Author: Metrotest

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Win A Spot On A Metrotest AS/NZS3760 Test And Tag Training Course!

Have you heard the good news yet?

New Zealand’s No. 1 Test and Tag training and equipment supplier are pleased to announce that once again we will be training in more locations around New Zealand.

Our goal has always been to provide effective and efficient training and equipment to ensure electrical safety. Our customers’ needs are our No. 1 priority.

To celebrate the start of the New Year, we are giving away a place on one of our AS/NZS 3760 test and tag training courses of your choice scheduled to be held in New Zealand!

You’ve read that right! If you have always wanted to attend one of our training courses, now’s your chance to join for free – and you also get to choose where to attend.

Training Locations

Currently, Metrotest serves the following locations across New Zealand:
• Hamilton
• Rotorua
• New Plymouth
• Napier/Hastings
• Blenheim
• Greymouth
• Invercargill
• Queenstown
• Auckland Airport
• Wellington
• Dunedin
• Auckland North
• Tauranga
• Gisborne
• Palmerston North
• Nelson
• Christchurch

How to go in the draw

There are only three simple steps to win:
1. Like Metrotest on Facebook.
2. Like this post and comment where you would like to attend the training course.
3. Comment where you would like to attend the training course.

It’s that simple. Then all you have to do is wait and keep your fingers crossed!

Who can join?

Anyone who is interested can join the contest. Whether you need a refresher or you want to start your own test and tag business, this is your golden opportunity.

Here’s a disclaimer: Flights, transfers or accommodation are not included in the prize. But if you live near any of our training locations, then those things will be the least of your worries.

Or if you don’t mind flying over a distance, then you’re welcome to join! We guarantee a quality training that will be worth your while. Modesty aside, Metrotest is a highly sought after test and tag training provider with a huge number of repeat business. Our training courses are always updated according to the AS/NZS 3760 Standards.

For more information about testing and tagging, here are some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) and their answers:

Who can test and tag?

Basically, anyone who is deemed competent can do it. And to become competent, you have to successfully complete a test and tag training course from a legit and reputable training provider. After completing the training and assessment, you will receive a certification that allows you to carry out testing and tagging immediately.

That’s right. You won’t need electrical qualifications or electrical registration at all. But you do need the right equipment, which is a portable appliance tester (PAT), to do testing and tagging.

Why test and tag?

Electrical devices can be found in any office or workplace. Yet it’s no secret that any device that runs on electricity is potentially dangerous. If minimising the dangers or risks is part of your responsibility, then you need to test and tag on schedule.

The Electrical (Safety) Regulations 2010 require all electrical equipment and fittings used in the workplace, or offered for hire or lease, to be safe for use. While it’s not mandatory, testing and tagging electrical equipment is an effective way to check their safety.

In case you’re wondering, there is an alternative to testing. Some electricians use residual current devices or RCDs to check for earth leakage. However, this is not an acceptable method for construction or demolition sites, and the testing device itself will need to be tested and tagged.

What types of equipment does this apply to?

Pretty much anything that is plugged into an electrical connection or wired into the building, from small portable devices to large industrial machinery. This applies to both single- and three-phase connections.

Additionally, you can test and tag the following:
• New equipment before use
• Second-hand appliances offered for sale
• Appliances that have had repairs or services
• Medical equipment (in accordance to AS/NZS 3551:2004 Technical management programs for medical devices)

Items that are hard wired or fixed in place don’t need to be tested.

How often is testing and tagging done?

The Standards set out recommended time frames for different types of equipment in different work environments. This is based on the fact that the environment affects the rate of wear and tear or potential damage to the equipment. For instance, machines used in a ‘hostile environment’ such as construction sites, must be tested and tagged once every three months. On the other hand, office equipment and protected appliances need testing once every 1 or 5 years.

Testing and tagging is a growing business in New Zealand. And now’s the best time to learn the skill and the secrets of the trade.

Join our contest today for a chance to train with Metrotest! This may just be the career or business opportunity you are wishing for this New Year!

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It’s The Perfect Time To Test And Tag In Auckland!

The new year has just begun and business is getting back underway. This is the perfect time to make sure you have everything sorted for the coming year. Which includes test and tagging your electrical appliances.

