Under the terms of the New Zealand Standard, the following people can complete Testing and Tagging:
A Licensed registered person (with a current practicing license) is deemed competent to Test and Repair
B Competent person. Who must be someone deemed “competent” by a “responsible” person from the enterprise they are employed by to test and tag.
This can only be in house within that enterprise.
That person can not repair as only a registered person is licensed in NZ to make repair.
Please note, New Zealand Electrical Safety legislation specifies that electrical repairs of portable appliances can only be completed by a suitably trained and qualified person holding a Restricted Electrical Contractors License.
All EPASS technicians hold the appropriate licenses and qualifications required to conduct Testing and Tagging and effect repairs in New Zealand.
No. Testing and tagging using only a multimeter and an insulation tester, or one of the low cost Pass/Fail PAT testers on the market, does not comply with the requirements of AS/NZ3760:2010.
It is mandatory for leakage current tests to be undertaken with equipment that has an electronic, magnetic or membrane type on/off switch. Most modern office equipment uses membrane type On/Off electronic switches as do many power tools.Examples of magnetic switches include new toasters (which will not latch without power applied) and new power tools.
These appliances must be powered up to get past the electronic or magnetic switch, and the item cannot be powered up by testing with a multimeter and insulation tester.If your provider is testing using only a multimeter and an insulation tester, you may find that your appliances have a fault beyond the switch that cannot be detected through their testing.
This type of testing does not satisfy your duty of care to provide a safe workplace.
AS/NZS 3760:2010 is specific about re-inspection protocols which vary according to the location of equipment, the environment in which it operates, and the level of risk associated with use.
Testing of items varies from daily in extreme circumstances, monthly, three monthly, six monthly, yearly, two-yearly or five-yearly.
In the majority of business situations, testing is required yearly for some items and 5 yearly for items in use in a low risk environment.
Timeframes and environments are outlined in Table 4 of the New Zealand standard. Ensure your service provider is knowledgeable and accurate about re-inspection time frames as failing to inspect in accordance to the time frames scheduled in Table 4 of AS/NZS 3760: 2010 can mean you are failing to comply with the safety requirements of maintaining a safe workplace, or are testing too frequently!
EPASS offer a reminder service to ensure you are always compliant with AS/NZS 3760:2010.
Yes. AS/NZS 3760:2010 specifies a tolerance of 2 weeks prior to the date the appliance is due for retesting, and 2 weeks after the appliance is due for retesting.
This gives organisations a 4 week window in which to schedule the retesting of their appliances.
At the conclusion of testing, EPASS will email you a link, login and password to download your test and tag results from our secure online reporting portal.
You are able to download your results in PDF, XL or CSV format for ease of data management.
The interactive nature of our secure reporting portal gives you the ability to generate reports for multiple sites or for individual rooms within a site.
AS/NZS 3760:2010 requires the following record keeping establishing the history of tests:
A test tag attached to each item indicating date, item, person performing the test, and status (pass/fail) of test An asset register and historical record of all test items and test results.
A record of results including faulty item and repair action
All electrical items designed for connection by flexible supply cord and plug top to 240v or 415v volt power needs to be inspected, tested and tagged in every type of workplace, organisation, or community centre.
The following items are excluded from testing and tagging under AS/NZS 3760:2010:
Fixed or “hard wired” items
Items at a height exceeding 2.5mtrs
Items which need to be dismantled to establish safety of operation
Demonstration items, sample items or new stock in a retail or warehouse outlet
Portable electrical appliances located in all areas of your workplace need to be tested and tagged. Some of these areas may include:
Office
Factory
Laboratory
Workshop
Classroom / training room
Construction areas
Temporary locations
Manufacturing areas
Retail sales areas
When conducting testing and tagging, EPASS technicians come across many of the following electrical safety hazards:
Frayed cords
Wiring faults (even on brand new items!)
Safety switches (RCD’s) not working
Earthing system faulty
Incorrect wiring
Unsafe and hazardous environments
Electrical appliances exposed to moisture, corrosion, vibration.
Your test and tag service provider should be able to give you specialist knowledge, expertise and assistance in meeting your compliance obligations – not just simply placing tags on flexible cords.
Your expert test and tag provider will be able to:
Explain relevant sections of your OH&S and Electrical Safety legislationExplain relevant sections of the New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 3760:2010Advise you of your electrical safety obligations under the standards and WHS legislation
Identify the correct retest time frames for your appliances in accordance with the standard and WHS legislation
Identify the items that require testing under the standard and WHS legislationAnswer all your electrical safety questions on site
Provide you with a detailed electronic report of all testing and tagging completed on site
Contact you when your items require retesting to schedule a convenient time
A quality test and tag provider will provide you with piece of mind that your electrical safety obligations are satisfied, and will remove the compliance headache.
Double insulated appliances (eg drills, angle grinders, and some kitchen appliances) only have two pins – an active and a neutral.
The plugs of some double insulated appliances may have an earth pin which is not connected.
These items usually have the markings of a square box within a square box or double D.
These symbols indicate that the appliance is double insulated.
