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What Is AS/NZ 3760?
Why Should I Test And Tag
My Electrical Equipment?
How Often Do I Have To Get
My Equipment Tested?
What Does Test And Tagging
Involve?
What Equipment Needs to be
Tested?
What Is AS/NZ
3760?
A document written by
Standards Australia that specifies the procedures and criteria for the
in-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment which is
designed for connection by a flexible cord. It also applies to cord extension
sets, portable outlet devices, portable residual current devices and portable
isolation transformers. Appendices include detailed test methods.
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Why Should I Test
And Tag My Electrical Equipment?
As individuals and the
broader community alike become more aware and concerned with adhering to
Occupational Health and Safety laws, great care has to be taken to avoid
accidents in the workplace. The presence of regulations protecting employees
against company negligence, means that the prosecution of the employer in cases
of negligence is much more likely and harsher penalties are faced, than were in
the past.
A well
planned program of preventive maintenance, with regular electrical safety
checks, is the ideal way to avoid unnecessary and unfortunate accidents, as well
as the legal ramifications that follow.
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How Often Do I
Have To Get My Equipment Tested?
Every work situation is
different and the frequency of testing depends on the harshness of the
environment in question. There may be multiple environments in the one
workplace, which means that some appliances may need to be retested in as little
as 3 months if the surroundings are harsh. However, if the surrounding
environment is less detrimental to the appliance itself, retest dates may extend
to a period of anywhere up to 5 years.
Australian Standards AS3760 clearly outline how often portable appliances in
different workplace environments must be tested as outlined in the document
linked below.
Testing
and inspection intervals for electrical equipment
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What Does Test
And Tagging Involve?
The process of testing
appliance involves the following:
Visual Inspection:
The most important test is a Visual Inspection of the device, especially leads.
Cords should be firmly anchored in plugs, connections made solidly with no
frayed ends. Copper terminals should be clean and not pitted.
Electrical Testing:
The appliance will be tested with various test equipment to test for any unseen
electrical faults. These tests include; an insulation resistance test; earth
continuity, earth routine or earth bond test; a polarity test; and an earth
leakage test.
Record Keeping:
Although the AS3760 does not refer to record keeping upon completion of any
test, various codes of practices refer to this. In spite of this we recommend
all information be recorded comprehensively, whether in a database or by hand in
a log book.
Tags:
A safety tag must be placed on the appliance verifying its safe approval. This
tag must clearly display:
- The name of the tester or test companies
- The date tested or retest date
The
above are the only things that are outlined in Australian Standards, however we
recommend that the tag should contain both the name of the tester and the test
company name, and both the date tested and the retest date.
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What Equipment
Needs to be Tested?
Any appliance within a
business that has a flexible cord that plugs into either a single phase 240V
power outlet or 3 phase 415V power outlet needs to be tested regularly to ensure
that the appliance is electrically safe to use within the workplace. These
appliances include anything from computers to toasters, or drills and other
tools to factory machinery. Any appliance within the workplace that is under
16kg or is over 16kg but has a carry handle (which makes it portable), needs to
be tested, and continue to be tested in order to adhere to Occupational Health
and Safety regulations, and comply with Australian Standards AS/NZ 3760.
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