Getting your appliances tested and tagged will ensure they are in good condition for use throughout the year, and it also means that you will not have to worry about getting it done later, so you can focus on your work. It will also ensure that your workplace is safe. Some benefits include:

  • Ensuring a safe working environment
  • Preventing problems with your appliances from occurring
  • Keeping risk of dangers to a minimum
  • Avoiding legal problems and fines

How to test and tag
There are several options you have if you decide to test and tag your appliances in Auckland. You can take our test and tag training course, where you will learn how to test your own appliances and become a legally competent individual, and do the test and tagging yourself, or you can take advantage of our test and tag service in Auckland and let us do it for you.

If you take the course, you will get:

  • Training on how to test all electrical appliance types in New Zealand
  • How to use PAT testers to test the appliances and print or fill out labels
  • Receive a Metrotest ID card stating you are a competent person to test and tag

If you hire us, you will get:

  • Professional service by experts in test and tag
  • Guaranteed safety and accuracy
  • Assurance that your electrical equipment is safe
  • Free full reporting (many testing companies charge extra for this)

In either case, by taking action you will ensure that the electrical appliances in your workplace are safe, in good working order and will be ready to get the job done in 2019. You will also ensure that your workplace conforms to legal requirements.

If you would like more information, get in touch with us at Metrotest today!

 

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Metrotest Auckland Training Courses Coming Soon to North Shore

The New Year is just around the corner, and we have good news to get your 2019 off to a great start. We are happy to announce that, starting next year, we are going to run our training courses in the North Shore!

Metrotest is a reliable industry professional partner when it comes to electrical instrument supply and training. Our goal is to help as many people and companies as possible to minimize risks and hazards by obtaining competence and certification in testing and tagging electrical devices.

The decision to bring our electrical safety training courses in North Shore comes after seeing the growing need for compliance and workplace safety in the area.

Below are some of the training courses we offer:

Product Training Course

This course covers the proper and safe operation of electrical instruments like RCD testers, multimeters and portable appliance testers (PATs). It is an on-site, instructor-led workshop that teaches you how to use test and measurement devices. Expect to learn about the types of test instruments, routine maintenance tasks, preventive and predictive maintenance, and more.

You can book this training for your staff or yourself to ensure you get accurate readings and testing information every time.

AS/NZ 3760:2010 Training Course

Knowledge of applicable standards and regulations is important where electrical equipment testing is concerned. This course, also known as In-service Safety Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment, covers correct and safe procedures in testing and tagging electrical items, according to class type, nature of use, etc. It also touches on regulatory requirements for record keeping, tagging information, etc.

Anyone can take this course. You do not need to be an electrically registered professional. So if you want yourself or your own in-house team to test and tag the electrical equipment in your office or workplace, you can have them take this training.

We offer an initial training course as well as a refresher training course.

AS/NZS 3551:2012 Training Course

The AS/NZS 3551 Standard outlines protocols and procedures for developing management programs for medical equipment. In this course, you will learn how to test and tag medical devices to ensure compliance with the Standard.

Head on over to our Training Courses page to learn more or to book your training! Or you may call us on 0800 638 768 (NZ) or 1800 789 973 (AU) if you wish to speak to a professional.

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Earth Leakage Testing

Put simply, earth leakage or ground leakage is electric current that “leaks” to earth or ground via an unintended conductive path – usually through the insulation. When this occurs, a live phase comes in contact with the ground, creating a fault current that’s enough to activate the corresponding circuit breaker.

In some cases, it may not result in a fault current right if the live phase comes in contact with a device that is not in contact with the earth. But the moment someone touches the device containing the live phase, the resulting fault current begins to flow through the person to the earth, resulting in what we call as electrocution.

What Causes Earth Leakage?

Earth leakage can occur unintentionally or by design. More specifically, unintentional earth leakage may happen due to insulation or equipment faults. On the other hand, some electrical systems such as high-frequency fluorescent lighting and IT equipment normally produce small amounts of leakage under normal operating conditions.

