Who has to test and tag electrical equipment in Queensland?
Under the Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld), a business doing construction, manufacturing, amusement, rural industry, service or office work, or hiring out electrical equipment, must have its electrical equipment tested and tagged as that type of work requires. A competent person inspects and tests the equipment, then attaches a durable tag. The Regulation states some intervals itself. For construction work and safety switches it points to Australian Standards.
This guide sticks to what the Regulation says, and separates it from the Standards and from good practice. For a ready-made way to track it all, see our Electrical Equipment Register.
Which law applies in Queensland?
- Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld), section 30. A person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure the business is conducted in a way that is electrically safe. That includes ensuring all electrical equipment used in the business is electrically safe.
- Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld), Part 6 (Workplace electrical equipment). This is where the test and tag rules sit. It replaced the Electrical Safety Regulation 2013, so older articles that cite the 2013 section numbers are out of date.
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld). Part 4.7 (sections 145 to 166) is marked “not used” in Queensland, so the WHS Regulation has no electrical equipment testing rules here. If you see another state’s WHS regulation quoted for test and tag, it does not apply in Queensland. Under schedule 1, section 4 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld), the WHS Act does not apply to the extent the Electrical Safety Act 2002 applies, so electrical safety duties sit under the Electrical Safety Act and Regulation. The WHS Act still covers the rest of your workplace risks.
- Australian Standards. AS/NZS 3760 (In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment and RCDs) and AS/NZS 3012 (Electrical installations: Construction and demolition sites) are not law on their own. They apply where the Regulation calls them up, and it does so for safety switch testing, for amusement devices and rides, for rural industry work, for hired equipment with a built-in safety switch, and for construction work.
Which equipment must be tested?
For manufacturing, amusement and rural industry work, the Regulation uses the term “specified electrical equipment”. That means:
- a cord extension set rated up to 20 amps;
- an electrical portable outlet device (such as a powerboard) rated up to 20 amps; and
- other electrical equipment rated up to 20 amps that connects to low voltage supply by a flexible cord and plug, other than a portable safety switch.
For service work and office work the same three items apply, except that the third one only counts if the equipment is moved while it is normally being used. The Regulation’s own examples include a hand-held grinder or drill plugged into a socket-outlet (manufacturing), a portable vacuum cleaner in a hotel or a hand-held hair dryer in a salon (service), and a powerboard or extension lead supplying power to office equipment (office).
Construction work is different. Regulation 140 covers all electrical equipment used for construction work, not only the 20 amp items. Amusement devices and rides connected by a plug have their own rule in regulation 129. Rural industry work (growing crops, rearing farm animals, aquaculture and similar work, as defined in section 125) has its own rule in regulation 141, covered below.
How often must it be tested?
The Regulation sets the maximum gap between tests for most types of work. Where it says “at least once every”, the test must happen no later than that.
| Type of work | What is covered | What the Regulation says | Regulation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | Specified equipment that is double insulated | Inspected and tested at least once every year | 133(1)(a) |
| Manufacturing | Specified equipment that is not double insulated | Inspected and tested at least once every 6 months | 133(1)(b) |
| Amusement work | Specified equipment, double insulated or not | Every year if double insulated, every 6 months if not, and connected to a safety switch | 128(1) |
| Amusement devices and rides | Plug-connected devices and rides | Tested each time assembled on site and at least once every 6 months | 129(1) |
| Service work | Specified equipment | Inspected and tested at least once every year, or connected to a safety switch | 138(1) |
| Office work only | Specified equipment used only for office work | Inspected and tested at least once every 5 years, or connected to a safety switch | 138(1) |
| Rural industry work | Specified equipment that involves a “stated electrical risk factor” (see below) | Connected to a safety switch, or inspected and tested at least once every year by a competent person and found to comply with AS/NZS 3760 when tested | 141(2)(d) |
| Hiring out equipment | Each item hired out | Inspected and tested before each hire (unless it has a safety switch that cannot be disconnected, deactivated or removed during operation), and inspected, tested and tagged at least every 6 months | 142(2) |
| Construction work | All electrical equipment | No test interval stated. Equipment must comply with AS/NZS 3012 | 140(2) |
Double insulated equipment is usually marked with a symbol of one square inside another. Domestic items (computer equipment, browngoods and whitegoods) hired out for use in a home are not covered by the 6-monthly hire rule.
Manufacturing work has a second requirement: specified equipment must also be plugged into a socket-outlet protected by a safety switch (regulation 133(2)). Regulations 133(3), 134 and 135 set out the exceptions and the installation rules, including for workplaces where manufacturing is the primary work.
