Test and tag requirements in Victoria: what WorkSafe expects

Test and tag requirements in Victoria work differently from the rest of Australia. Victoria hasn't adopted the model WHS laws, so there's no regulation that says "plug-in equipment in hostile environments must be tested", like clause 150 in NSW. Instead, test and tag sits under the employer's general duty in the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 to provide safe plant and systems of work. WorkSafe Victoria says regular testing and tagging is necessary to find faults a visual check can't, points to AS/NZS 3760:2022 for timeframes, and expects employers to keep records. Construction sites are the exception: WorkSafe's industry standard sets firm rules, including a retest every three months.

General information only, not legal advice. Check the current Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, WorkSafe Victoria's guidance and the relevant standards for your situation. For licensing questions, contact Energy Safe Victoria.

Why Victoria is different

Every other state and territory has adopted the model WHS laws in some form (Safe Work Australia). Those laws include a specific rule for testing plug-in equipment, with a list of what the test record must show. Victoria kept its own OHS Act, which sets broad duties and leaves the detail to guidance and standards.

If you also work interstate, compare this with test and tag requirements in NSW, where the regulation names the equipment that must be tested, and Queensland, where the law sets maximum intervals.

Is test and tag mandatory in Victoria?

There's no Victorian law that names test and tag outright for ordinary workplaces. But that doesn't make it optional. WorkSafe's guidance says the employer's systems of work should cover "the provision, use, inspection, testing and maintenance of electrical equipment", and that regular testing and tagging "is necessary to detect electrical faults and deterioration that cannot be found by visual inspection" (WorkSafe Victoria).

So the practical answer is: an employer who uses plug-in equipment needs a testing program that fits the risk, and has to be able to show it. If an inspector or a court looks at an electrical incident, the question will be whether the employer did what was reasonably practicable. Testing to AS/NZS 3760, the standard WorkSafe itself points to, is the usual way to answer that.

Some organisations make it a firm rule anyway. The Victorian Department of Education, for example, requires schools to have electrical equipment tested and tagged by a competent person and recorded on an electrical equipment register (Department of Education policy). Insurers, landlords and head contractors often write it into contracts too.

Hostile environments

WorkSafe describes a hostile environment as one where heat, UV, moisture, vibration, sharp objects, corrosive chemicals or dust are present. Its examples are construction sites, manufacturing areas in factories, workshops, and workplaces where maintenance or fabrication happens. It also flags equipment that's frequently moved, used in cramped metal spaces, used outdoors, or used around water, such as in commercial kitchens and garden centres.

These are the areas where a testing program matters most, and where AS/NZS 3760 suggests shorter intervals.

A tag isn't proof of safety

WorkSafe makes a point that's worth passing on to clients: a test tag "does not necessarily mean that the equipment is in good condition", because it may have been damaged since the test. Users should still check leads and equipment before each use for cuts, fraying, bent pins, taped leads, exposed wires and burn marks. Damaged equipment must be tagged out and either repaired by a competent person or discarded.

How often to test in Victoria

For general workplaces, WorkSafe doesn't set its own intervals for plug-in equipment. It says the frequency depends on the type of equipment, the operating environment and how it's used, and refers employers to AS/NZS 3760:2022. We've summarised the standard's indicative intervals in our guide to test and tag frequency.

RCD timeframes from WorkSafe

WorkSafe's electrical safety page does list timeframes for safety switches (RCDs):

Source: WorkSafe Victoria. WorkSafe defines high risk areas as places where the environment and the use increase the risk of cable damage or shortened life, medium risk where either does, and low risk where neither does.

Construction sites

Construction is where Victoria is most prescriptive. WorkSafe's general electrical safety page says it doesn't apply to construction workplaces, and sends readers to its industry standard, Electrical installations on construction sites. The standard says its guidance should be followed to achieve the minimum level of health and safety. Where it uses "must", it reflects the Act or Regulations. It also notes that AS/NZS 3012 is incorporated by reference in the wiring rules, AS/NZS 3000, which makes compliance with it mandatory.

For portable equipment and leads, the standard says:

• Before every use: tools, appliances and extension leads should be inspected for wear and damage.
• Before first use and every three months: plant must be inspected and tested for earth continuity and insulation resistance in line with AS/NZS 3760.
• Tagging: items that pass must be tagged as tested and safe to use. Faulty items must be withdrawn from service and tagged as faulty.
• Records: results must be kept on site, or be available to a WorkSafe inspector or the site's health and safety representative within 24 hours of a request. Records must include the date of inspection, the item number, details of the person who tested and any repairs needed.
• Repairs: must be done by an authorised repair agent, service personnel or a licensed electrician, and the item retested before it goes back into use.
• Hire equipment: should be tested and inspected before delivery, and may need retesting during the hire.

