What is test and tag? The process, explained

What “test and tag” means

Test and tag is the routine electrical safety testing of plug-in equipment — the appliances, power tools, extension leads and power boards your workplace uses every day. It is formally called in-service inspection and testing, and the way it is done in Australia is set out in one standard: AS/NZS 3760:2022.

Each item is visually inspected, electrically tested through calibrated test equipment, fitted with a tag showing the result and the next test date, and recorded on an asset register. The point is simple: most electrical damage is invisible from the outside, and testing finds it before someone gets hurt.

What actually happens during a visit

1. Walk-through and register

We start by working through your site area by area, building or updating the asset register — every plug-in item, lead and power board, recorded against its location. Equipment nobody remembered (the power board behind the fridge, the charger in the storeroom) is exactly the equipment that gets found here.

2. Visual inspection

Before any electrical test, each item is inspected for the damage that testing alone can miss: cracked casings, bent pins, frayed or kinked leads, missing covers and signs of overheating. A surprising share of failures are caught at this step.

3. Electrical testing

Items that pass inspection are then tested with a calibrated portable appliance tester. Depending on the equipment class, that includes earth continuity, insulation resistance and polarity checks — the tests that reveal internal damage no visual check can see. Portable RCDs get their own treatment: a push-button function test plus a measured trip time, to confirm the device disconnects fast enough to prevent a serious shock.

4. Tagging

Every item that passes is fitted with a durable tag showing the test date and when the next test falls due. The tag is the visible proof an auditor, principal contractor or client looks for — no current tag, no evidence.

5. Records

Every result is captured as we go. After testing you receive digital test records and the asset register: what was tested, where it lives, the result, and the next due date. There's a full sample report on this site showing exactly what that looks like.

What happens when an item fails

Failed equipment is clearly identified on the spot so it can't be plugged back in by mistake, documented against its location, and removed from service as appropriate. ADVARO is a test and tag service, not a licensed electrical contractor — where an item needs repair, that work is referred to a licensed electrician, and where an item isn't worth repairing, we say so plainly so you can replace it and move on.

How often it needs doing

Retest intervals depend on the environment, not the calendar: construction gear runs on a 3-monthly cycle, workshops and kitchens typically 6 to 12 months, and low-risk office equipment can stretch to 5 years. Our retest frequency guide breaks down the intervals by environment, and our ACT compliance guide covers where testing is mandatory versus expected.

What it costs

Test and tag is priced per item, which means the cost of a compliant program is usually far smaller than owners expect — especially in low-risk environments with long retest intervals. Our pricing page shows our per-item rates and how volume affects them, and a fixed quote only needs your approximate item count and suburb.