Category: Latest News

Ensuring workplace safety is every employer’s responsibility. In fact, the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 requires employers to protect workers by eliminating or minimising risks at work.

Electrical testing and tagging is one way to ensure compliance with the Act. It is so cheap and fast that there is no excuse not to do it at the required frequency. You can even do it yourself if you are competent in doing the procedure.

To be considered as a ‘Competent Person’, you must be able to prove competency through training, knowledge or a combination of both. The best way to do this would be to attend a test and tag competency course where you’ll learn the knowledge and skills in using a Portable Appliance Tester (PAT testing) properly. Using a PAT is an easy way to ensure your tools, leads and appliances are compliant and tested for electrical integrity.

Being competent in testing and tagging comes with a number of benefits:

• You save time in looking for a trustworthy and reliable contractor as you could simply train internal staff to carry out testing and tagging to the required standards.
• You save costs through self-compliance. Training is cheaper than hiring a sparkie every few months or so.
• In-house testing and tagging allows you to schedule the inspection at a time most suitable to production requirements, so it doesn’t impede productivity.

It’s a good idea to bring your own test and tag machine when undertaking a test and tag course. This way, you will understand its various features and have firsthand experience of its application.

What type of equipment must be tested and tagged?

New equipment only needs to be visually inspected and tagged. On the other hand, portable appliances that fall into either of the two categories need to be tested and tagged:

Class I – earthed appliances such as irons, kettles and toasters

Class II – double insulated appliances such as electric drills and hair dryers. These are usually identified with the label ‘Double Insulated’ or a symbol (a square within a square)

In short, all devices that have a removable plug, a flexible cable and a high voltage (not exceeding 50V) should be inspected. This includes cord sets, extension leads and portable RCD’s.

How often the appliance should be tested depends on the environment in which it is used. For example, in construction and mining industries where the nature of work is harsh, test and tag procedures must be done every 3 months and meet the appropriate standards.

Remember, electrical safety is your responsibility. It pays to have knowledge of electrical systems that you’re using in the workplace and the regulations that cover their use. Not taking the appropriate actions to provide a safe working environment may result in legal and financial consequences. So it’s always a good idea to be on the side of the law, rather than against it.

If you are interested in doing an electrical testing and tagging course, get in touch with our experts at MetroTest to book your spot.

The following is taken from an Article by Rainey Collins Lawyers, which discusses employers’ responsibilities with regards to test and tag. It reads:

Employers must take all practical steps to ensure the safety of their employees while they are at work. Employers should therefore ‘test and tag’ all electrical appliances or fittings in use, or available for use, within their workplace.

The Electrical (Safety) Regulations 2010 outline that a fitting or appliance will be deemed to be electrically safe if it has a current tag issued in accordance with the testing standard. This provides employers with a set of safety inspection and testing protocols which they can easily enact within their workplace to ensure that they fulfill their electrical safety requirements.

Under the testing standard, employers must regularly inspect and test equipment for damage, wear or other conditions which might render equipment unsafe. This includes:

• Checking for obvious damage and for any discolouration;
• Checking that flexible cords are effectively attached to equipment, plugs, connectors and cord extension sockets;
• Checking that flexible cords are not damaged. For example, inner cores should not be exposed or twisted;
• Checking that warnings on electric portable outlet devices (EPODs) are intact and legible;
• Checking that any operating controls are secure, aligned and appropriately identified;
• Checking that covers and guards are secured and working;
• Checking that ventilation inlets and exhausts are unobstructed;
• Checking that the rating of the plug is consistent with the rating of the equipment;
• Checking that the live connections in rewireable plugs, rewirable connectors and rewireable cord extension sockets are correctly ordered;
• Checking mains and welding leads for damage or excessive charring;
• Testing portable isolating transformers, power supplies and residual current devices which are permanently wired to terminals in equipment;
• Undertaking protective earth continuity tests on equipment like EPODs, cord sets, and cord extension sets; and
• Undertaking a leakage current test or an insulation resistance test on insulation.

Inspection and testing should be carried out by a competent person. The individual is not required to be a registered or licensed electrical practitioner but should have some practical skills or knowledge in the area.

Inspection and testing should occur every 3 months to every 5 years, depending on a business’s circumstances. For example, factories, workshops and places of manufacture, assembly, maintenance or fabrication, should check and test their equipment every 6 months. Equipment used for commercial cleaning should also be tested every 6 months. In other places of work, equipment that is subject to normal use or is open to abuse or is in a hostile environment should be tested every 12 months. Alternatively, equipment that is not subject to normal use or is not open to abuse or is not in a hostile environment should be tested every 5 years. Residential areas of work such as hotels, halls and hostels should test their equipment every 2 years, while hire equipment should be tested and tagged every 3 months. If the workplace is a construction or demolition site and has a temporary power connection then all appliances must be tested every 3 months.

Any non-compliant equipment should be appropriately labelled and withdrawn from use. Employers may choose whether to remedy the equipment or dispose of it. Compliant equipment should be fitted with a durable, non-reusable, non-metallic tag that records the name of the person or company who performed the test, the test or inspection date, a retest date, and a reference to the relevant testing standard.

Employers will be held strictly liable under the Electrical (Safety) Regulations, if an employee is injured by an appliance or fitting that does not meet the safety standards.