For rural industry work, regulation 141 requires specified electrical equipment to be visually inspected for electrical safety defects before it is connected to a socket-outlet. The safety switch or annual test rule applies where the equipment involves a “stated electrical risk factor”: plug-in equipment used in an unroofed or wet area, hand-held or carried equipment whose cord flexes in use, or plug-in equipment exposed to conditions that cause abnormal wear or deterioration, such as corrosive dust or chemicals.
Construction work and safety switches: where the intervals live
For construction work, the Regulation does not state a number. Regulation 140 requires all electrical equipment used for construction work to comply with AS/NZS 3012, and it sets tagging rules for the equipment listed in clause 3.1 of that Standard (see below). The test intervals are in the Standards, not in the Regulation, so they are not stated here as law. Buy or access the Standard, or ask a competent test and tag provider which intervals apply to your equipment. WorkSafe Queensland also explains testing and tagging of electrical equipment by type of work.
Safety switches (also called RCDs) work the same way. Under regulations 130, 136 and 139 a safety switch must not be used unless it complies with AS/NZS 3760 when tested. A safety switch that is not portable must be tested by a competent person immediately after it is connected and then at the intervals stated in AS/NZS 3760. A portable safety switch must be tested by pushing its test button immediately after it is connected and then at the intervals in AS/NZS 3760. If a safety switch is not working properly, a durable warning tag goes on it straight away and it is withdrawn from use.
What goes on the tag?
- Safe to use: a durable tag stating the “prescribed details”: at least one of the test date or the day by which the equipment must be retested, plus at least one detail identifying who tested it, such as their name, their licence number, or their employer’s name or licence number (for example regulations 128(2), 133(4), 138(2) and 141(3)).
- Not safe to use: the competent person immediately attaches a durable tag warning people not to use it, and the equipment is immediately withdrawn from use.
- Construction work: for equipment mentioned in clause 3.1 of AS/NZS 3012 (the Regulation’s examples are construction wiring, inverters, RCDs, switchboards and transportable structures), a tag showing a test or retest date can only be fitted if the equipment is new, or a competent person has tested it and found it complies with AS/NZS 3012. A tag on tested equipment must include the retest-by day and the tester’s details (regulation 140(3) and (4)).
- Hired equipment: the tag states the day by which the item must be reinspected and retested (regulation 142(5)).
A tag is not a substitute for a test. For manufacturing, amusement, rural industry, service and office work, a tag must not be attached unless the equipment is new, or a competent person tested it and attached the tag (regulations 128(4), 133(6), 138(4) and 141(5)).
Who can test and tag?
The Regulation says a competent person, and defines that as a person who has acquired, through training, qualifications, experience or a combination of these, the knowledge and skill to carry out the task. Under regulation 181, testing that Part 6 requires can be done by a competent person without an electrical licence. The business still has the duty to ensure the testing and tagging is done properly, so ask any provider what training and experience they have.
The Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 (Managing electrical risks in the workplace) adds that testing which needs equipment dismantled should only be done by a licensed electrical worker. The code was written for the previous Regulation, so check its section numbers against the current one.
Records and registers
Part 6 requires written records in two cases. For amusement devices and rides, the competent person must immediately make a written record of the test details and the prescribed details (regulation 129(3), or 129(4) if the equipment is not safe to use). A business that hires out equipment must keep records of its tests for at least 5 years (regulation 142(7)). For the other types of work, Part 6 does not set out a register requirement.
A register is still the easiest way to know what is due, show what you did and keep your general duty under section 30 of the Electrical Safety Act. A useful register records, for each item:
- a description and an asset or tag number;
- where it is used and who is responsible for it;
- whether it is double insulated;
- the date tested, the next due date and the result;
- the name or licence number of the tester; and
- what happened to anything that failed.
Our Electrical Equipment Register is set up for this, and the Electrical Safety Policy and Procedure Template covers who is responsible for what. If your crew uses electrical tools on site, the Electrical Equipment SWMS helps cover safe use, and you can browse the electrical templates.
New, second-hand and repaired equipment
The Regulation’s tag rule allows a tag on new equipment. The Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2021 says brand new equipment that has never been used does not have to be tested before first use, but should still be visually inspected for damage, and that equipment bought second-hand, or repaired or serviced in a way that could affect its electrical safety, should be tested before it is used. It also recommends regular visual checks, such as looking for damaged cords, plugs and signs of heat, between formal tests. These are guidance, not rules in the Regulation.
A simple way to get on top of it
- List all portable electrical equipment and leads, and note which are double insulated.
- Work out which type of work you do, and which items count as specified electrical equipment.
- Book a competent person and have everything tested and tagged.
- Record the results and the next due date in a register.
- Pull failed items out of use straight away, and re-check the list when you buy, hire or repair equipment.
For wider electrical hazards, see our guides on electrical safety at work and preventing electrical injuries, and our guide on how to identify hazards in the workplace.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current law or talk to WorkSafe Queensland for your situation.
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