Test and Tag Intervals: How often do I Test and Tag?
When understanding the test and tag intervals and how often an electrical appliance should be tested, the main underlying factor is the type of environment that appliance is located in.
Just as important, the AS/NZS 3760 standard (Table 2.4 shown below) should be seen as a minimum test and tag requirement. A lot of workplaces and company owners will have different test and tag frequencies because of their own risk management and OHS planning. Likewise, some of these industries might require you to use certain Test and Tag Colours.
For the most common environments, we recommend the following frequencies:
- 3 months: building, construction and demolition - this requires the most frequent testing due to it being considered a harsh environment and therefore an appliance being damaged is more likely compared to other settings.
- 6 months: factories, warehouses and production - this type of an environment isn't considered as harsh, but because appliances are often used constantly it needs to be tested every 6 months.
- 12 months: an environment where the equipment/supply cord is prone to flexing or open to abuse - this is often referred to as a hostile environment as the appliance can be overused and is therefore exposed to abuse by the user, as well as dust, general deterioration and the weather.
- 5 yearly: an environment where the equipment/supply cord is not prone to flexing or open to abuse - this is commonly referred to as a non-hostile environment - a typical example of this might be a company's server room.
Table 2.4: AS/NZS 3760 - Test and Tag Intervals
According to the AS 3760 Standard which oversees the industry in Australia, the intervals listed below are only a recommendation and should be taken into account as a minimum requirement when you are PAT testing.
If you have been given the job to test and tag a workplace and then discover that the previous person responsible for this task was testing items at a different frequency than recommended, it could be because:
- The person testing and tagging was ill-informed about the test periods and is doing it incorrectly
- The workplace business owner has completed their own risk assessment
It's worth mentioning that in the previous Standard from 2010, it was referred to as Table 4, but has since been updated in the new AS/NZS 3760:2022 Standard to Table 2.4. In addition, the actual information within the table has been slightly adjusted, so it's important to refer to this new table moving forward.
Source: AS/NZS 3760:2022 and SAI Global
If you require any clarification or you're unsure of your test intervals, please email us or call 1300 848 302.
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