What Test & Tag Records Should NSW Businesses Keep?

Short answer

After electrical equipment has been inspected and tested, NSW businesses should keep clear records showing what was tested, when it was tested, who performed the testing, the result and when the next test is due.

SafeWork NSW allows the required record to be in the form of a tag attached to the equipment.

A tag can be the required record, but it is not the same thing as a detailed compliance report.

AS/NZS 3760:2022 states that records of inspection and testing should be kept for equipment inspected and/or tested, including relevant electrical test results.

For businesses managing multiple electrical assets, a detailed report provides better traceability and evidence of what was inspected and tested.

What does SafeWork NSW require?

A record of testing must specify:

• Name of the person who carried out the testing
• Date of the testing
• Outcome of the testing
• Date on which the next testing must be carried out

The record may be in the form of a tag attached to the electrical equipment.

The record must be kept until the equipment is next tested, permanently removed from the workplace or disposed of.

What does AS/NZS 3760:2022 say about records?

AS/NZS 3760:2022 states that records of inspection and testing should be kept for equipment inspected and/or tested.

The responsible person may require additional details to be recorded, such as:

• Visual inspection result
• Earth continuity resistance
• Insulation resistance
• Leakage current

Electronic records are acceptable.

Records should be retained for 7 years, or for another period required by the relevant regulator.

A tag can be the record, but it is not a compliance report

A tag provides useful information at the equipment but does not provide the full detail or history of the testing program.

A detailed report may include:

• Equipment or asset identification
• Equipment description
• Location
• Inspection result
• Electrical tests performed
• Measured test results
• Pass/fail result
• Test date
• Next test date

These extra fields improve traceability but they are not all part of the SafeWork NSW minimum record requirement.

An invoice is not a compliance report

An invoice is a financial record.

An invoice saying “500 items tested and tagged” does not show:

• Which items were tested
• What tests were carried out
• The measured results

An invoice is a financial record. The testing report is the compliance record. They are not the same thing.

RCD testing records

Where RCD testing is carried out, the record should identify the device and retain the relevant test result.

For RCD trip-time testing, record the measured trip time in milliseconds.

Warning signs of poor test and tag records

• Only an invoice is supplied
• Only tags are supplied with no report
• The provider cannot provide a record of the equipment tested
• Asset descriptions are too vague to identify the item
• There is no useful asset or location identification
• No measured electrical test results are supplied
• RCD test records contain no useful result information
• The provider says the tag is enough, even though it does not contain all required information and no other record is supplied

At that point, the service starts looking less like test and tag and more like tag and tag.

Putting a sticker on an appliance is easy. The important question is whether there is evidence showing that the equipment was properly inspected, tested and recorded.

What should you ask your provider for?

Businesses should ask for a copy of the testing records after the work is complete.

For larger workplaces, this may be a digital report, spreadsheet or asset register containing the equipment tested and associated results.

Can we identify what was tested, when it was tested, who tested it and what the test results were?

If the records cannot answer that question, they are not providing much evidence of the testing that was supposedly carried out.

For what can follow when the documentation does not stand up, read our guide to SafeWork NSW electrical safety penalties.