Regardless of the source, earth leakage must be tested and protected to prevent causing electric shocks. One protection method is to use an isolated power system (IPS) integrated with an insulation monitoring device. A more common method is by integrating an automatic disconnection of the supply (ADS), which is usually based on residual current devices (RCDs) or residual current circuit breakers with overcurrent protection (RCBOs).

Both RCDs and RCBOs monitor and compare the current flowing in the line and neutral conductors. Any difference in the measurements that exceeds the sensitivity setting or mA rating of the RCD or RCBO will cause the device to trip.

Earth leakage protection works as well as intended most of the time. However, there are times when the RCD or RCBO device trips for no apparent reason, i.e. “nuisance” tripping. This is where the need for an earth leakage current testing arises.

How is Earth Leakage Tested?

If you encounter nuisance tripping problems, you can use an earth leakage clamp meter to measure the imbalance between the line and neutral conductors which is the total earth leakage of the system. An earth leakage clamp meter allows you to test the circuit in a safe, fast and easy way. It is a handheld device that you simply clamp around a conductor and will instantly give you a reading of the actual leakage current. It can detect small currents down to a hundredth of a milliamp, so you can use this to find the problem circuit. From there, you can either isolate the broken circuit or go on to find out if there’s a particular problem appliance.

Once the problematic circuit is located, you need to figure out whether the earth leakage is intentional or unintentional. If unintentional or caused by a fault, the fault must be repaired. Intentional earth leakage may require some form of circuit splitting or load spreading.

Who can carry out earth leakage testing?

Any competent person may test low-voltage circuits where the alternating current is below 1,000 V. Where the electricity supply exceeds that limit or hard wiring is required, only a licensed electrician may conduct the RCD testing.

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Metrotest Will Be Joining the Auckland Build 2018 Expo!

Auckland Build is New Zealand’s largest gathering of professionals from the construction, architecture, design and facilities management sectors. These include builders, architects, contracts manager, financiers, consultants, suppliers, developers, government and other key players in the industry.

For 2018, the organisers of the event, Oliver Kinross Ltd, have prepared 4 industry-leading summits and conferences. There’s the Auckland Build Expo Conference, the Buildings and Facilities Management Summit, the BIM & Digital Construction Summit and the Women in Construction Summit, which are all free to join for attendees! Supported by over 200 exhibitors, 60 build partners and 90 senior speakers, this year’s show is going to be the grandest and biggest in its history. Thousands of attendees are expected to gather for the 2-day event – and the Metrotest team is going to be one of them!

This year’s theme will be built around: Women in Construction, the KiwiBuild house building programme, building management, smart technology, the cost to build in New Zealand, recruitment and training, and many more.

Among the important topics that will be discussed are:

  • Concrete and sustainability
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Ecolabels
  • Innovation in sustainable building materials
  • Why quality matters in NZ’ housing crisis
  • Ethical timber
  • Challenges women face within the construction industry
  • Initiatives and programs to increase female participation
  • Companies that are taking initiatives to increase diversity
  • Augmented and virtual reality (VR) in construction planning and visualization
  • BIM, VR and controlling
  • Opportunities and developments in Auckland
  • Buildings of the future
  • Design solutions for Auckland 2027
  • The coming revolution to buildings and homes

In addition to the live demonstrations, exhibitions and free conferences, we heard there will also be live music and a beer craft festival. So it will be a fun way to get the latest developments, trends and opportunities in the construction and design industry, as well as to add new important contacts to your networking list.

Opening times will be:

Thursday 8th November: 9:30AM – 6 PM
Friday 9th November: 9:30AM – 5 PM

Come and meet the Metrotest team on November 8th and 9th at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland! See you there!

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PAT Tester Comparisons

Are you interested to know which PAT tester is the one you need? When selecting a PAT tester, it can be difficult to know which has which features, which features you actually need, and how they compare price wise.

We have made this video to explain all that. Mark Goldthorpe, Director of Metrotest, explains several popular PAT testers including testers by Seaward, Megger and Sonel, their features, price, and how they compare:

If you are looking at purchasing a PAT tester, we highly recommend you watch this video. If you still need assistance in selecting a tester, you can contact us on 0800 638 768 and we will help you select a PAT tester that best suits your needs. You can view our online range of PAT testers here.