Test & Tag Regulations in Tasmania

When Is Test and Tag Legally Required in Tasmania?

Tasmanian businesses and persons conducting a business or undertaking must ensure that electrical equipment is regularly inspected and tested by a competent person when it is:

• Supplied with electricity through an electrical socket outlet
• Used in an environment where normal use may cause damage or reduce its expected life

WorkSafe Tasmania describes these as higher-risk operating environments. They can include:

• Wet or dusty areas
• Outdoor workplaces
• Commercial kitchens
• Manufacturing and workshop environments
• Workplaces using corrosive substances
• Locations where equipment is regularly moved or exposed to mechanical damage

Testing is not necessarily prescribed for every appliance in a low-risk workplace. Businesses should consider how the equipment is used, the likelihood of damage, manufacturer's recommendations and the applicable Australian Standard.

Equipment that is required to be tested must not be used if its testing has not been completed.

For current regulatory information, refer to WorkSafe Tasmania's Managing Electrical Risks Code of Practice.

Who Can Test and Tag in Tasmania?

Inspection and testing must be performed by a competent person.

Under Tasmania's work health and safety framework, a competent person is someone who has acquired through training, qualifications or experience—or a combination of these—the knowledge and skills needed to perform the task correctly.

This may include:

• A licensed electrical worker who is competent in electrical inspection and testing
• Someone trained and assessed in visually inspecting electrical equipment and using a portable appliance tester

Tasmanian regulations do not prescribe one particular training course as the only route to competency. However, completing a nationally recognised Test & Tag Course provides formal training and assessment and is a practical way to demonstrate the required skills.

View Online Test & Tag Course

A competent tester should be able to:

• Visually inspect electrical equipment
• Select and perform the appropriate tests
• Use a PAT correctly
• Interpret test results
• Identify and remove unsafe equipment
• Apply appropriate tags
• Maintain accurate testing information

You do not need to be a licensed electrician to perform routine test and tag work. Testing and tagging competency does not, however, permit electrical installation, repair or modification work.

How Australian Standards Apply in Tasmania

Tasmania's Work Health and Safety Regulations establish the legal duty to inspect and test electrical equipment in higher-risk operating environments.

Two Australian Standards provide supporting technical guidance:

• AS/NZS 3760:2022 covers the in-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment and RCDs.
• AS/NZS 3012 contains requirements for electrical installations and equipment used on construction and demolition sites.

AS/NZS 3760 provides guidance on visual inspections, electrical tests, testing intervals, tags and records. It does not replace the requirement to assess the risks presented by the equipment and its workplace environment.

The Standard was changed in 2022, introducing changes to definitions, inspection procedures, documentation and the types of equipment covered. See our guide to the AS/NZS 3760:2022 changes.

Construction and Demolition Requirements in Tasmania

Tasmanian construction and demolition sites have a more prescriptive inspection and testing regime.

Portable electrical leads, tools, equipment and portable RCDs must generally be inspected, tested and tagged every three months. Workers must also perform the required RCD push-button checks.

After testing, applicable equipment must be fitted with a durable, non-reusable and non-metallic tag. The tag must show:

• The name of the person or company that performed the test
• The test or retest date

Construction sites should maintain a testing and tagging register containing:

• A record of electrical equipment on site
• Inspection and testing results
• Repairs that have been completed
• Faults and corrective action
• RCD testing information

New electrical equipment must be entered into the register and brought into the in-service testing regime within its first three months of use.

Damaged equipment must be removed from service. If it is repaired, it must be inspected and tested before being returned to use.

For more information, see our test and tag requirements for construction.

Test and Tag Colours in Tasmania

Electrical equipment used for construction and demolition work follows the quarterly colour-coded tagging system associated with AS/NZS 3012.

The colours identify the period in which the equipment was tested:

• Red: December to February
• Green: March to May
• Blue: June to August
• Yellow: September to November

This allows workers and site supervisors to identify equipment that may be overdue for testing.

Other Tasmanian workplaces are not necessarily required to use the quarterly system. Employers, principal contractors and individual sites may establish their own tagging or colour-coding requirements.

Mining operations may also have separate industry and site-specific procedures and should follow the requirements established for the particular mine.

See our complete test and tag colour guide.

Test and Tag Intervals in Tasmania

WorkSafe Tasmania recommends using a risk-based approach when determining testing intervals.

Common intervals include:

• Construction and demolition—portable leads, tools and equipment: 3 months
• Manufacturing and workshop environments: Generally 6 months
• Commercial cleaning equipment: Generally 6 months
• Other higher-risk operating environments: Generally 12 months
• Hire equipment: Inspected at the beginning of each hire and tested every 3 months
• Lower-risk environments where equipment is not exposed to damage: Longer intervals may apply

These intervals are not a substitute for assessing the equipment and conditions in which it is used. More frequent testing may be appropriate where equipment is moved regularly or exposed to increased wear or deterioration.

RCDs have separate inspection and testing requirements.

See our complete test and tag intervals guide.

General Testing Records and Unsafe Equipment

Outside construction work, records for equipment tested under the WHS Regulations must include:

• The name of the person who performed the test
• The test date
• The testing outcome
• The date the next test must be completed

Records may be maintained as tags, in a paper register or through an electronic testing system. They must be retained until the equipment is tested again, permanently removed from the workplace or disposed of.

Equipment found to be unsafe must be disconnected or isolated and clearly identified to prevent further use. It must not be returned to service until it has been repaired or tested and found to be safe.

New equipment generally does not require testing before first use but should be inspected for obvious damage. More specific requirements apply when new equipment is introduced to a construction site.