Test and tag requirements in Australia: what the law actually requires

Last reviewed 26 October 2026.

"Test and tag" is the in-service inspection and testing of plug-in electrical equipment set out in AS/NZS 3760:2022. The standard itself is not law. What the law requires, in every state that has adopted the model WHS Regulations, is regulation 150: plug-in equipment used in a hostile operating environment must be regularly inspected and tested by a competent person, and a record kept until the next test. Outside hostile environments, testing is one accepted way to meet the general duty to keep equipment safe. Queensland sets its own intervals by class of work, Victoria relies on its general duty, and New Zealand does not mandate it at all.

What test and tag is

AS/NZS 3760:2022, In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment and RCDs, was published on 29 June 2022 and superseded the 2010 edition on 24 June 2023 (Standards New Zealand). It covers inspection and testing procedures, frequency, documentation and tagging, and competency (Standards Australia, 24 February 2025). The WHS Regulations do not name it; regulators point to it as the accepted method. Queensland says its regulation "takes precedence over the Australian standard AS/NZS 3760" (WorkSafe Queensland).

Is test and tag legally mandatory?

Yes in a hostile operating environment; otherwise it depends. Regulation 150(1) of the model WHS Regulations (Safe Work Australia, 5 December 2025 version) says a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) "must ensure that electrical equipment is regularly inspected and tested by a competent person if the electrical equipment is: (a) supplied with electricity through an electrical socket outlet; and (b) used in an environment in which the normal use of electrical equipment exposes the equipment to operating conditions that are likely to result in damage to the equipment or a reduction in its expected life span, including conditions that involve exposure to moisture, heat, vibration, mechanical damage, corrosive chemicals or dust."

Regulation 150(2) exempts new, unused equipment but requires an inspection for obvious damage before use; regulation 151 says equipment that must be tested and has not been "is not used", so far as is reasonably practicable. Safe Work Australia's examples of hostile environments are "wet or dusty areas, outdoors, workplaces that use corrosive substances, commercial kitchens, and manufacturing environments" (Electrical risks at the workplace).

For an office, shop or classroom there is no test-and-tag offence in the model regulations. NT WorkSafe: "There is no mandated inspection and testing or tagging for electrical equipment used in lower-risk operating environments", though a PCBU may include it in its risk management (NT WorkSafe bulletin, 29 July 2025). The general duty still applies, and the codes of practice treat periodic inspection and testing as the way to show you met it.

Do I need to test and tag? A decision checklist

1. Is it plugged into a socket outlet? Fixed and hard-wired equipment is outside regulation 150. Extra-low-voltage plug packs (below 50 V AC) need no testing or tagging, according to NT WorkSafe.
2. Is moisture, heat, vibration, mechanical damage, corrosive chemicals or dust normal where it is used? If yes, testing by a competent person is mandatory under regulation 150 in NSW, SA, Tasmania, the ACT, the NT and WA.
3. Queensland? Use the class of work in Part 6 of the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026. Section 133: manufacturing equipment at least every 6 months, or every year if double insulated. Section 138: equipment used only for office work every 5 years, or connect it to a safety switch instead.
4. Victoria? No regulation 150. WorkSafe Victoria says "Regular testing and tagging of electrical equipment is necessary to detect electrical faults and deterioration that cannot be found by visual inspection", and that employers need to keep records of it (WorkSafe Victoria).
5. Construction or demolition site? AS/NZS 3012 applies, with its own intervals and records. Not covered here.
6. New and unused? Inspect for damage, record the date it entered service, book the first test.
7. None of the above? Testing is optional but is the regulators' expected way to show the general duty was met. Decide by risk assessment and write it down.

Who may do the testing

The model regulations define a competent person as one "who has acquired through training, qualification or experience the knowledge and skills to carry out the task" (regulation 5). SafeWork SA says this "could be a person who has successfully completed a nationally accredited training course, run by a registered training organisation, on the use of a Portable Appliance, or a licensed electrical worker" (SafeWork SA).

Two states are tighter. WA's WHS (General) Regulations 2022, regulation 4, define the competent person for this task as one "who has satisfactorily completed a competency-assessed training course on testing and tagging using the pass-fail type of electrical instrument known as a portable appliance tester" (legislation.wa.gov.au). Queensland: "PCBUs who perform testing and tagging work as part of a business or undertaking must hold an electrical contractor licence permitting that work" (WorkSafe Queensland eSafe, May 2023). In Tasmania test and tag "is not a licensed occupation" (CBOS Tasmania). Repairs are electrical work everywhere and need a licensed electrical worker.

What the tag and the record must show

Regulation 150(4): the record must specify "the name of the person who carried out the testing; the date of the testing; the outcome of the testing; the date on which the next testing must be carried out", and "may be in the form of a tag attached to the electrical equipment tested". Regulation 150(3): keep it "until the electrical equipment is: (a) next tested; or (b) permanently removed from the workplace or disposed of". A logbook, register or database counts; WorkSafe WA's code adds that if a tag lacks any of the four items, "the rest of the required information must be recorded elsewhere" (Managing electrical risks in the workplace).

SafeWork SA and WorkSafe ACT both ask for a durable, non-reusable, non-metallic tag. Queensland's "prescribed details" are the test date or retest-by date, plus the tester's name or licence number, or the company's name or electrical contractor licence number (Electrical Safety Regulation 2026, section 123). On construction sites SafeWork SA says RCD results are kept "for a minimum period of five (5) years".

What happens on a fail

Regulation 149 applies: the item is disconnected or isolated and "is not reconnected until it is repaired or tested and found to be safe" or "is replaced or permanently removed from use". Queensland adds that the competent person "immediately attaches a durable tag to the equipment that warns people not to use the equipment" and the item "is immediately withdrawn from use" (section 133(5)). Record the fail, the reason and what was done, so the register shows the item left service.

How often

Intervals are not in the regulations; they come from the standard and regulator tables, from 3 months on construction sites to 5 years for low-risk office equipment. The full table, with sources, is on AS/NZS 3760 retest intervals; RCDs have their own schedule on RCD test records. To choose the interval for a workplace and turn it into a schedule, see how often do you need to test and tag.

Regulator and instrument by state and territory

When this page does not apply

• Construction and demolition sites. AS/NZS 3012 governs, with on-site records. Ask your state regulator for its construction guidance.
• Fixed installations, repairs and RCD installation. Electrical work for a licensed electrical worker.
• Medical equipment in patient areas. WorkSafe WA's code notes AS/NZS 3760 excludes it; AS/NZS 3551 applies.
• Emergency lighting and exit signs. A different standard and logbook; see emergency lighting test log.

If you are unsure whether your workplace is a hostile operating environment, ask the regulator linked above; a written risk assessment is the evidence they expect.

Keeping the records

Regulation 150 asks for four things on every record and for the record to outlast the next test. TagVault stores exactly that: scan the tag, record pass or fail, and the tester, date, outcome and next due date are saved, with the retest scheduled from the item's environment. It works offline and exports to CSV. It does not make anyone a competent person or decide whether your workplace is hostile, and no regulator requires it; a logbook meets the rule too. Android only.

Get TagVault on Google Play