Having provided test and tag services in Melbourne, and across Australia, for over 15 years, we’ve learnt many lessons about the best way to manage electrical safety. While most of these have become common testing and tagging knowledge – and some have even made their way into the Australian Standard – there’s still a few best practices other test and tag professionals miss.

As a leader in the industry, we think it’s important to share our knowledge and experience – so here are our top three electrical safety secrets.

 Secret #1: Double testing any appliance that has a separate IEC lead

Most people think that, because an IEC lead attaches to an appliance (e.g. a computer) to create a single power supply lead, it only requires one test – this is not true.

The appliance and the IEC lead are two separate pieces of electrical equipment. As such, either piece can have a fault and should be tested separately. This also means that each piece should have its own tag.

Secret #2: Using new to service tags

If you buy some new electrical equipment just after your regular testing and tagging service, you can use a new to service tag on the new item(s) and align it with your regular testing schedule. This will help you avoid a minimum charge and the hassle of organising extra testing for one or two new items.

While it doesn’t need to be tested straight away, all new equipment should be included in your future testing, so we recommend adding it to your testing register to make sure it’s not missed next time around. It’s also important to visually inspect all new equipment to make sure it hasn’t been damaged during delivery and installation.

Secret #3: Including test results in reporting

While you may not be required to include test results in your reports – particularly for equipment that passes testing – this detail can help make sure that all testing and tagging has been completed correctly.

Providing test measurement details in your reports can also help with proactive hazard identification and monitoring of equipment ageing.

Want more information?

If you’re thinking about getting in to testing and tagging, or would like to brush up on your skills, give A1 Testing & Tagging a call. We’re a leading provider of test and tag courses, which are designed to give you all the skills and experience you need. Contact us on 1300 303 759 to discuss your goals and which of our courses may suit.