About Us

Welcome to Safearth

We’re a specialist electrical engineering group providing world-recognised expertise in safe power earthing systems.

Safearth delivers comprehensive earthing solutions and management to safeguard people and infrastructure from electrical faults and lightning. Since being established more than 30 years ago, we’ve designed and tested thousands of earthing systems for high voltage installations, for power utilities, mines, oil and gas sites, and other industries.

About Us

Culture & Values

Fostering Excellence and Innovation

We are “an engineer’s engineering business”. Our team has incredible abilities and ideas, and we strive to create a work environment (both in our workshop and on site) where they can achieve their very best.

We encourage our team to take the next step from having an ‘idea’ by providing a lab and workshop in which they can quickly prototype ideas to see if they are any good. Tight iterative loops of “idea > build it > test it > analyse > develop idea” both result in excellent outcomes, but also encourage our team to always think about improvement. These improvements might come in the shape of new test equipment, a new testing process, better analysis software, or more valuable reports. The mix of technical and practical also results in solutions that will better suit our clients.

Balance

Visitors to our offices often comment on the strong sense of community and collaboration they experience. Alongside a welcoming and well-equipped environment, we offer practical resources that staff can borrow. This culture of sharing and support contributes to the way we work together and enhances the quality of the professional services and solutions we deliver.

Partnership

We work with clients, not just for them – this always yields better results.

Most of our jobs involve an element of on-site training – we want owners to understand their systems better.

We’re open to our clients phoning us up, asking for help or advice.

We firmly believe in sticking to the areas of our expertise (as per the Institute of Engineers charter), and so we often work in partnership with other engineering service providers to deliver the best outcomes.

Commitment to Others

We serve our community by supporting non-profits and charities, as well as our unpaid involvement in industry bodies.

ABOUT US

Our History

We’ve put together a timeline charting key milestones over our thirty-plus-year history in the earthing industry.

See a timeline of Safearth’s 30+ year history

ABOUT US

Our Team

With more than 25 degree-qualified professional engineers, Safearth Consulting is the largest and most experienced team of earthing engineers in Australia.

All engineers are trained and experienced in earthing system design and testing. For any given project, Safearth will select a team that matches the client’s specific needs, including both professional engineers and technical staff as required.

Senior Staff

Stephen Palmer

BEng, GradCertBA, FIEAust, SMIEEE, CPEng, EngExec, RPEng, NER, APEC Engineer, IntPE(Aus), RPEQ, MAICD

Chief Executive Officer
- Company Director
- Trainer (International)
- Standards Committee Rep.
- Conference Presenter
- Key industries:
  - Power Utilities
  - Generators
  - Rail
  - Mining
  - Tunneling
  - Construction
Dr Darren Woodhouse

BEng (Hons I) (Elec), BMaths, PhD, MIEAust, SMIEEE, CPEng, NER, APEC Engineer, IntPE (AUS), RPEQ

Technical Director
- Principal Engineer
- Lead Investigator
- Consultant
- Trainer (International)
- Conference Presenter
- Key Industries: all
Bill Tocher

BEng (Hons1), SMIEEE, MIEAust, CPEng, NER, APEC Engineer INTPE(Aus), RPEQ, RPEV, RPENSW, RPEACT

Engineering Director
- Director
- Consultant
- Trainer (International)
- Conference Presenter
- Key Industries:
  - Power Utilities
  - Defence
  - Construction
Matthew Bale

BEng, MBT, MIEAust, CPEng, NER, RPEQ, RPEV

Engineering Director
- Director
- Consultant
- Trainer (International)
- Conference Presenter
- Key Industries:
  - Utilities
  - Oil & Gas
  - Construction

ABOUT US

Accreditation

Technically Assured Organisation (TAO)

Safearth have the processes and systems in place to offer full engineering and safety systems assurance, adaptable for projects of any scale. Safearth’s assurance systems have accreditation as a Technically Assured Organisation (TAO) for Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW). The authorisation is for the discipline of Earthing, Bonding, Electrolysis and Lightning protection, across the project lifecycle phases that are relevant to this discipline.

TAO Service Matrix

Accredited Service Provider (ASP) Level 3 Designer

The Accredited Service Provider (ASP) Scheme accredits organisations to perform contestable work on the NSW electricity distribution network, giving consumers who need to connect to the network access to a competent and competitive market of service providers.

Accredited Service Provider Scheme

ABOUT US

Professional Representation

Safearth is proud to serve on many national and international organisations in our field. We contribute to improving industry standards and the knowledge of these communities, and also ensure our approaches align with the world’s best practice. We are represented on the following committees, some as working group chairs.

International:

IEEE Std 80 – Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding
IEEE Std 81 – Guide for Measuring Earth Resistivity, Ground Impedance, and Earth Surface Potentials of a Grounding System
IEEE Std 693 – Recommended Practices for Seismic Design of Substations
IEEE Std 837 – Standard for Qualifying Permanent Connections Used in Substation Grounding
IEEE Std 998 – Guide for Direct Lightning Stroke Shielding of Substations
IEEE Std 1048 – Guide for Protective Grounding of Power Lines
IEEE Std 1246 – Guide for Temporary Protective Grounding Systems Used in Substations
IEEE Std 1268 – Guide for Safety in the Installation of Mobile Substation Equipment
IEEE PES Substations Committee
Cigre Study Committee B3 (Substations)