Test & Tag NSW & ACT
We Help Businesses Manage Electrical & Fire Risk

Test and tag is the common name for the in-service safety inspection and electrical testing of portable electrical equipment — things like power leads, computers, kettles, power tools, printers and extension cords.

It involves four steps: a visual inspection for damage, electrical testing with calibrated equipment (earth continuity, insulation resistance and leakage current), attaching a durable tag showing the test date and next test due, and recording the results in an asset register or compliance report.

It applies to portable equipment — not fixed wiring or switchboards, which are covered by separate requirements.

Test and tag is not specifically named in NSW law — but that doesn't make it optional. Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW), a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that electrical equipment is safe.

Clause 150 of the Regulation requires electrical equipment to be regularly inspected and tested by a competent person where its use exposes it to conditions that may cause damage or reduce its life — moisture, heat, dust, vibration, mechanical stress, movement or chemicals.

Where those conditions exist, inspection and testing is required. Following AS/NZS 3760 is the most widely recognised way to demonstrate you've met that duty.

There is no single fixed interval. AS/NZS 3760 provides indicative retest periods based on the environment and how equipment is used, and the final decision should follow a risk assessment of your workplace.

As general guidance:

• Construction and demolition sites — typically every 3 months under AS/NZS 3012
• Factories, workshops and harsh environments — commonly 6 to 12 months
• Schools, offices and commercial premises — commonly around 12 months
• Low-risk office environments — intervals may extend further where supported by risk assessment

Intervals should be reviewed whenever the equipment, environment or work practices change. The retest period is a risk decision, not a fixed rule.

Inspection and testing must be carried out by a competent person. In practice, that means someone who has the knowledge, training and experience to correctly inspect equipment, select the appropriate tests, interpret results and identify unsafe items.

Competency is not just a certificate. A competent person needs to understand the standard, recognise defects that testing alone won't reveal, and know when to remove an item from service. Using calibrated test equipment and maintaining proper records are both part of it.

This is also why test and tag is an administrative control within a broader electrical risk-management process — the judgement behind the test matters as much as the test itself.

AS/NZS 3760:2022 is the Australian and New Zealand Standard for the in-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment and RCDs.

It sets out the inspection and testing methods, acceptance criteria, indicative retest intervals and record-keeping provisions used by competent people across Australia. Because it provides a clear and defensible framework, following AS/NZS 3760 is widely accepted as demonstrating compliance with WHS obligations.

For construction and demolition work, AS/NZS 3012:2019 contains the specific electrical safety requirements that apply.

Not necessarily every item — the requirement depends on risk. But in practice, the scope is usually broader than people expect.

Equipment that is frequently moved, flexed, or used in harsh or high-use conditions carries the greatest risk and needs regular inspection and testing. That typically includes power leads, extension cords, power boards, portable tools, cleaning equipment and shared appliances.

One thing that surprises many businesses: a single "item" can involve more than one test. A detachable lead and the appliance it connects to are both tested separately — which is why final test counts often exceed the original estimate.

Yes. RCDs (safety switches) must be tested regularly by a competent person to confirm they will operate effectively when needed. This covers both fixed and portable RCDs, and we can include them within the agreed scope of a site visit.

The applicable tests and intervals depend on the type of RCD and the operating environment — a portable RCD used on a construction site is treated differently to a fixed switchboard RCD in an office.

We also offer emergency and exit light testing and fire equipment testing, so electrical and life-safety compliance can be scheduled together rather than as separate bookings.

A minimum of 5 years. Records should be sufficient to demonstrate that testing was carried out in accordance with the standard and that unsafe equipment was removed from service.

A compliant record system typically includes an asset register (make, model, serial number and location), test history with dates and outcomes, detailed reports showing pass/fail results and defect descriptions, and an audit trail suitable for SafeWork inspectors, insurers or ISO systems.

Records don't have to be digital — but digital reporting makes them far easier to search, retrieve and present when you're asked to produce evidence.

Yes. We service Greater Sydney including the CBD, Parramatta, Penrith and the western suburbs, along with the ACT and Canberra region, the Illawarra, and regional areas including Lithgow and the Blue Mountains.

We also work across the major Western Sydney growth corridors — the Aerotropolis, WSEA and the M7 industrial spine — as well as the Camden and Macarthur region.

If you're outside these areas, get in touch. For regional and remote sites we'll confirm scheduling and mobilisation up front so there are no surprises.

Cost depends on several factors rather than a flat per-item rate: the number of items and tests required, whether you need standard or premium testing equipment, the type of site and its conditions, travel and mobilisation to your location, and whether RCD or other services are included.

A quick word of caution on the cheapest quotes. If a provider is significantly under everyone else, it's worth asking exactly what's included — visual inspection, leakage testing, tagging and reporting are all part of a compliant service, and those are the steps most easily skipped to win on price.

For an indicative price range for your site, use our online cost calculator, or send us your item counts and location for a firm quote. Multiple-site enquiries we'll quote individually.

Very little, and we plan around you. We work room-by-room using location identifiers so equipment is returned to exactly where it belongs, and we can schedule testing around your operating hours, school terms, shift patterns or quieter trading periods.

For larger sites, we often stage the work across multiple visits — testing the main areas first and returning for secondary areas like IT storage later. That spreads the cost as well as the disruption.

After-hours and weekend scheduling is available where it suits your site better.

Failed items are removed from service immediately or clearly marked as unsafe, and we notify you of the defect and the reason for failure. An item that fails should never be put back into use until it has been repaired and retested, or replaced.

Our reports record the specific fault — for example "earth continuity out of range" or "damaged insulation on cord" — rather than just marking a pass or fail. That gives you enough information to decide between repair and replacement instead of guessing.

Where we can, we'll also replace damaged plugs or sockets on the spot at no charge, and report other observed electrical hazards such as damaged outlets or overloaded powerboards.

A complete digital compliance report. Test data is captured electronically on site and compiled into a report listing your electrical assets by room or location, with test results, pass/fail status, defect notes and photographic evidence where relevant.

Reports are supplied as a digital PDF you can download, share and store, and are structured to serve as an audit trail for SafeWork inspectors, insurers and ISO systems.

Scale gives you an idea: on one independent high school we tested over 2,300 items and produced 500+ pages of documentation, itemised per room. Your report scales to your site.

Yes, it's permitted — provided the person doing the work is competent and the testing is carried out to AS/NZS 3760 with proper records maintained. Nothing in the regulation requires an external provider.

The practical challenge is sustaining it. In-house testing needs calibrated equipment, ongoing training, and the discipline to test every item on schedule across every room — including the awkward ones. It's common for an internal program to start well and quietly drift as other priorities take over.

There's also a human factor. Testing your own workplace equipment, day in and day out, makes it easy to skip the thorough visual inspection when you already "know" an item is fine. A fresh set of eyes tends to catch what familiarity misses.

If you're weighing it up, we're happy to talk through what an in-house program genuinely involves — even if you decide to run it yourself.