Short answer
When an electrical item fails inspection or testing, it is removed from service so the risk is controlled immediately.
Depending on the item, it may be isolated for repair, returned to the client with a danger tag attached, or removed for recycling as e-waste.
Why failed equipment is removed from service
Test and Tag is a risk-management control. A business identifies the risk posed by plug-in electrical equipment, including hidden electrical faults, and uses regular inspection and testing to help manage that risk.
When we identify a failed item, we apply the strongest practical control available: we eliminate the immediate risk by taking that equipment out of service.
A visible Danger — Do Not Use tag is attached to the item. On an extension lead, we place the danger tag at the location of the fault where possible so the client can immediately see why the lead failed.
What happens to the failed item?
It depends on the equipment and the type of fault.
3-Phase industrial equipment may be physically isolated and marked with multiple danger tags until a licensed electrician can repair it. Corded tools may be returned to the client for repair and must be retested before being placed back into service.
Failed powerboards, surge-protected powerboards and extension leads are generally removed from service and recycled as e-waste in line with our environmental policy.
We also photograph failed equipment and faults using our electrical testers or an iPhone so the client has a clear record after the visit.
What we see in the field
The biggest problem is failed equipment being put back into use before it has been repaired and retested. We have returned to workplaces and found corded tools still being used despite being identified as dangerous.
We do not cut plugs off failed equipment. We explain the fault, identify the risk and advise the client about what needs to happen next.
Where removing a failed powerboard, extension lead or portable RCD would disrupt operations, we can supply a suitable replacement so the workplace can keep operating safely with minimal disruption.
Every failed item, repair and retest is also documented, which matters as much as the testing itself. Our guide on what test and tag records businesses should keep covers what to hold onto.
And if you are unsure whether testing is required at all, our blog will answers the bigger question of whether test and tag is still required in NSW workplaces.