What Is Test and Tag? The Process, Explained

Test and tag is the routine safety checking of plug-in electrical equipment — the appliances, power tools, extension leads and power boards a workplace uses every day. Each item is visually inspected, electrically tested with a calibrated tester, fitted with a tag showing the result and next test date, and recorded on an asset register. It's done to the Australian standard AS/NZS 3760:2022, and the whole point is simple: most electrical damage is invisible from the outside, and testing finds it before someone gets hurt.

Below is exactly what happens, what the tests actually check, how often it's needed, what it costs, and where it's required in NSW.

What "test and tag" actually means

The formal term is in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment, and in Australia the method is set out in a single standard, AS/NZS 3760:2022. "Test" is the physical inspection and electrical testing of each item; "tag" is the durable label fixed to the item afterwards, showing that it passed, who tested it, and when the next test is due. Together they give you two things an auditor, principal contractor or insurer will ask for: equipment that's been checked, and the records to prove it.

What happens during a test and tag visit

1. Walk-through and asset register. We work through your site area by area and build or update an asset register — every plug-in item, lead and power board, logged against its location. The gear nobody remembers (the power board behind the fridge, the charger in the store room) is exactly what gets found at this step.

2. Visual inspection. Before any electrical test, each item is checked by eye for the damage testing alone can miss: cracked casings, bent or missing pins, frayed or kinked leads, exposed wiring, missing guards and signs of overheating. A large share of failures are caught right here.

3. Electrical testing. Items that pass inspection are tested with a calibrated portable appliance tester (PAT). What's checked depends on the equipment (see the next section), but it reveals the internal faults no visual check can see.

4. Tagging. Every item that passes gets a durable tag. The tag is the visible proof — no current tag, no evidence of compliance.

5. Records. Every result is captured as we go. You receive same-day digital test records and the asset register: what was tested, where it lives, the result, and the next due date. You can see exactly what that looks like on our sample compliance report.

What the electrical tests actually check

This is where test and tag earns its keep, and it's worth understanding, because the tests differ by equipment type:

• ✓Class I (earthed) equipment — things with an earth pin, like kettles, toasters, microwaves and many power tools — gets an earth continuity test (confirming the earth path works) and an insulation resistance test (confirming the insulation hasn't broken down).
• ✓Class II (double-insulated) equipment — marked with a double-square symbol, like many chargers, drills and hairdryers — has no earth to test, so it gets an insulation resistance test.
• ✓Extension leads and power boards get earth continuity, insulation resistance and polarity checks — polarity confirms the active, neutral and earth are wired to the right pins, which is a genuinely common and dangerous fault.
• ✓Portable RCDs (safety switches) get a push-button function test plus a measured trip time, to confirm they cut the power fast enough to prevent a serious shock. (More on this in our RCD testing guide.)

What the tag tells you

A compliant tag shows the test date, the next test due date, the tester's name or ID, and the result. If you can read the next-due date at a glance, you know whether an item is current — which is exactly what an auditor or site supervisor checks for. Tag colour is a separate question — see our guide to test and tag colours.

What happens when an item fails

Failed equipment is identified clearly on the spot so it can't be plugged back in by mistake, documented against its location, and taken out of service. Rapid Test & Tag is a licensed test and tag service, not a licensed electrical contractor — so where an item needs electrical *repair*, we refer it to a licensed electrician, and where an item isn't worth repairing, we tell you plainly so you can replace it and move on. No upselling, no grey areas.

How often does test and tag need doing?

Retest intervals depend on the environment and how hard the equipment is used, not a fixed calendar. AS/NZS 3760:2022 (and AS/NZS 3012 for construction) sets out typical intervals:

These are typical intervals — the right one for your site depends on the specific environment and usage, which is something we set with you. Our complete NSW test and tag guide goes into the intervals and the standards in more depth.

Looking for your own industry? We have dedicated pages for offices, retail shops and stores, schools and childcare centres, medical and healthcare practices, warehouses and industrial sites, cafes, restaurants and commercial kitchens, strata and common property and construction sites.

Is test and tag a legal requirement in NSW?

There is no single law that says "every workplace must test and tag every item." What NSW work health and safety law does require — under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 — is that a business (a PCBU) ensures its electrical equipment is safe and the risks are managed. AS/NZS 3760:2022 is the recognised way to meet that duty for plug-in equipment, which is why, for most workplaces, it's the practical standard everyone follows.

Some settings make it effectively mandatory in practice: construction and demolition sites (AS/NZS 3012 requires 3-monthly testing), and a great many commercial leases, principal contractors, insurers and audits that require current tags before you can work or claim. So while "the law" is a duty rather than a line item, for most NSW businesses current test-and-tag records are what compliance actually looks like.

Who is allowed to do test and tag?

Test and tag must be done by a competent person — someone trained in the inspection and testing procedures of AS/NZS 3760 and competent to use the test equipment and interpret the results. It does not have to be a licensed electrician. At Rapid Test & Tag the work is carried out under licence TTT69067, fully insured, with same-day digital reporting.

What does test and tag cost?

Test and tag is priced to suit the job. Our minimum is $120 + GST, which covers your first 30 items, with no call-out fee — so a compliant visit usually costs far less than owners expect, especially in low-risk environments with long retest intervals. For larger sites we quote per item. See our pricing page for detail, or send your approximate item count and suburb for a fast quote.

Test and tag vs RCD testing — what's the difference?

They're related but not the same. Test and tag checks the *equipment* (appliances, leads, boards). RCD testing checks the *safety switches* that cut power during a fault — a push-button test plus a measured trip time. A thorough electrical-safety program usually covers both; our RCD testing guide explains when RCD testing is required, and our side-by-side comparison, test and tag vs RCD testing, sets the two out in a table.

Need test and tag for your Sydney or NSW workplace? See our electrical test and tag service, or call 0422 742 447 for a fast quote — testing to AS/NZS 3760:2022, clear tags and same-day digital records included.

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