Test Tagging of electrical equipment?

[Ian]

Hi all,
I was wondering what other schools do about testing and tagging of electrical equipment?

10 years ago (or so) I gather that the legislation required EVERYTHING to be Test-Tagged, but then the legislation was relaxed in 2006 so that only equipment in "HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS" needs to be test-tagged. Ordinary classrooms, offices, staff rooms, lunch rooms, etc are exempt, but a "Hostile Environment" is one that has the chance of mechanical damage, or exposes the equipment to "moisture, heat, vibration, corrosive substances or dust" That sounds like a Science Lab to me!

Do other schools test tag their equipment?

What equipment do you have done? (eg power packs? microscope lamps? vacuume pumps? CRO's? lab computers? hot plates? anything else?)

How frequently do you have things done?

Who is in charge of organising it?

Thanks for your help on this one

Cheers
Ian

[cheltie]

In DET schools everything gets tested and tagged in our area.
I don't organise it but someone turns up and we have to pull everything out for testing.
It's a bit frightening how they always find a few things that are dangerous.
I can't remember if it is once a year or every two years.
One time they came in the holidays and turned the fridge off and didn't turn it back on!
Nice surprise for me when I got back to work a week later.
When we had some one in to do some repairs recently he also tested and tagged everything he looked at.
Helen

[estelle]

Hi Ian,
We get test tagged every year. Don't get a choice, some guy turns up, tests every piece of electrical equipment in the whole school and charges something like $1.50 to $2.00 PER ITEM. He even tested my personal CD player, glass grinder and about 15 power packs that the police gave to us after a raid on someones dope growing operation. We haven't even used them and aren't even likely to. Anything that has a cord got tested, it must have cost heaps.
I thought the equipment store must have been burgled the first time I came in after he had been here, he just pulled everything off the shelves and pretty much just shoved it back. I wasn't impressed.
I got wise the third time and hid some things.
I thought maybe the guidelines got changed because they found it gave a false sense of security if an electrical item had a tag on it. People trusted it and didn't check for ongoing fraying or cuts to cords.
Estelle

[RosalieM]

One of our 'men in blue' (maintenance guys) is a qualified electrician. He checks everything theoretically once/year but it doesn't usually end up being that regular. Mainly because time flies so quickly I don't realise a year is gone! Absolutely everything that plugs into the main power supply is tested. We aren't allowed to use any electrical equipment from home unless it is tagged first.

[Ocker]

We get done every year by the electrician who is on contract to the school, and he has taken to cutting off plugs on equip that fails, now heating mantals will fail every time un less they have been used recently because the heating coil is like a stove element made from stuff called Pyrotenix which absorbs moisture from the air and then it fails insulation test the other thing ii a little oven and hotplate unit that's in my prep room fails for same reason. But the man's an idiot.

[amk]

Hi Everyone,

As part our job the labbies do the T&Ting.The school has approx 1300 items and somehow this tedious and time consuming job has fallen into our lap. Last year , with 2 of us doing a visual inspection and then using the PAT machine, it took a week over the holidays. Not to mention the time updating records and printing reports.
Anything with a plug is checked and usually gets a 1 yr tag. Those items permanently in position and in a 'non-hostile' environment get a 5 yr tag. We try and follow Workcover guidelines or I check with a local electrician as to any changes. We have had our own labels made and just note which department things come from. The migratory pattern is amazing. Every year we have a different colour so its easy to see which items need checking. We regularly find things that have vanished for years and then reappear from the mysterious black hole.

I already had a TAFE certificate in Tagging, but my collegue was able to undertake the course at the schools expense. Thankfully we get overtime to do this, but every year we swear it will be the last. Its amazing how the unpleasant jobs come round all to quickly.



Hope every one is having a fun and productive week. Only 2 more weeks until tendering for the new labs closes. We live in hope that we will see some activity by Term 3.

