Safe Authorities.
We entered into a partnership that shares the tasks of training and assessing. Our team delivers the class room training to enable candidates to attain the required Statements of Attainment. Vales Point’s Trainers, who are accredited as Assessors by WorkSafe NSW under RelyOn Australia’s RTO license, shift and plant availability.

Project Details

Client: Vales Point Power Station
Industry: Generation
Outcome: This arrangement recognises the skills of the Vales Point workforce, provides a solid learning and assessment experience and accommodates the staff shift movements.

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