Draft of Test & Tag standard available for comment on ALIA web site

Well done Craig, you have got it correct. Providing a safe work environment needs people to be able to work with the system set up by an organisation to manage the potential risk to their employees/members and the public when using portable electrical equipment. There is no use setting up a regimented system of testing and tagging every 3 months if you go broke paying for someone to do the test & tag. If you are not using the equipment, it can be quaratined in a room as being clearly labelled as serviceable or unserviceable. With a sign on the door stating that any serviceable item taken from the room needs to be inspected before use by a competent person before being used. Any unserviceable item needs to repaired then tested and tagged before use by a competent person. If no label fitted then it has to be tested and tagged before use. AS/NZS3760 allows for a testing interval to be determined in conjunction with a risk analysis by competent people. There is a table with recommended test intevals for those organisiations that are unable to justify a variation in test intervals. AS/NZS3760 does not state you have to test and tag every piece of electrical equipment. There is provisions for non hostile environments and new to service equipment where a regime of visual inspections by users before every use is acceptable, reinforced by regular workplace inspections by supervisors and persons responsible for the workplace. What AS/NZS3760 states is that every piece of portable electrical equipment has to be Tagged. For a guide on how to ecconomically implement testing and tagging, have a look at the University of Western Australia Electrical Equipment Safety Policy http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/policies/electricalpolicy