Test And Tagging Services As Usual

Yes, we are still open for test and tagging service!

Are your appliances coming due or overdue for retesting and you aren’t sure what to do?

Don’t worry, our test and tagging service is still open for business as usual. Well, not exactly as usual. We have had to change a few aspects of what we do on-site in regard to implementing social distancing and safe hygiene strategies.

The common question we are getting asked is along the line of “Do I still need to have the appliances retested if there’s no one in the office / on-site?”.

There are a few elements you need to consider when deciding whether it is a good time to have the retesting done or not;

Upside:

1. It is a great opportunity to have everything done without causing any disruption to anyone.
2. If you have appliances that are often off-site and were missed during the last visit then you might be in a situation where you have everything back and available for checking. This could save you costs for return visits.

Downside:

1. Staff who are working remotely might have taken laptops, chargers or other needed appliances home with them. This creates some logistical problems about how to capture them in this round of retesting.
   CASE STUDY: One solution we recently implemented was to book a date for the visit at the main office with a “time window” for the field services team members to come buy and have their appliances done. Some of them dropped their appliances off the day before and picked them up afterwards. Those attending on the day adhered to social distancing requirements. It took a little bit of pre-planning but worked very well on the day.
2. Nobody knows when the restrictions will be lifted and business can return to normal so you don’t want to be in a position of having appliances that are on shorter intervals, such as trade tools with 3 months, workshop appliances on 6 months, done now but falling due again with out being used or needing retesting very shortly after resumption of normal arrangements.

The main thing to consider is nothing has changed in regard to your main consideration is your risk assessment. If your business has temporarily ceased operating then nobody is using the electrical appliances and therefore it would be fair to say there is no risk of electric shock related injuries occurring and there’s no need to have the appliances retested just now.

If your business is still operating, even at a reduced level, then the appliances being used should be retested if they are due.

This information is general in nature, should be used as a guide only and read in conjunction with the relevant Standard(s), State and/or Federal Legislation, Codes of Practice and Industry Standards specific to your workplace. A proper risk assessment should be under taken before acting on the information provided in this document or any related material. Further information can also be obtained from your local Workplace Authority, Electrical Safety Authority or a suitably qualified persons. This article is copyright protected.