All Safe Testing and Tagging Resource

Is Your Company Complying with the OH&S Act?

Did You Know.......

The Occupational Health and Safety Act places a duty of care to provide a safe workplace. Failure to maintain electrical equipment in a safe condition, or to use equipment in accordance with manufacturer's instructions may result in injury or death to yourself, employees, or other parties. To meet the duty of care it is necessary to ensure that risk of injury from electric shock for all people at the workplace is reduced as far as is reasonably practicable. A method of achieving this duty is by testing and tagging electrical equipment, and implementing procedures for use of electrical equipment.

"Portable electrical equipment, including flexible cords need to be regularly inspected for wear and mechanical damage, and periodically tested for earth continuity and insulation resistance. Procedures for testing of electrical leads, tools and equipment and the frequency of these tests can be found in: Joint Australian and New Zealand Standard AS/NZ 3760 In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment"

Energy Safe Victoria, Regular Checking of Electrical Equipment, September 2005

Electrical Testing and Testing

Electrical equipment needs to be Inspected, tested and tagged on a regular basis. Inspections are to be carried out by a person deemed as competent to undertake the testing. Electrical testing and tagging needs to be in accordance with the performance specifications of AS/NZ3760: 2003 In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment.

In-Service procedures

Where applicable, in-service testing and tagging shall include:

• External inspection of the equipment and the connecting facilities (eg flexible supply cord)
• Protective earth continuity tests for Class 1 equipment, power boards and cord sets
• Insulation testing, which may be achieved by measuring insulation resistance, or leakage current
• Confirmation of the correct polarity of live connections in cord sets with re-wireable plugs and cord extension sockets.

Checks for damage to flexible supply cords that include:

The inner cores of flexible supply cords are not exposed or twisted

The external sheaths of flexible supply cords are not cut, abraded, twisted, or damaged to such an extent that the insulation of the inner cores is visible

Unprotected conductors or the use of banding insulation tape are not in evidence.

Unsafe equipment

To meet your duty of care under the OH&S Act and to comply with the AS/NZ3760:2003, equipment that may be unsafe should be withdrawn immediately from service and have a label attached warning against further use. Arrangements should be made, as soon as possible, for such equipment to be disposed, destroyed, or repaired by an authorised repair agent or competent person. The owner or person responsible for the safety of the site shall determine the choice of remedial action, disposal or other corrective action.

Electrical testing and tagging of all portable appliances as per AS3760 should now be the norm in all workplaces. If this is not the case in your workplace, you as an employee, should approach your employer and request that this be done as soon as possible. If it is not done, then the employer is breaching his/her duty under OH&S regulations

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