01 - Overview
What We Actually Do
Inspect. Most faults found in this work are visual: a damaged lead, a cracked plug, a strained cord grip, a guard removed. The inspection catches more than the instrument does.
Test. Electrical testing appropriate to the class of equipment, using calibrated instruments, to the current Australian standard for in-service testing.
Tag. So the person about to use the appliance can see its status without looking anything up.
Register. Every item recorded with what it is, where it lives, what was done, the result, who did it and when it is next due. That register is yours and stays yours.
Report. What passed, what failed, what was removed from service, and what it would cost to repair or replace. Priced separately, so testing never quietly turns into a repair invoice.
The short version
- Visual inspection first, because that is what finds most faults
- Electrical testing with calibrated instruments to the current standard
- Tagged so the next user can see the status at a glance
- Every item on a register, with the next due date against it
- Failures reported and quoted, never repaired without approval

02 - What's included
Everything We Cover on the Job
Portable Appliances
Anything that plugs in: tools, kettles, heaters, computers, chargers, extension leads and power boards, which fail more often than anything else.
The Asset Register
Built on the first visit against a real count. Item, location, result, date, next due. Yours to keep and yours to take if you change contractors.
Scheduled Testing
Booked to a schedule rather than remembered. Intervals depend on the environment the equipment is used in, so we set them per site.
Failed Items
Removed from service, tagged out and reported with a price to repair or replace. Never quietly fixed and added to the invoice.
New Equipment
Added to the register as it arrives, so the count stays right and nothing sits untested for a year because it came in after a visit.
RCD Testing Alongside
Push-button and trip-time testing on safety switches, usually worth doing on the same attendance since we are already on site.
03 - Why it matters
Why the Interval Is Not One Number
The most common misunderstanding about test and tag is that there is a single frequency everybody follows. There is not.
In-service testing intervals under the Australian standard are risk-based: they depend on the environment the equipment is used in and how likely it is to be damaged. A power tool on a construction site and an office printer are not the same problem and do not carry the same interval.
Which means anybody quoting you a universal number without asking about the site is guessing. We set the intervals against the environment and write them into the register, so the schedule has a reason behind it that you can point at.
The other thing worth knowing: leads and power boards fail far more often than appliances do. They get walked on, rolled over and pulled from the cord rather than the plug. If a site is going to fail anything, it is usually these.
‘Everyone worries about the machinery. It is nearly always the extension lead behind the door.’
Peter, licensed electrician & owner
Sources AS/NZS 3760Energy Safe Victoria



