Test and tag interval finder
Test and tag means a competent person inspects and tests plug-in electrical equipment, then tags it with the date of the next test. How often depends on where the equipment is used: every 3 months on a construction site, every 6 months in a factory, up to every 5 years in an office. Pick your state and work area to see your interval and next due date.
2. Where is the equipment used?
Pick where the equipment is used to see the test and tag interval.
Any item that is damaged or fails a test should be tagged as unsafe and taken out of use straight away, whatever the interval.
Test and tag frequency by environment
The AS/NZS 3760 and AS/NZS 3012 intervals, as SafeWork SA prints them. Equipment means plug-in tools and appliances, extension leads and powerboards.
| Where it is used | Equipment | RCD push-button (portable / fixed) | RCD timed test (portable / fixed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction or demolition site | 3 months; transportable structures (site sheds), fixed equipment and construction wiring, including switchboards: 6 months | After plugging into the socket and before plugging in equipment, and at least once every day it is used / 1 month | 3 months / 12 months |
| Factory or workshop | 6 months | Daily, or before every use, whichever is longer / 6 months | 12 months / 12 months |
| Hostile area, or the cord flexes in normal use | 12 months | 3 months / 6 months | 12 months / 12 months |
| Office or similar (no flexing, no abuse, not hostile) | 5 years | 3 months / 6 months | 2 years / 2 years |
| Residential type areas | 2 years | 6 months / 6 months | 2 years / 2 years |
| Commercial cleaning equipment | 6 months | Daily, or before every use, whichever is longer / not listed | 6 months / not listed |
| Hire equipment | 3 months; visual inspection, including a push-button test of any portable rcd by the hirer: before every hire | Not listed | 3 months / not listed |
| Repaired, serviced or second-hand equipment | After any repair or service that could affect electrical safety, and before it goes back into use | Not listed | Not listed |
Repaired, serviced and second-hand equipment follows AS/NZS 5762. Construction sites follow AS/NZS 3012, which Business Queensland lists as the 2019 edition.
Test and tag rules by state
Queensland writes test intervals into law. Its Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 makes AS/NZS 3012 law for construction work (section 104). For manufacturing work, plug-in equipment up to 20 amps is tested at least every 6 months, or every year if double insulated, and must be protected by a safety switch (section 107). For service work such as shops, hotels and cleaning, it is at least once a year, and for office work at least every 5 years, unless the equipment is plugged into a safety switch (section 112). Safety switches are tested when first connected and then at the AS/NZS 3760 intervals (sections 110 and 113).
New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory use the WHS laws. A business must have plug-in equipment regularly inspected and tested by a competent person where it is used in conditions that could damage it or shorten its life, such as moisture, heat, vibration, corrosive chemicals or dust. SafeWork NSW points to AS/NZS 3760 for how often, and to AS/NZS 3012 for construction sites.
Victoria has its own OHS laws, so check WorkSafe Victoria guidance for your workplace. The finder shows the AS/NZS 3760 and AS/NZS 3012 intervals for every state.
How it works
The finder holds the interval table for each type of work area. When you pick an area, it shows the gap between tests for equipment and for safety switches, both the push-button test and the timed trip test. If you enter the date of the last test, it adds the interval and shows the next due date. Picking a state adds what the law says there, including the Queensland sections that set their own intervals.
An interval is the longest gap allowed, not a promise the item is safe in between. Look at leads and tools before each use, and take anything with a cut cord, a cracked case or a bent pin out of use at once. On a building site, test and tag sits alongside your electrical safety checklist and, for work near live parts, an electrical SWMS.
Common questions
▸How often do you need to test and tag?
It depends on where the equipment is used. Under AS/NZS 3012, portable tools and leads on a construction site are tested every 3 months. Under AS/NZS 3760, a factory or workshop is every 6 months, a hostile area is every 12 months, and an office where nothing is moved or knocked about is every 5 years. Queensland also sets its own intervals in law for some types of work.
▸Is test and tag a legal requirement in Australia?
In the WHS states and territories, a business must have plug-in equipment regularly inspected and tested by a competent person where it is used in conditions that could damage it or shorten its life. Queensland goes further and sets test intervals in its Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 for construction, manufacturing, office, service, amusement and rural work. Victoria has its own OHS laws.
▸Who can test and tag electrical equipment?
A competent person: someone with the knowledge and skills for the job from training, qualifications or experience. SafeWork SA gives two examples: a person who has done a nationally accredited test and tag course with a registered training organisation, or a licensed electrical worker who is competent in inspection and testing.
▸Does new equipment need to be tested and tagged?
SafeWork SA says new equipment is treated as tested by the maker, but you should still check it for damage before use. New equipment used for construction work still needs a tag showing when the next test is due.
▸What does a test and tag record need to show?
SafeWork NSW says the record must show who did the test, the date, the result and when the next test is due. It must be kept until the next test, and it can be the tag itself. A logbook, register or database also works.
▸How often should safety switches (RCDs) be tested?
There are two tests. The user presses the test button, and a competent person times the trip with an RCD tester. On a construction site, a portable RCD gets a push-button test every day it is used and a timed test every 3 months. A fixed RCD gets a push-button test every month and a timed test every 12 months. The finder above shows the gaps for every other work area.
Sources
- SafeWork SA, Inspection and testing of electrical equipment (AS/NZS 3760 and AS/NZS 3012 interval tables)
- SafeWork NSW, Electrical inspection and testing
- Electrical Safety Regulation 2013 (Qld), Part 6 Division 6, sections 104 to 120
- Business Queensland, Electrical equipment and tool testing and tagging
Electrical work on site needs more than a tag
Test and tag covers the tools and leads. Work on or near energised electrical installations is high risk construction work, and it needs a SWMS before it starts. Check the job with the SWMS checker, or build one now.
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