How often must you renew LVR & CPR in QLD?
If you do electrical work in Queensland, plan on refreshing your Low Voltage Rescue (LVR) and CPR every 12 months. Safety observers must have been assessed as competent in rescue and resuscitation within the previous 12 months, the Electrical Safety Office expects a CPR refresher within 12 months when you renew your licence, and most employers and principal contractors ask for both every year.
Queensland’s new Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 started on 1 September 2026, replacing the 2013 regulation. Here’s what it says and how it applies to you.
What the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 requires
Employers must make sure workers are competent
Section 211 of the regulation says a person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure workers who perform, or help perform, electrical work are competent in rescue and resuscitation, in accordance with recognised practices in the electricity industry. The maximum penalty is 40 penalty units.
That covers more than licensed electricians. Apprentices, trade assistants and anyone helping with electrical work are included. The only exception is a worker whose electrical work licence has a condition that they must not act in a role that requires rescue and resuscitation competency, such as a safety observer.
Safety observers: assessed in the last 12 months
A safety observer is required when electrical work is performed on energised electrical equipment, unless the work is only testing and a risk assessment shows there is no serious risk. The regulation defines a safety observer as a person who is competent to implement control measures in an emergency, competent to rescue and resuscitate the worker if necessary, and who has been assessed in the previous 12 months as competent to rescue and resuscitate a person.
If your CPR or rescue assessment is more than 12 months old, you can’t act as a safety observer. Read more about what a safety observer does.
Electrical licences: resuscitation competency
To be issued an electrical work licence, such as an electrical mechanic or electrical fitter licence, the regulator must be satisfied you’ve been trained in, and are competent to carry out, resuscitation on a person who has stopped breathing or is unconscious because of an electric shock. Electrical linesperson licence holders must also be competent in pole top or transmission tower rescue.
When you renew or reinstate your licence, you must continue to meet the same requirement. WorkSafe Queensland’s guidance for licence renewals is that your CPR refresher must have been completed within the 12 months before your renewal. You don’t need to send your certificates with the application, but the Electrical Safety Office can ask for them as part of an audit, so keep a copy.
Do LVR and CPR expire?
Statements of Attainment for nationally recognised units don’t have an expiry date printed on them. What expires is your currency: the regulation and the electricity industry treat rescue and resuscitation competency as current for 12 months. In practice, this means:
| Training | Unit | Refresh |
|---|---|---|
| Low Voltage Rescue | UETDRMP018 - Perform rescue from a live low voltage panel | Every 12 months |
| CPR | HLTAID009 - Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) | Every 12 months |
Because both are refreshed every 12 months, most electricians do them together in a single LVR & CPR course.
Who needs LVR & CPR?
- Licensed electricians and other electrical work licence holders
- Apprentices and trade assistants who perform or help with electrical work
- Safety observers for electrical work on energised equipment
- Workers in related trades who work near low voltage switchboards and panels, such as air conditioning, solar and data technicians, when their employer or site requires it
Read more about what Low Voltage Rescue covers and who needs it.
What happens if mine has lapsed?
There’s no grace period. If your LVR or CPR is more than 12 months old, you can’t act as a safety observer, and your employer may not allow you to perform electrical work until you’ve refreshed it. Book a refresher before your 12 months are up, so there’s no gap.
LVR & CPR at Tradie Training
Our Low Voltage Rescue & CPR course covers both units in one 2.5-hour session and costs $119. You’ll receive your Statement of Attainment on the day, and we’ll send you a reminder before your next refresher is due.