The growth of Electric and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) across Australia has transformed how workshops, emergency services, and fleets operate. With voltages regularly reaching 400–800 volts, and in some systems higher, the risks in these environments are fundamentally different from those in traditional automotive work.
Where a conventional vehicle poses mainly mechanical or thermal hazards, an EV or PHEV introduces electrical energy as a potential source of injury. That means the focus on safety shifts — from oil-resistant gloves and eye protection to electrically rated PPE designed to shield against shock, arc flash, and thermal energy release.
The Risks in EV and PHEV Environments
Voltage systems in EVs and PHEVs can deliver enormous amounts of current in milliseconds. The most common risks include:
- Electric shock: Contact with exposed or damaged conductors can cause serious injury or fatality.
- Arc flash: An electrical fault can release intense heat, light, and pressure, often exceeding 19,000 °C.
- Thermal burns and secondary hazards: Even brief exposure can ignite clothing or cause reflexive movement leading to other injuries.
These risks are well documented in standards such as AS 4836 – Safe working on or near low-voltage electrical installations, and increasingly acknowledged within the automotive and energy sectors.
How PPE Provides Protection
Electrical Safety PPE is designed to interrupt or mitigate these hazards — acting as the final barrier between a worker and a live source of energy. The layers of protection typically involve:
- Insulated Gloves: Forming the primary defense against electric shock.
- Arc-Rated Clothing: Minimising burn injury from heat and light energy during an arc event.
- Face, Eye & Head Protection: Shielding against radiant heat, molten particles, and impact forces.
- Insulated Tools, Mats & Footwear: Additional protection against accidental electric shock when working near or on the HV battery pack.
- Lockout and Steering-Wheel Lockout Devices: Preventing accidental vehicle start-up or reconnection of the high-voltage system while work is in progress. Lockout/tagout (LOTO) equipment ensures isolation points remain secure and clearly identified until all verification checks are complete.
- EV Warning Signage: Brightly coloured and clearly worded signs placed inside and around the vehicle communicate that high-voltage work is being performed. They alert all workshop personnel that the system is isolated and must not be energised or moved.
- Rescue Kits and Insulated Rescue Hooks: Designed for emergency response if a person comes into contact with live components. The insulated rescue hook allows another worker to safely pull the person clear of the energy source without risk of secondary shock. Complete EV rescue kits often include gloves, hooks, mats, and first-response equipment stored in a clearly marked location near the work area.
- Car Fire Blankets: Heavy-duty, high-temperature blankets designed to contain or suppress an EV fire in its early stages. When deployed, they help smother flames, reduce oxygen flow, and limit the spread of smoke and radiant heat—buying valuable time for evacuation or emergency services to arrive. Fire blankets are not a replacement for extinguishers but a complementary safety measure for workshops handling EV and PHEV vehicles.
Each element plays a role in controlling exposure, and all must meet strict Australian and international test standards to ensure reliability under fault conditions.
Matching PPE to the Risk
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The right PPE depends on factors such as voltage level, task type, and proximity to energised parts.
For example, a technician performing routine maintenance or diagnostics — such as brakes, suspension, coolant servicing or system checks — faces far lower exposure than a technician carrying out isolation or service work on a high-voltage or hybrid battery pack, where direct contact and stored energy risks are significantly greater.
Understanding these distinctions helps ensure the correct level of protection — whether that’s basic insulating gloves for verification testing, or a full arc-rated protective kit for higher-risk work.
The Standards
Australia’s electrical safety landscape is backed by robust local standards harmonised with international testing. Key references that apply to EV safety include:
- AS/NZS 5732:2022 Electric Vehicle Operations – Maintenance and Repair
- AS/NZS 60903: Insulating gloves for electrical work
- AS/NZS 4821: Protective clothing for exposure to electric arc
- AS 4836: Safe work near electrical installations
Conclusion
The move toward electric mobility is accelerating — not just in consumer vehicles, but across logistics, public transport, and industrial sectors.
This transition brings opportunity but also responsibility: to equip workers with the knowledge and protection suited to all voltage environments.
At Volt Safety, we believe every technician deserves confidence that their PPE meets the demands of this evolving industry — because in every EV or PHEV workshop, the most valuable component isn’t the vehicle, it’s the person working on it.