The scope extends beyond electricity companies
Resolution 5018 covers electricity generation, transmission, distribution and commercialisation, including conventional and non-conventional sources. It also applies to economic activities involving electrical hazards, such as interventions on or near networks. It is not limited to employees directly hired by an electricity company.
Construction and telecommunications businesses should therefore examine their exposure to electrical risk. A sector label alone is not sufficient to exclude obligations where an activity falls within the resolution’s stated scope and creates relevant hazards for workers.
The technical annex is part of the rule
The annex addresses planning, execution, control and follow-up within the occupational safety and health management system. It distinguishes competence, authorisation and responsibility for installations, requiring procedures suited to their characteristics and the hazards present.
Work must be planned and supervised by competent personnel and performed by appropriately authorised personnel. Electrical knowledge or previous experience does not automatically authorise a person to intervene on any equipment within a particular installation.
Coordinate before work begins
Information about the installation, operating conditions and other activities must reach those making decisions. The annex addresses communication that avoids ambiguity and confirms understanding, together with assessment of new technologies or methods before their use.
For example, civil work near an electrical network may require coordination with its responsible operator and appropriate supervision even if the crew will not handle conductors. Assessment needs to establish specific measures instead of relying entirely on a general warning.
Records and the limits of this explanation
Useful arrangements connect authorised personnel, current procedures, planning, compatible equipment and control records. They also explain how conditions will be reviewed when work changes or an unanticipated circumstance arises.
The resolution took effect on publication in November 2019 and replaced Resolution 1348 of 2009. Its transition was extended in 2020 and is now historical. Consult the full annex alongside other applicable requirements; this article does not provide switching instructions or authorise live electrical work under any circumstances. Site-specific decisions remain the responsibility of appropriately competent and authorised personnel.
