NSW PCBUs have a legal duty to manage electrical risks in the workplace. Section 150 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 specifically requires regular inspection and testing of plug-in electrical equipment exposed to operating conditions likely to cause damage or reduce its expected lifespan.
From 1 July 2026, section 26A of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) also requires PCBUs to comply with applicable approved Codes of Practice, including Managing Electrical Risks in the Workplace. If a PCBU chooses another way to manage the risk, they must be able to demonstrate that it provides an equivalent or higher standard of health and safety.
Test and Tag is an electrical risk control. Electrical faults are not always visible, and testing can identify faults and deterioration that visual inspection alone cannot. Whether equipment should be tested, and how often, should come back to the electrical risk and the controls needed to manage it.
Electrical safety in NSW is governed by:
Under these laws, a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that electrical equipment is safe.
Section 150 of the WHS Regulation 2025 (NSW) requires that electrical equipment is regularly inspected and tested by a competent person where its use exposes it to conditions that may result in damage or reduced life.
From 1 July 2026, section 26A of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) changed the legal significance of approved Codes of Practice in NSW.
Where an approved Code of Practice applies to a hazard or risk, a PCBU must comply with the Code or manage the hazard or risk in another way that provides an equivalent or higher standard of health and safety.
For electrical safety, the Managing Electrical Risks in the Workplace Code of Practice is therefore an important part of determining how electrical risks should be managed.
The regulation does not prescribe a fixed method or universal schedule. It requires that:
Where equipment is exposed to conditions such as:
…inspection and testing is required to manage that risk. This is not an exhaustive list. HOW people use electrical equipment in the workplace can also create electrical risk eg. piggybacking powerboards in an office.
Testing and tagging becomes necessary in practice where those risk conditions are present.
This includes environments where equipment is:
In these situations, inspection and testing is not optional — it is required to meet WHS obligations.
On construction and demolition sites, requirements are more explicit. Under AS/NZS 3012 and WHS regulations, portable electrical equipment must be regularly inspected, tested, and tagged, typically at 3-month intervals. For businesses in the ACT, test and tag services in Canberra can help meet these requirements.
Equipment that does not fall within the specific inspection and testing requirements of section 150 is not automatically free from electrical safety obligations.
PCBUs still have broader duties to manage electrical risks in the workplace. This includes considering the applicable Code of Practice and determining appropriate controls for the equipment, its use and the workplace conditions.
Electrical faults and deterioration are not always detectable through visual inspection alone. The appropriate control should therefore be determined according to the actual electrical risk.
This does not mean every electrical item in every workplace must automatically be tested and tagged at the same interval.
AS/NZS 3760:2022 is the recognised standard for inspection and testing of electrical equipment.
It provides:
Following AS/NZS 3760 is widely accepted as a recognised method for managing electrical risk, as it provides a clear and defensible framework. It is not NSW legislation and does not, by itself, establish compliance with every WHS obligation.
Failing to inspect and test electrical equipment where required can result in:
For the most serious breaches (Category 1), penalties for a body corporate can exceed $11 million.
If equipment is not maintained in a safe condition and causes harm, responsibility remains with the PCBU.
To meet legal obligations, businesses should:
Where testing and tagging is used, compliance tags should include:
Where there is uncertainty, for businesses managing this in the greater metro area, our electrical testing and tagging in Sydney team ensures inspection and testing is carried out in line with recognised standards.
So, is Test and Tag a legal requirement in NSW?
There is no blanket rule stating that every electrical appliance in every NSW workplace must be tested and tagged at a universal interval.
However, NSW law requires PCBUs to manage electrical risks. The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 specifically requires inspection and testing of certain electrical equipment, while section 26A of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 requires compliance with applicable approved Codes of Practice or another method that provides an equivalent or higher standard of health and safety.
Test and Tag is a recognised method of inspecting and electrically testing equipment, identifying faults and documenting the management of electrical risk.
Liberty Test & Tag provides professional inspection and testing services across NSW & ACT, including Test & Tag Sydney and Test & Tag Canberra. Contact us for a free quote.
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