Why is it important to test equipment?

Benefits of Testing and Tagging

• The testing will ensure that the items work correctly and that there are no electrical problems, allowing them to function as efficiently as possible.
• The tags inform employees how to use the items safely and correctly.
• The process ensures the business complies with current safety protocols, preventing any issues with regulations.
• Testing and tagging can detect minor issues before they become costly, making your electrical equipment maintenance more efficient.
• Testing and tagging promote safety for everyone working near electrical devices, appliances, and other equipment, avoiding fines and potential lawsuits.

How Frequently Should You Conduct the Test and Tag Process?

The Australian Standards and regulations require specific maintenance and management frequencies for appliances, which depend on their location and use. The AS 3760 Standard’s Table 4 further outlines the baseline safety requirements, although they may vary based on a workplace’s specific risk assessment.
Below are the different intervals for testing and tagging:

• Conduct inspections every 3 months for construction, building, and demolition industries.
• Perform an inspection every 6 months in warehouses, factories, and production facilities.
• Places such as schools, offices, and office kitchens, where equipment or cords could be flexed or abused, should be checked every 12 months.
• All equipment and cord sets should be checked in server rooms at least once every 5 years to ensure they are not prone to flexing or being damaged.

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Which Industries Need to Test and Tag?

The harsh environment in industries like construction, demolition, and mining necessitates testing and tagging appliances every 3 months. The test tag colors change every three months, helping identify different testing periods over a year.

While testing and tagging are mandatory in these industries, it’s ultimately the employer’s responsibility to ensure their employees are safe for other sectors. Therefore, they should have all portable electrical appliances tested, even if it isn’t a legislative requirement. Otherwise, they may be liable if someone gets hurt by an unsafe appliance.

For those in the rental business, specific standards need to be met. It’s necessary for the hirer to inspect the appliances visually before every lease and to test them every 3 months while they are under their care.

Who Can Test and Tag Electrical Equipment?

Contrary to popular belief, an electrician is not the only one who can test and tag as per AS/NZS 3760:2010. Completing a test and tag course, any ‘Competent Person’ will gain all the necessary knowledge to use a Portable Appliance Tester (PAT) tester.

After you’re qualified, you can’t obtain a new certificate or take more courses. You will, however, need to maintain your current knowledge and skills per the AS 3760 Standard by keeping up with any changes.

What Types of Equipment are Tested and Tagged?

Any electrical equipment with a voltage of less than 50V and a detachable plug is considered portable. Plugged appliances must meet the inspection, testing, and tagging requirements. It includes extension cords or harnesses up to 2.5 m high in any work or industry area.

Electrical appliances are classified either as Class I or Class II.

• Class I – Common household appliances like kettles, washing machines, and toasters provide two-level protection using an earth wire and basic insulation.
• Class II – These include appliances with a double wall of insulation and are named double-insulated machines. These are typically represented with a double square image (a square within another square) near the voltage and energy gauges. Examples include clothes dryers, lawnmowers, and drills.

Electrical safety testing is not just a legal obligation - it also leads to design improvements and good technical documentation.

Here are five important reasons to have your product tested for electrical safety before it goes to market.

1. Electrical safety testing is legally required for CE marking

Fulfilling the requirements of the relevant directives is a legal requirement to market products in the EU. Corresponding regulations apply outside the EU. Documentation that these requirements have been met must be kept in a technical file and made accessible for inspection during the period in which the product is marketed plus ten additional years. This technical file is required in order to prepare an EU Declaration of Conformity and to have your product CE marked.

Remember that there is always a legal obligation to ensure that your product is safe before bringing it to market. The legal requirements for electrical safety may be determined by the Low Voltage Directive, the Medical Device Directive (soon The Medical Device Regulation), the Radio Equipment Directive, the Machinery Directive (soon the Machinery Regulation), or other relevant directives. If a product is not already covered by other directives, the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD, soon GPSR) serves as a catch-all. 

A common misconception is that there are no safety requirements for electronic products as long as the voltage is low enough. Indeed, some low-voltage products are not covered by the Low Voltage Directive, but in those cases, another applicable directive will still impose electrical safety requirements. Dangerous products may not be sold.

2.

It minimises the risk of damage or injury when using electric or electronic products

An electrical safety test provides insight into whether or not one's product is safely designed, such that one can avoid or reduce the risk of the product being the cause of damage or injury to people, pets and property. The product must therefore be designed and produced in such a way that a potentially dangerous condition, in which an internal or external event may result in damage - that is, a hazard - does not arise.

Safety standards address hazards that may lead to damage or injury as a result of electrical shock, energy discharge, fire, heat, mechanical conditions (e.g., sharp edges, crushing, moving parts), radiation (e.g. RF, IR, UV, laser, sound, radioactivity), or chemical conditions (e.g. toxic materials, liquids, smoke, vapour).