Test & tag intervals: the AS/NZS 3760 schedule (Australia)

“Test and tag” is the routine inspection and testing of in-service electrical equipment — the portable gear that plugs into a socket, like power tools, leads, chargers and appliances. In Australia and New Zealand it’s governed by AS/NZS 3760, the standard for in-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment.

The most common question is simply: how often?The answer depends on the environment the equipment works in — harsher conditions mean more frequent testing.

Test & tag intervals by environment

AS/NZS 3760 sets out maximum intervals based on how much wear and risk the equipment is exposed to. These are the maximum intervals commonly applied under AS/NZS 3760 (and AS/NZS 3012 for construction):

These intervals are a maximum, not a target. A risk assessment, a workplace policy, a client requirement, or your state or territory’s WHS regulations can all require testing more often, and many workplaces deliberately do. The category an item falls into depends on how it is actually used: in an office, a desktop PC that never moves sits in the five-year category, but a kettle, heater, phone charger or vacuum that gets carried around does not. New, repaired or second-hand equipment is also inspected and tested before it is first put into service.

What a test & tag actually involves

There are two parts, and both must pass:

1. A visual inspection.Checking the plug, cord, casing and fittings for damage — cuts, cracks, exposed conductors, signs of heat or moisture. A surprising share of faults are caught here, before any meter is connected.

2. Electrical tests with a portable appliance tester. For earthed (Class I) equipment this includes an earth continuity test and an insulation resistance test; double-insulated (Class II) equipment is insulation tested. Leads have their own continuity and polarity checks.

Portable RCDs (the safety switches built into some leads and power boards) need more than a visual check: a push-button operating test plus an instrument trip-time test, repeated at intervals set by AS/NZS 3760 and the environment the RCD works in.

Equipment that passes gets a durable tag; equipment that fails is removed from service.

What goes on the tag (and in your records)

At a minimum the tag must identify the item and show that it has passed. In practice most tags also carry the test date, the tester’s name or ID, and — as common industry practice rather than a strict AS/NZS requirement — the next test date. The exact details can vary with the tagging system you use.

The underlying record keeps the same details plus the actual test results, so you can show a full history if you’re ever asked.

Who can test and tag?

Testing must be done by a competent person— someone with the knowledge and the right equipment to carry out the inspection and tests and interpret the results. They don’t have to be a licensed electrician, but they do need to be properly trained for the task.

The standard vs the law

AS/NZS 3760 sets out the testing method and intervals, but it is not, by itself, the law. Your legal obligations come from work-health-and-safety legislation in your state or territory, plus any site rules or industry-specific requirements. Treat the standard as the “how” and your local WHS regulations as the “must”.

Turning the results into a report

The testing is one job; proving you did it is another. A clear register — what was tested, when, by whom, the result, and when it’s next due — is what stands up if there’s an audit or an incident.

That’s exactly what Field Efficientproduces: capture the results in the field, and it builds a branded test-and-tag report and register for you — with the next-due dates calculated — so the paperwork is done by the time you leave site.

This guide is general information, not compliance advice. Always work to the current edition of AS/NZS 3760 and your state or territory’s requirements.