Test & Tag (Commercial & Industrial)

Test and tag is a two-part safety check on your plug-in electrical gear: a licensed tech visually inspects each item for damage, then runs it through a portable appliance tester (PAT) to check the earth, insulation and polarity. If it passes, it gets a dated tag showing when it was tested and when it's next due. It's how you prove your equipment is safe to use.

For most workplaces, effectively yes. Queensland WHS law puts a duty of care on you to make sure electrical equipment is safe and maintained — and testing and tagging to AS/NZS 3760 is the recognised way to meet that duty. The law doesn't name a rigid schedule for every item, but if something goes wrong and you can't show your gear was maintained, that's on you.

It depends on the environment — the rougher the conditions, the more often. As a guide under AS/NZS 3760: construction and demolition sites every 3 months; factories, workshops and manufacturing every 6 months; gear that gets moved, flexed or knocked about every 12 months; and static office-type equipment that never moves, up to 5 years. Hire gear is every 3 months.

It has to be done by a "competent person" — someone with the training, knowledge and proper calibrated equipment to do it and read the results. That legally doesn't have to be a licensed electrician, but you're better off with one: you get someone who actually understands the fault behind a failed result, not just a pass/fail sticker.

Anything that plugs into a power point via a flexible cord — power tools, leads, extension boards, kettles, computers, machinery on a lead. What's generally out of scope is hardwired (fixed) equipment, anything over about 2.5m off the ground you can't safely reach, and gear that would have to be pulled apart to test. New equipment gets a visual check and record before first use rather than a full test.

An appliance can run perfectly and still be dangerous. The classic one: the earth wire inside the cord breaks loose from the metal casing. The tool still works fine — right up until a fault sends current to that casing and shocks whoever's holding it. Worn cords, cracked plugs and internal damage don't always show on the outside, which is exactly why testing exists.

It's priced per item, plus a flat fee for the compliance certificate and asset register that comes with every job. Punch your item count into our instant quote tool and you'll get the exact price on the spot — no waiting on a callback. It doesn't include fixing anything that fails testing; we'll flag that separately and only proceed with your OK.

Yes — every job includes a certificate of testing and a full digital asset register listing each item, its result, and its next-due date. That register is the thing that proves your compliance in an audit or an insurance claim, so it's the part that actually matters.

The colour tells you which testing period an item was done in — it's a quick visual way to spot gear that's overdue at a glance. On construction sites the colours rotate every three months, so an inspector can walk through and instantly see what's current and what's lapsed.

If you've got employees or the public using your electrical equipment, the duty of care applies regardless of size. Sole traders, home-based businesses and commercial landlords all fall under it. Private homes are different — WHS obligations are about workplaces, not your own house.