UNOFFICIAL OHS DATABASE
Clause
64 of the OHS Regulation 2001: "An employer must ensure that all electrical
installations, electrical articles and associated equipment at a place of work
are safe to use and are regularly inspected, tested and maintained to ensure
they remain safe for use and are repaired ..."
» There are
special provisions for the building industry.
Ref: Code
of Practice: Electrical Practices for Construction Work
(WorkCover NSW)
and AS/NZS
3012:1995 : Electrical installations - Construction and demolition sites
Iif requirements of the above differ, defer to that Code of Practice as per
the Code
of Practice for Technical Guidance
For workplaces other than construction sites:
Minimum requirements for other workplaces are covered by Australian Standard AS3760, "In service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment". This can be purchased from Standards Australia - retail price is $51.92 for a hardcopy version and $46.73 for a PDF file as at May 2002.
The Standard requires that equipment must be inspected and tested according
to a schedule, depending on the type of equipment, industry type and level of
wear and tear. Note that these are minimum requirements only and inspection
of leads, sockets, and testing and tagging should be be done at more frequent
intervals if that is what is needed to ensure that the equipment is safe, as
per clause 64 of the Regulation as quoted above.
Qualified electricians can provide guidance as to testing and tagging requirements
/ schedule for a particular work environment.
Testing and tagging must be performed by a "competent person" (not necessarily an electrician) as per AS 3760, keeping in mind responsibilites under s8(1)(d) of the OHS Act 2000.
A "competent person" for any task means a person who has acquired through training, qualification or experience, or a combination of them, the knowledge and skills to carry out that task. Ref: clause 3 of the OHS Regulation 2001
TAFE (ph: 13 16 01) run courses in the use of portable appliance testers.
More resources
Use of portable appliance testers for testing plug in electrical equipment in the workplace (WorkCover NSW)
Testing and Tagging of electrical equipment - Position Paper (WorkCover NSW)