Can you test and tag your own equipment?
Can you test and tag your own equipment?
Don’t DIY this one, the short answer is maybe but probably not. Probably is the key term here. Unless you’re a competent person as defined by law.
By the legislative definitions most employers or companies are unlikely to have competent people just around the business who can test and tag equipment without prior knowledge and have specific training or specific knowledge, so this isn’t a job for your operations manager or IT person unless they are competent as defined by law.
You also need specific equipment to do the tests so it’s often cheaper to hire an external provider to do your testing other than investing in the equipment yourself (our opinion).
However, If you are already asking this question, then we’ll assume that for whatever reason you might be thinking about doing this yourself, therefore we’ll help direct you to the safest route to potentially do this process right yourself while being compliant and acquiring the correct knowledge and tools.
Don’t DIY this one, the short answer is maybe but probably not. Probably is the key term here. Unless you’re a competent person as defined by law.
By the legislative definitions most employers or companies are unlikely to have competent people just around the business who can test and tag equipment without prior knowledge and have specific training or specific knowledge, so this isn’t a job for your operations manager or IT person unless they are competent as defined by law.
You also need specific equipment to do the tests so it’s often cheaper to hire an external provider to do your testing other than investing in the equipment yourself (our opinion).
However, If you are already asking this question, then we’ll assume that for whatever reason you might be thinking about doing this yourself, therefore we’ll help direct you to the safest route to potentially do this process right yourself while being compliant and acquiring the correct knowledge and tools.
Quick competency test
- an amp is
- RCDs (portable vs fixed)
- the type of insulation of various equipment
- Various types of circuit protections
Quick competency test
- an amp is
- RCDs (portable vs fixed)
- the type of insulation of various equipment
- Various types of circuit protections
What makes you a “competent” person?
- First, you don’t need to be an electrician, but you do need a good degree of knowledge about electricity and safety while handling electrical equipment, and an appreciation for the need to test and tag.
- Know about and fully understand the AS/NZS 3760 2022 standards.
- Know about various types of cords and how they are affected by their environment, for example space hostility and its impact on cords.
- Know about the applicable laws of test and tag in your state or territory.
Best way to gain it is through an official course, this is often provided by a licensed course provider. It takes about a day to complete but you’ll need specific equipment to do the tests after completion. We don’t do these courses since we are service focused only, but you can find many near you through a simple Google search.
Best way to gain it is through an official course, this is often provided by a licensed course provider. It takes about a day to complete but you’ll need specific equipment to do the tests after completion. We don’t do these courses since we are service focused only, but you can find many near you through a simple Google search.
Test and tag courses frequently asked questions (we don’t do them)
Test and tag courses frequently asked questions (we don’t do them)
It ranges based on the equipment features, but it goes from basic PAT (portable appliance tester) at $600 to $2000 and above for some machines. You’ll also need tags showing specific information such as the test date with other necessary information to be compliant and a logbook.
Example of a compliant tag.
Absolutely, but not super common. Generally, people who tend to test their own equipment tend to be bigger companies who need their equipment tested more frequently or have a lot of it, so it becomes economically viable to do this job in house rather than hire someone else to do it. So if this is you, then you’re more than welcome to seek the correct knowledge, meet the competency requirements, and acquire the tools to do your own tests; otherwise it’s best to get someone else to do it for you as it’s very affordable for most businesses to outsource externally.
For example, some large chain hotels have a lot of equipment and prefer to get their own competent people in house as they have too much equipment and sometimes with various intervals in different environments so it’s often cheaper for them to do in house.
They can be as cheap as $2 a tag depending on volume and also the type of equipment you want tested, these two variables (volume and equipment type) play the main role in determining overall pricing. For example equipment in an office will tend to be easier to test than workshops or constructions so that can affect overall pricing.
It ranges based on the equipment features, but it goes from basic PAT (portable appliance tester) at $600 to $2000 and above for some machines. You’ll also need tags showing specific information such as the test date with other necessary information to be compliant and a logbook.
Example of a compliant tag.
What could go wrong if DIY?
What could go wrong if DIY?
Definitely not a good outcome for anyone if things aren’t done properly by a competent person. If you test equipment yourself and it fails after you tagged it as working, then you could face fines, void your insurance or cause property and personal damage, please do not attempt if not competent. It’s better to get a professional to do it, also very cheap too.
Definitely not a good outcome for anyone if things aren’t done properly by a competent person. If you test equipment yourself and it fails after you tagged it as working, then you could face fines, void your insurance or cause property and personal damage, please do not attempt if not competent. It’s better to get a professional to do it, also very cheap too.
Save yourself the hassle and get a professional to do it.
We’ll also send you completion reports and remind you about your next tests.
Save yourself the hassle and get a professional to do it, we’ll also send you completion reports and remind you about your next tests.