A risk free workplace is always an issue in the working environment, however more recently the apprehension of litigation has meant that it is now of supreme significance. The employer now more than before, has a obligation of care to ensure a safe workplace for their employees. Testing and Tagging Electrical of appliances is one area that is targeted and OH&S regulations advocate that they are tested in accordance with Australian Standard AS3760. Ensuring that each and every one of your electric appliances are safe will remove the risk of death or injury by electrocution. Test and Tag Melbourne has more details on service providers that are able to help.
Electrical appliances that require testing and tagging are those that are portable and are able to be plugged into a power point, so this is not applicable to equipment that are hard wired i.e. no plug attached. All portable appliances in a work environment, whether it is used on a building site or in an office environment, should be tested and tagged, even if it is personal property, as this ensures that the risk of electrocution is minimized. Employers are then able to provide a safe workplace, have discounted work safe premiums and lessen time lost in production through electrical accidents.
The testing procedure is started with a visual check. This entails examining the lead for damage, checking the right current rating plug is attached and if wired properly and ensuring the lead is fixed properly to the rear of the appliance. The piece of equipment is then plugged into a PAT (portable appliance tester) and is electronically tested for earthing continuity and insulation resistance. Sometimes the appliance is required to be activated by the PAT to finish the test. After that, it has a current test label attached. If the appliance fails any of these tests then it has a fault label attached and piece of equipmet is taken from service.
The frequency of testing depends on the environment. Office equipment is determined to be in a low category risk so therefore AS3760 suggests a period of three to five. The high risk category of building sites should be tested every of 3 months as they are regarded as hostile environments where equipment etc are subject to constant misuse. Schools and hotels are generally tested yearly as these equipment come under greater stress than in normal domestic situations. Electrical equipment that is used in workshops requires more frequent testing.
Testing and tagging should be carried out by an electrician or a certified technician and is able to work without supervision according to the AS3760 standard. The test results should be logged and a copy given to the employer along with a list of any items that failed plus any incidental OH&S issues. There are a number of companies that conduct Testing and Tagging training courses in order that you can train yourself or an employee to conduct the testing and tagging. Optionally, you can outsource the testing and tagging to a certified “Test and Tag” technicians, who will come out to your workplace and test and tag your electicat equipment, the cost of which is often established on the quantity of equipment that you have to be tested.
See Test and Tag Melbourne for more details
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