For RCDs on site, portable RCDs need a push-button test after connecting and at least daily, and fixed RCDs a monthly push-button test with the date recorded. Trip time testing is monthly, though the standard allows up to three months where the site can show a system for checking equipment coming onto site and a risk assessment that justifies it.

The standard was published in 2011 and refers to older editions of AS/NZS 3760 and AS/NZS 3012. Check the current editions, and any head contractor rules, before you set a site's schedule.

Who can test and tag in Victoria

WorkSafe says maintenance and electrical work must be done by someone "competent and suitably qualified". It draws a useful line: some people are only competent to do a pass/fail test, while a licensed electrician can also repair the defects that testing finds (WorkSafe Victoria).

The construction industry standard spells out who can inspect and test portable equipment on site:

1. a licensed electrician
2. a licensed electrical inspector, or
3. a person who has completed a structured training course and been deemed competent in using a pass/fail portable appliance tester and visually inspecting equipment

Its Appendix C adds that a non-electrician should understand the relevant sections of AS/NZS 3760 and their duties under electrical safety and OHS laws, and know the limits of their training. Anyone testing on a construction site also needs to understand AS/NZS 3012 and the standard itself, and hold a WorkSafe Victoria construction induction card or equivalent if testing on site.

The nationally recognised unit for this work is UEERL0003 Conduct in-service safety testing of electrical cord connected equipment and cord assemblies. The Department of Education's policy accepts UEERL0003 or the older UEENEE026A, or a licensed electrician.

Licences and repairs

We couldn't find a Victorian licence for pass/fail testing and tagging itself. Repairs are different. Replacing plugs or repairing leads can be electrical work, and WorkSafe's examples point to licensed or registered electricians for repairs. If you want to offer repairs as part of your service, confirm with Energy Safe Victoria what licence you need before you start.

What records to keep in Victoria

Outside construction, WorkSafe says employers need to keep records of electrical safety maintenance programs, including any testing and tagging, and that these records should be available for review and inspection. It doesn't list required fields or a retention period.

A sensible record covers the same ground as the construction standard and AS/NZS 3760: the item and its ID, where it is, the test date, the result, who tested it, the next due date and any repair or tag-out. Keeping the register in one place, not just on the tags, is what lets a client answer an inspector, insurer or auditor quickly.

A Victorian checklist for each client

1. Check whether it's a construction site. If it is, the industry standard and AS/NZS 3012 apply, with three-monthly retests.
2. Sort other areas by risk using WorkSafe's hostile environment examples, and write down why.
3. List the plug-in equipment, including leads, powerboards and portable RCDs.
4. Agree intervals using AS/NZS 3760:2022, plus anything the client's insurer, policy or contracts require.
5. Set RCD testing to WorkSafe's timeframes for the risk area.
6. Tag and record every test, and tag out anything that fails.
7. Give the client the register, and keep your own copy.

Keeping Victorian clients on track

Because Victoria leaves intervals to risk and the standard, every client ends up with a different schedule, and construction sites add three-monthly retests on top. Koalaris keeps a register for each client and site, records tests in a field app that works offline, prints test tags and produces certificates. Clients can check their own records in a free portal. The Solo plan is $29 a month, and every new business gets a 14-day trial with no card needed. See how it works on the Koalaris test and tag app page.

Frequently asked questions

Is test and tag a legal requirement in Victoria?

Not by name for most workplaces. Victoria's OHS Act requires employers to provide safe plant and systems of work so far as is reasonably practicable, and WorkSafe Victoria says regular testing and tagging is necessary to find faults a visual check misses. On construction sites, WorkSafe's industry standard requires plant to be tested before first use and every three months.

What standard applies to test and tag in Victoria?

AS/NZS 3760:2022, In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment and RCDs. WorkSafe Victoria refers employers to it for recommended timeframes. Construction sites also follow AS/NZS 3012 and WorkSafe's construction industry standard.

Who can test and tag in Victoria?

A competent person. That can be a licensed electrician, or someone who has completed structured training, usually the unit UEERL0003, and been deemed competent with a pass/fail tester and visual inspection. Only a suitably licensed person should repair the faults that testing finds.

Do I need a licence to test and tag in Victoria?

We couldn't find a Victorian licence for pass/fail testing and tagging. Competence is what WorkSafe asks for. Repairs such as replacing plugs can be electrical work that needs a licence, so check with Energy Safe Victoria before offering them.

How long should test and tag records be kept in Victoria?

WorkSafe's guidance doesn't set a retention period. It says employers need to keep records of electrical safety maintenance, including testing and tagging, and make them available for review and inspection. Keeping the full history for each item is the safest approach.