Double insulated appliances should be tested and tagged in accordance with Table 4 of AS/NZS 3760:2010.
Testing and tagging is the procedure for the safety checking of electrical appliances.
In order to satisfy your duty of care and comply with WHS legislation, all workplaces New Zealand-wide must be able to demonstrate safe systems of work, including electrical safety.
Portable appliances such as power tools and kettles are items that are most frequently handled by workers, and are also the most open to abuse and hostile environmental conditions which can cause them to become electrically unsafe.
Testing and Tagging is a strategy which minimises the risk of electrical shock to your staff.Each piece of equipment is inspected, electrically tested, and then tagged at regular intervals.
A record of these tests is then kept as part of your overall OH&S risk management documentation.
If you are contemplating conducting testing and tagging in-house, you will need to consider the purchase of the appropriate equipment along with the ongoing training of your staff.
Some of the main factors to consider are:
Initial and ongoing staff training in testing and tagging
Testing Equipment and Printer Test Tags
New Zealand Standards and guidance materials Purchase and training in the use of reporting software. Based on over 12 years of direct testing and tagging experience, we know that an in house test and tag program will cost you more than an outsourced service.
An outsourced service also holds the appropriate insurances.
If your organisation is currently conducting an in-house testing program we suggest you compare the internal costs of maintenance to outsourced contract service from EPASS.
We are confident the results will surprise you!
All electrical items designed for connection by flexible supply cord and plug top to 240v or 415v volt power needs to be inspected, tested and tagged in every type of workplace, organisation, or community centre.
The following items are excluded from testing and tagging under AS/NZS 3760:2003:
Fixed or “hard wired” items
Items at a height exceeding 2.5mtrs
Items which need to be dismantled to establish safety of operation
Demonstration items, sample items or new stock in a retail or warehouse outlet
All portable plug in appliances and electrical plug in appliances located in your workplace and plugged in to a power point situated less than 2.5ms from the ground require inspection, testing and tagging.
For example, the following items require testing and tagging:
Laptop
Computers
Desktop computers and monitors
Printers
Photocopiers
Fax machines
Staff kitchen & tea room appliances
All electric power tools
Extension cords
Power boards
IEC Leads
All double insulated appliances
Audio/visual equipment
Portable air conditioners
Isolation transformers
Desk lamps
Vacuum cleaners and electrical cleaning equipment
Fork lift chargers
3 phase electrical equipment
RCD’s – Safety Switch
No. Each individual appliance is assessed prior to testing, and the appropriate test determined and conducted.
All EPASS technicians are expertly trained with many years of experience, ensuring your electrical appliances are free from damage.
Depending on the appliance, testing and tagging of each item will take several minutes.
Each appliance is comprehensively visually tested prior to any electrical test being conducted.
Appliances also require a number of electrical tests to be completed before the item can be deemed to have “passed” the test and tag process.
EPASS technicians conduct their testing and tagging as efficiently as possible, ensuring minimal disruption to your daily business activities.
Yes, prior to testing each appliance, the equipment needs to be switched off or “powered down”.
After conducting a risk assessment, should you request an item such as a server to be visually tested only, your EPASS technician will not require this item to be powered down.
Items with a danger tag have failed testing.
They must either be repaired or replaced before reintroduction to the workplace.
They are highly dangerous and should not be used under any circumstances.
Contact the EPASS on 0800 837 848 and a friendly EPASS consultant will make the appropriate arrangements.
Alternatively, email sales@testandtag.epass.co.nz or use our contact form by clicking here
Under the standard, the following basic tests may be conducted on each appliance:
Visual inspection
Insulation resistance
Earth continuity
Polarity Earth leakage
EPASS are committed to ensuring your business experiences minimal disruption during the testing and tagging of your items.
EPASS therefore offer a convenient on site Plug and Socket repair service and can supply replacement Extension Leads, IEC Leads and Powerboards.
Please note, due to state legislation, on site Plug and Socket repairs are not permitted to be completed by EPASS in New Zealand.
Newly purchased items do not need to be tested upon purchase; however under AS/NZS 3760:2010 they must be tagged upon introduction to the workplace to indicate they are newly purchased and not simply missed in a previous round of testing.
The applied tag must state the appliance is New to Service, that is has not been tested, and must indicate the date in which it will be tested.
Your EPASS technician, or the EPASS support office, can provide you with New to Service tags to serve this purpose.
Our power tools and appliances have worked for years.
Appliances can still function when they are unsafe. Here are two common scenarios:
a) The Earth (Green) wire (inside the cord) becomes severed or detached from the metal appliance casing. In this case, the appliance will still appear to function normally.
However, if a fault occurs and electrical current flows to the metal casing, a person who touches the appliance will suffer an electric shock.
b) The cord of a frequently used appliance such as a power drill becomes worn internally. The cord looks normal on the outside, but inside, the copper wires protrude through the insulation, and begin to short circuit. There is a real risk of an electrical fire in this case.
Over 10 years of experience has shown us that 5% of all appliances we test are unsafe. Most of these faulty appliances have the potential to cause electric shock, electrocution, or electrical fire.
On many sites we have tested, the failure rates have been as high as 10%.