Electrical Test and Tagging - Your Legal Requirements

Your Duty of Care

The NSW Occupational Health & Safety Act 2000 and Occupational Health & Safety Regulation 2001 states employers have legal requirements in regards to providing a safe working environment for their employees. These legal requirements include the testing and tagging of portable appliances within the workplace. Under the duty of care obligations for Occupational Health & Safety in the work place all electrical equipment of the plug in type is to be assessed for risk periodically.

The specific clauses of the OH&S Regulation 2006 that relate to testing and tagging are as follows:

Division 8 Clause 64 Electricity—particular risk control measures

(1) An employer must ensure that any risk of injury from electricity at a place of work is eliminated or, if elimination is not reasonably practicable, the risk is controlled.

(2) An employer must ensure that:

(a) Electrical installations at places of work

all electrical installations at a place of work are inspected and tested, after they are installed and prior to their energising for normal use, by a competent person to ensure they are safe for use, and

(a1) all electrical installations at a place of work are maintained by a competent person to ensure they remain safe for use, and

(a2) Electrical articles used in construction work

all electrical articles that are used in construction work are regularly inspected, tested and maintained by a competent person to ensure they are safe for use if the articles are supplied with electricity through an electrical outlet socket, and

(a3) Electrical articles that may be affected by hostile environment

all electrical articles that are supplied with electricity through an electrical outlet socket that are at a place of work where the safe operation of the electrical article could be affected by a hostile operating environment are regularly inspected, tested and maintained by a competent person to ensure they are safe for use, and

(a4) Electrical installations and articles found to be unsafe

all electrical installations and electrical articles at a place of work that are found to be unsafe are disconnected from the electricity supply and are repaired, replaced or permanently removed from use, and

(3) In this clause, hostile operating environment means an operating environment at a place of work where an electrical article is in its normal use subjected to operating conditions that are likely to result in damage to the article, and, for example, includes an operating environment that may:

(a) cause mechanical damage to the article, or

(b) expose the article to moisture, heat, vibration, corrosive substances or dust that is likely to result in damage to the article.

Maximum Penalty: Level 4.

Division 8 Clause 65 Maintenance of records—electricity

(1) An employer must ensure that a record is made and kept of all inspections and tests made and maintenance carried out on electrical articles required by this Part.

(2) In particular, the following information is to be recorded:

(a) the name of the person who made the inspection or carried out the test or maintenance,

(b) the date on which, or dates over which, the inspection was made or the test or maintenance was carried out,

(c) the result or outcome of the inspection, test or maintenance,

(d) the date by which the next inspection and test must be carried out.

Maximum Penalty: Level 2.

Regulatory Contacts

New South Wales

WorkCover NSW

92-100 Donnison Street , Gosford.

Postal Address: Locked Bag 2906, Lisarow NSW 2252

WorkCover assistance service, Phone: 13 10 50

Website: www.workcover.nsw.gov.au

Victoria

Victorian WorkCover Authority

Level 24, 222 Exhibition St

Melbourne 3000

WorkCover Advisory Service

Ph (03) 9641 1555

Fax (03) 9641 1222

Website: www.workcover.vic.gov.au

Queensland

Electrical Safety Office

Department of Industrial Relations

Level 6, Neville Bonner Building

75 William Street

Brisbane Qld 4000

Postal Address: GPO Box 69

Brisbane Qld 4001

Telephone: (07) 3237 0220

Facsimile: (07) 3237 0229

Website: www.eso.qld.gov.au.

Australian Capital Territory

ACTPLA

Central Office, Ground Floor, North,

Dame Pattie Menzies House,

16 Challis Street Dickson

Telephone: (02) 6207 1926

Fax: (02) 6207 1925

Website: www.actpla.act.gov.au

ACT Workcover

Level 4 Eclipse House

197 London Circuit

Canberra City ACT 2601

Postal Address: PO Box 224

Civic Square ACT 2608

Telephone: (02) 6205 0200

Facsimile: (02) 6205 0336

Website: www.workcover.act.gov.au

Commonwealth OH&S regulator, Comcare

Level 1, 14 Moore St

Canberra ACT 2600

Postal Address: GPO Box 9905

Canberra ACT 2601

Telephone: 1300 366 979

Facsimile: (02) 6257 5634

Website: www.comcare.gov.au

Tasmania

Workplace Standards Tasmania

30 Gordons Hill Rd ,

Rosny Park 7018

Postal Address: PO Box 56

Rosny Park TAS 7018

Telephone: 1300 366 322

Website: www.wsa.tas.gov.au

Northern Territory

Electrical Safety Office

Minerals House

66 The Esplanade

Darwin NT 0800

Postal Address: GPO Box 4821

Darwin NT 0801

Telephone: (08) 8999 5010

Facsimile: (08) 8999 6260

Website: www.deet.nt.gov.au/wha/pages/electrical

South Australia

Office of the Technical Regulator (SA)

Level 19 Wakefield House

30 Wakefield Street

Adelaide SA 5000

Telephone: (08) 8226 5500

Facsimile: (08) 8226 5523

Website: www.technicalregulator.sa.gov.au

Western Australia

Energy Safety Directorate

West Leederville Office (Head Office)

20 Southport Street

WEST LEEDERVILLE, Western Australia 6007

Phone: (08) 9422 5200

Facsimile: (08) 9422 5244

Website: www.energysafety.wa.gov.au

Work Safe Western Australia

5th Floor, 1260 Hay Street

WEST PERTH WA 6005

Postal Address: PO Box 294

WEST PERTH WA 6872

Telephone: (08) 9327 8777

Facsimile: (08) 9321 8973

Website: www.safetyline.wa.gov.au

New Zealand

Energy Safety Service

33 Bowen Street

Wellington, New Zealand

Postal Address: PO Box 1473

Wellington , New Zealand.

Telephone: + 64 4 472 0030

Facsimile: + 64 4 460 1365

Website: www.ess.govt.nz