Industrial Maintenance

As part of the Australian standards, businesses are required to have regular testing and inspection of electrical equipment. This can be done by a qualified electrician using various types of electrical testing equipment depending on the type of inspection and logging that is required. Our specialised team of maintenance electrical tradesmen are trained in ensuring your business is left safe and compliant, so that you can have peace of mind that you are meeting government requirements and offering a healthy work environment.

Depending on the industry you work in, your business is required to have its electrical equipment tested and tagged at regular intervals. This is determined through a number of factors, including the type of environment, the type of equipment and the likelihood it is subject to hostile environments that are likely to cause flexing of power cords and damage to the equipment. Any Industrial space, including factories, workshops or businesses that offer a repair service require all electrical equipment to be tagged every 6 months. These items include all Class I and Class II equipment, extension cords and portable power blocks and outlets. Class I equipment is protectively earthed, meaning it has the earth pin on the power plug, making it a 3-pin plug. Class II equipment only has 2 pins on the plug, not requiring an earth pin because it is double insulated. It is also important to note that if you have equipment that is used for site work, these will need testing every 3 months.

Testing and tagging of office electrical devices (such as computers and kitchen appliances) is also important to keep in mind, however these require less frequent testing than your industrial tools. Power cords that are exposed to regular flexing will need to be tested yearly, however devices such as desktop computers and phones only require inspection every 5 years.

In accordance with AS/NZS 2293 workplaces are required to have emergency lighting and exit signs to provide clear signage for employees and visitors in case of emergency. These lights are designed to be powered by battery in case of a power failure. In order to ensure you are meeting the Australian standards, workplaces require their emergency exit signs to be tested at 6 monthly intervals. Discharge tests will be conducted where the battery charger will be disconnected on the lighting to ensure it is illuminated for a duration of 90 minutes. This test simulates a power outage in order to determine if the lights are in good working order in case of a blackout.

In order to meet OHS standards in the workplace, you are required to ensure all RCDs are kept safe and in good working order. In addition to this, according to AS/NZS 3760:2010 regulations, any Residual Current Devices are required to be tested and logged at regular intervals depending on the type of workplace you are accountable for. Every 6 months you should be doing a push button test on your RCDs, this can be done by you or someone at your company. However, every 12 months you are required to have the ‘trip time’ tested and recorded by a licensed electrician and logged in your workplace RCD logbook. For Portable Residual Current Devices, you should be doing a push button test prior to use, and then also tested by a licensed electrician every 12 months to record the trip time.