Queensland's rules by type of work
| Inspect and test by a competent person | Other conditions | |
|---|---|---|
| Office work (administrative or professional, in an office) | At least every 5 years, for gear used only for office work | Or connect it to a safety switch instead of testing |
| Service work (providing a service, outside the other classes) | At least once a year | Or connect it to a safety switch instead of testing |
| Manufacturing | Every year if double insulated, every 6 months if not | Must also run through a suitable safety switch, with some exceptions |
| Construction | To AS/NZS 3012, the construction site standard | Tags must show the reinspection date and who tested it |
| Hiring equipment out | Before each hire, unless it has a safety switch that can't be disconnected, and tagged at least every 6 months | Test records kept for at least 5 years |
What counts as specified equipment
The rules cover what the regulation calls specified electrical equipment: cord extension sets and, for office and service work, equipment that gets moved while it's being used. Think extension leads, vacuums and hand tools rather than equipment wired into the building.
Testing is done by a competent person, which the regulation defines as someone with the training, qualifications or experience to do the task. It doesn't say it must be an electrician. The case for using one is that faults in the building's power points and circuits can be repaired on the same visit, and that repair is licensed work.
Safety switches at work
Fixed safety switches have to be tested by a competent person to AS/NZS 3760 straight after they're connected, then at the intervals that standard sets. Portable safety switches get a press of the test button every time they're plugged in, and a faulty one is tagged and taken out of use.
If you've chosen safety switches over regular testing for office or service gear, those switches still need their own testing. Ask the electrician to cover both.
Brisbane after storms and floods
Flood-hit gear
In February 2022, 23,400 Brisbane properties were flood-affected, in all but 11 of the city's 188 suburbs. Anything with a plug that sat in floodwater is unsafe equipment until it's been repaired, or tested and found safe, and it stays disconnected until then.
Storm season and soaked leads
Thunderstorms run from November to March here. Leads run across wet ground or through doorways are the ones that get crushed and soaked, and Queensland's regulation wants cords placed where they won't be damaged, or protected.
Know your flood risk
Council's Flood Awareness Map shows creek, river, overland flow and storm tide risk for business sites too. If yours is on it, keep a list of everything that plugs in, so you know what to pull from service after an event.
Between tests
You can
- Look over leads and plugs on the days they're used, and pull damaged ones out.
- Press the test button on portable safety switches each time they're connected.
- Keep a list of every item and where it lives.
- Set anything that's been wet aside, labelled, until it's tested.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Testing fixed safety switches to AS/NZS 3760.
- Repairing power points or circuits that testing shows up.
- Adding power points so leads stop crossing walkways.
- Finding why a safety switch trips when one item runs.
What we'd tell a Brisbane business
Work out which class your work falls into first, because that sets the interval. For an office, safety switches on the circuits plus regular switch testing can be simpler than testing every lead. Whichever way you go, book someone who can fix faults as well as find them, and keep the results somewhere you can lay your hands on them.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.