Test and Tag for Newcastle Businesses, What You Actually Need

Test and tag is one of those things business owners often only think about after an inspection or insurance audit catches them out. The rules are clear, the work is straightforward, and the cost is small. Here's what you need to know.

Who Needs Test and Tag

If you're a business operating in NSW, you have a Work Health and Safety (WHS) duty of care to ensure electrical equipment used by workers is safe. AS/NZS 3760:2022 is the standard that defines how that duty is met for portable appliances, through visual inspection and electrical testing.

That covers:

• Offices, retail shops, cafes
• Construction and demolition sites
• Hire equipment
• Schools, gyms, community centres
• Short-stay rentals and Airbnbs where appliances are supplied

Retest Frequency

AS/NZS 3760 sets different retest intervals depending on environment:

New equipment gets a new-to-service test before first use, then onto the schedule above.

What's Actually Tested

1. Visual inspection: casing condition, lead and plug integrity, no exposed wires
2. Earth continuity: earth conductor connects from plug to chassis with low resistance
3. Insulation resistance: insulation between active conductors and earth is intact
4. Polarity: active and neutral aren't swapped
5. Functional test: the appliance does what it's meant to do

Each item gets a durable tag showing test date, next-test-due date, tester ID and pass/fail.

What It Costs in Newcastle

For small sites (under 50 items) we charge from $100 to $180 per 20 items. Larger sites with recurring contracts get bulk pricing. Same-day email report with all results plus a digital asset register, retest reminders before next-due date, and fail-item recommendations (repair vs replace).