If the appliance passes the visual inspection it is then connected to the Portable Appliance Tester (PAT) to check for faults that are unseen to the naked eye. Class I appliances have earthing checked and insulation effectiveness checked. Class II appliances have insulation checked. The PAT will indicate the results and will show a pass or fail and these results are stored on the tester. A tag is printed with the name of the person and company who did the test, the test date, a retest date and a reference to AS/NZS 3760. The tag is then placed around the cord of the appliance.

Once all tests are completed the data is collected from the PAT and printed out on a report and sent to the client for their records.

Electrical equipment that is new into service or is already in service is subject to the standard as well as equipment that has been serviced or repaired or is returning to service from a second-hand sale or is available for hire.

Plugs and sockets must be free of damage or defects and the terminals must not be bent or loose.

Any damage to the insulation, particularly with Class II appliances, will be a “fail” result. All operating controls, covers and guards need to be in sound working condition.

Once the visual inspection is completed the equipment is tested electrically. Class I appliances will have an Earth Bond Test to ensure the safety of the operator by having an effectively earthed appliance. The next test can be either a Differential Leakage Test or an Insulation Resistance Test. This is to check for the presence of `leaking` electricity.

Class II appliances (double insulated) will have either a Differential Leakage Test or Insulation Resistance Test but no Earth Bond Test because they are not earthed but depend primarily on faultless double insulation to protect the operator.

• Factories and workshops have an interval of 6 months.
• Environments where the equipment or supply cord is less likely to be damaged but is subject to flexing in normal use, such as offices or schools, the interval is 12 months.
• Construction sites require contractors to have their equipment tested at 3 monthly intervals.
• Hire equipment is tested every 3 months.
• Environments where the equipment or supply cord is not subject to flexing in normal use and is not open to abuse the interval can be 5 years.
• Residential type areas such as rest homes and motels have an interval of 2 years.

If you need advice on your particular situation phone us for a free no obligation assessment.

Having your equipment tested and tagged is like getting a warrant of fitness for your car. If you want it to pass get known faults repaired first.

Injuries happen through the fault of the operator and also through faults in the appliance. Some of these faults can be found by visual inspection but some faults are unseen, for example, fine cracks in insulation and protective earth failure. Because electricity is unseen it can find its way through defects and on to the operator without any warning and the results can be fatal.

For offences where a person’s action, or failure to act occurs, and they know it is likely to cause serious harm, the maximum penalty is:

• $600,000 for the company
• $600,000 and up to 5 years prison for company directors
• $600,000 and up to 5 years prison for company officers
• $300,000 and up to 5 years prison for workers

• Peace of mind. The possibility of accidents with electrical appliances in the workplace is greatly reduced and so are the liabilities.
• Reduces downtime. Your equipment condition is tracked with test results and repairs and replacements recorded.
• Your schedule of equipment is kept up to date with every Test and Tag visit.
• Good for on-going business. Many contracts and building sites require compliance to be up to date for contractors and sub-contractors