Cheers,
Anne-Marie

[Ian]

Graeme, don't get me started!
Most electricians that I know have a brain, but to be an appliance tester, you just have to enrol in the appropriate TAFE course and turn up for 8 hours, then get employed by an electrician. We have had some "Dooseys"!!!
When they left the freezer off in the school canteen and all the chicken patties went off and the ice creams went rancid, we made the test taggers (we named then B1 and B2) come back and clean up the mess they had made, but when the Science freezer was left off and all our "body parts" were left for a week before we discovered the error, I had to clean up the mess (and I wasn't even the labbie then, just the GA). The same guys failed a 3 phase lathe because they could not work out how to plug the 4 pin plug into the 3 pin socket on their 240V tester! I have a very old vacuume pump in a wooden box. It failed because they could not find an "earth" on the wooden box. My hotplate went mysteriously missing one year. Disappeared without trace or explanation. 6 months later, I was walking past the "Maintenance Shed" and noticed a pile of electrical goods sitting out in the rain and weather. When I went to have a look, everything had its plug chopped off, including my missing hot plate. I was NOT a happy chappie!

Cheers
Ian

[Ocker]

In a previous incarnation I was a "Controls Technician" And have cert from TAFE to do testing but powers that be considered that me testing my equip would be conflict of interest, last time testing was done someone came in during holidays and found electrician had his kids doing the testing, Go Figure
Also I demonstrated to Sparky cleaning earth pin on plug magically cured earth problems Chem lab can be highly corrosive

[Ian]

"Conflict of Interest" Graeme?
So, what, do they think that you have so little value on your own life that you would knowingly "pass" a faulty appliance and risk killing yourself and others?.
I imagine that if the electricians life depended on doing a reliable job, they would all be a lot more careful, rather than less careful. (kind of like getting the cook to taste the food before serving it, isn't it)

So far, none of the replies to my initial e-mail have recognised the relaxing of the rules in 2006. I wonder if that is because the sparkies that are testing EVERYTHING think they are on a pretty good wicket and so don't care to mention the relaxing of the rules? (am I being too cynical?)

I would be interested if some of you could look up the Workcover site (http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au) and look at the articles titled "Frequently Asked Questions Testing and Tagging of Electrical Equipment" and also "Electrical Equipment Risk Assessment" and see if you read it the same way that I do. (type "test tag" into the "search box"

We used to tag every computer and monitor in 4 computer labs as well as a computer on every staff desk (over 100 staff), and now they are considered "Non Hostile" and don't get done any more! Saves $1000's!

Cheers
Ian

[labman]

Well Ian,
You've got me combing through all the legislation at the moment, as I had never heard of a "relaxing of the rules". Also, I'm in another state, so that makes a huge difference.
I do the electrical testing for the Science area at my school, and was sent to a course by the school to learn how to do this. I remember them saying that a school is considered a hostile environment, and, after reading on the NSW Workcover site, their definition of a hostile environment, I agree that the Science area is definitely that, but you have me questioning the other areas of the school that are not frequented by the kids. (they do the most damage to everything!)
I also believe that while Workcover covers all working environments, DECS then have their own rules within the department, and these may differ.
I will let you know what I uncover, but as I'm in S.A. it's not going to help much. Very interesting though, as we are are currently reviewing our test/tag system.
BTW, I found nothing on the Workcover SA site about a relaxing of the rules, so maybe it hasn't happened here yet!!
Cheers,
Lisa

[sampjm]

Hi there Ian,
I have just briefly viewed the FAQ via the link you posted and we must fall into the hostile environment category. Here in the science dept we test all equipment yearly. With all our precious cherubs using electrical equipment, it is if nothing else a safeguard as we know how equipment can be treated.
Have a great day ,
Sharon

[Ian]

Yes, I would have thought we were working in a "Hostile Environment". (you should see some of the people I work with! -no, not really)

When I look through the stuff in my store room, firstly, they record when the next test is DUE rather than when it was last done. Secondly, I have stuff that was due for its next test in July, 2007, stuff due in July, 2008 and some due in July 2009. Nothing done since then(!!!) I have some things that have never been tagged at all!

Actually, the original question came from a friend who works in the office of a new, little school down the road, and they are wondering where to start, as they have NEVER had ANYTHING done at all, and she thought that they did not have to, hence my digging out the Workcover docs. They are building up their secondary department, and so have only had Science, IA, etc for a few years, and don't have a lot of money to throw at tradesmen unless they have to.

