As an Employer, Company Director, Manager, you have specific responsibility to your employees to provide a safe place to work.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act 1985 states that all businesses or organizations must provide a safe place of work. The position of the ACT now provides that, where the director's policies and decisions are what actually caused the death of a worker, or the director allows a corporate culture to develop that disregards worker's safety that results in a death, the company, director/s or manager could be convicted of "Industrial Manslaughter".

Depending on which State your business resides in will determine the penalties, but as an example in NSW the first offence can carry a maximum penalty of $550.000. An individual who faces a second offence could be fined up to $82,500 and/or 2 years imprisonment.

Risk management and a pro-active approach to OH&S in the work place should be common practice. You can do-it-yourself or you can get a professional to complete the tests for you.

Appliance Test Tag Australia can provide you with all the right equipment or services that will ensure you meet your obligations. Contact us for a obligation free quotation to either supply you with the right equipment or a complete appliance testing service.
Telephone: 03 9580 6280

Compliant Equipment

Following testing, compliant equipment shall be fitted with a durable, non-reusable, non-metallic tag or other indicator. Special equipment shall not be required to identify the equipment.

Note This shall not preclude tags from also bearing a code to facilitate electronic data collection.

The tag, which may be colour coded to identify the period in which the test was performed, shall include:

• The name of the person or company who performed the tests; and
• The test or inspection date, and may also include a re-test date.

Competent/Qualified Person

Competent Persons

A Competent Person is one who the Responsible Person ensures has the necessary practical and theoretical skills, acquired through training, qualification, experience or a combination of these, to correctly undertake the tasks prescribed by the Standard.

There are now short courses conducted throughout Australia on a regular basis that will provide you with the necessary skills to undertake Appliance Testing.

Testing Intervals

The testing intervals for various types of equipment in a range of applications and industries is now available from Standards Australia. (AS3760-2003)

• Testing Intervals
  

Documentation Requirements

Where records of test and inspection are kept, the following should be recorded:

• A register of all equipment;
• A record of formal inspection and tests’
• A repair register;
• A record of all faulty equipment showing details of services or corrective actions.

Note 1 Electrical and/or occupational health and safety regulators may require documentation to be kept in some or all cases.

Note 2 Where organizations perform voluntary additional inspections and tests, records of such should be kept.

Where records are kept, they should be retained for seven years, or such period as required by the specific regulations.

The Building and Construction industry use AS3012 as their benchmark to Testing and Tagging Electrical equipment.

Some states in Australian have adopted a Code of Practice that may be required as minimum standard. Ensure you check with your regulatory body to see if you are complying.

Discounts of premiums of up to 15% to a maximum of $75,000 are available in the first year.

Contact Workcover in your State for more information.

Which tag colour is right for my industry?

Depending on your industry, coloured coded tags may be mandatory. The building, construction and demolition industries use specific colours to cover the testing period, usually 3 monthly period, however regulations can vary from State to State. Appliance Test Tags are available in a range of standard colours to meet these requirements and also offer custom colours and custom printing.

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