I was in Maintenance when the legislation first hit us back in 2001/2002, and EVERYTHING was done. It cost us a FORTUNE! I was suprised when my friend told me that office areas, etc did not have to be done, which is why I looked up the legislation myself on the Workcover site.

It is interesting that most people seem to still be doing everything, whereas in my school, everything seems to have stopped a couple of years ago. At the moment I am not sure which way to advise my friend. I will pass all this information on to her, though.

Thanks for all your help so far.

Cheers
Ian

[lada]

Very interesting, Ian
We have all our equipment tested once a year, with date tested and date to be retested.
Did not hear of any relaxing of this legislation.

I don't have to do it myself, we get a sparkie at huge cost, to come and do it.
Lada

[Ocker]

We used to test everything every year but common sense says that computer leads etc especially in staff area 5 years OK. I convinced the Industrial arts teacher that portable tools (drills, angle grinders etc) in TAS should be checked every term. He told boss no tags no pracs and took 1 step further and gets kids to check Equip before they use it, and if damage to leads is found it's put aside

[merilyn]

Ian

As you know I was previously employed in the nursery industry. Initially, we spent a lot of money getting electrical items tested - some were on a 3 month inspection, others 6 months and12 months. The local electrician certainly made a bomb out of us (and every other business in the area). With the changes we no longer had anything tested (and the elctrician has significantly scaled down his business).
The OH&S officer for the nursery industry explained to us that even the nursery was not considered a hostile environment. A hostile environment would be typically a construction site, where there is a lot of dust, vibration and equipment being frequently plugged and unplugged and transported to other sites. Instead, we were supposed to conduct a risk assessment on each piece of equipment (you've got to love Workcover and their risk assessments. Anything they don't want to give a definite answer to they will tell you to carry out a risk assessment!). We were then required to carry out visual inspections on a regular basis eg checking cables, as determined by our risk assessment (!).
I'm not sure how this translates to the school environment! How hostile can a 15 year old be???!!!
Workcover may be able to offer "some" help (not just tell you to do a risk assessment). People are under the impression that ringing Workcover will instigate a site visit by their inspector - this isn't the case and I have found them quite helpful, especially if you ring the outer metropolitan offices.

All up I don't think "tagging" is going to be required on too many items, if at all. I've had a quick look around here and nothing has been tested for about 4 years. Hope this helps.

Merilyn

[Ocker]

How hostile can a 15 year old be???!!!
I find them extremly hostile not to mention revolting, obnoxious and ignorant
But I suppose that's why we are trying to educate them

[Ian]

Hi Merilyn,
looking through this thread, it would appear that you and I are the only schools that do not have the whole school test tagged every year. We must be saving a "mottza". I've got to wonder if we have missed something or if the rest of the world has?. Still, my untutored reading of the documentation still supports your Nurseryman OH&S Officer's interpretation. I wonder what the AIS interpretation is?

Your local electrician wouldn't be Keith B from Menangle Park, would it? He used to do work for us here. Nice guy. Honest and reliable!

Cheers
Ian

[merilyn]

Hi Ian
No the electrician was from Mittagong, he was a pretty friendly chap, but certainly had some "interesting" people workign for him during the height of the tagging era. Incidentally, did you notice the ads that come up on this page? Wonder how they're going, hope they're not reading this!

I had a blank risk assessment form for electrical equipment that I'm sure I got from Workcover. If you look on their website for publications perhaps, you may find it. It could be buried in some other document or information. I'll have a look for it when I get some time and motivation. I used to spend a lot of time on OH&S in my old job but as we had to make more and more staff cuts I was not afforded the "luxury" of this time, so things had slipped away, hence it has been a long time since I had looked at all of this.

I guess we're either wrong or right on this!

M.

[Labbie]

He even tested my personal CD player, glass grinder and about 15 power packs that the police gave to us after a raid on someones dope growing operation. We haven't even used them and aren't even likely to. Anything that has a cord got tested, it must have cost heaps.

Quote taken from Estelle 27th May 2010, do not know what happened to the quote thingo???


Very interested in the Police giving away equipment. Did the Police contact you? I read some where a public school came register their interest in glass ware, etc from drug labs raids. with the Police????????????

[smiley]

Just make sure that a) you clean it will all the windows open, and b) you don't travel internationally for at least a month after