Test & Tag

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rb99

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Topic # 229093 7-Feb-2018 15:22

Apparently if you dare to take electrical anything to uni you need to get it all tested and tagged. Would anyone have any idea of how much that kind of thing might cost and what needs testing - does brand new stuff need it ?

rb99

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Meow
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Reply # 1952986 7-Feb-2018 15:31

I wouldn't think that is the case? You meaning perhaps a laptop or something?

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wellygary

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Reply # 1953043 7-Feb-2018 15:41

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Are you a

an employee or contractor of the owner of the fitting or appliance; or
a hirer or lessee under a hire or lease agreement with the owner of the fitting or appliance; or
the occupier of premises that are rented or leased from the owner of the fitting or appliance.

If you are simply a student, the regs don't appear to bind you,

Ask the Uni for the conditions you are expected to comply with in writing,

Or you could just go a print yourself a few of these :)

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bagheera

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Reply # 1953050 7-Feb-2018 15:48

welcome to the new health and safely..... for uni, I think it every 2 years it needs testing and tagging if not hardwire in. As to the cost, depends on how much is getting done, but I would be surprised there not a test and tag person at the uni that could do it for you, it would be a full time job for something that size / equipment coming in all the time

rb99

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Reply # 1953051 7-Feb-2018 15:48

Willis St Hall 2018 Handbook says 'All electrical appliances e.g. straighteners, hair dryers, electric blankets must have a safety check and be in good working condition & order.'

Seems OTT to me and I can drop them an email but input still appreciated...

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TheMantis

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Reply # 1953057 7-Feb-2018 15:55

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Contrary to popular belief there is no legal requirement to test and tag. There is however, by and large, a legal requirement for appliances to be electrically safe. To achieve this legal requirement test and tag has become the defacto method of compliance. Individually you are not bound by this requirement, i.e in your own house etc. The university is though. Unfortunately for you the university is well within their rights to require anything you connect to their electrical system to be proven to be electrically safe. Think of the consequences if electrically unsafe appliances are connected to the electrical system without any sort of control - a potential disaster. Easiest thing is to find an appliance repairer and have them throw your appliance on a PAT and give you a suitable tag. Might cost you $20ish.

Another point: Operators of PAT equipment do not need to hold any sort of electrical qualification, they only need to be trained to use that specific PAT equipment. Absolutely crazy.

rb99

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Reply # 1953084 7-Feb-2018 16:11

Didn't think was much danger if not needing to do it. If he's going to stay there I guess we follow their conditions.

Any thoughts on age ? There's a vacuum cleaner still in its box bought at the weekend and a laptop which was only extracted from its box last week...

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bagheera

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Reply # 1953115 7-Feb-2018 16:22

rb99:

Didn't think was much danger if not needing to do it. If he's going to stay there I guess we follow their conditions.

Any thoughts on age ? There's a vacuum cleaner still in its box bought at the weekend and a laptop which was only extracted from its box last week...

I have 500 (new still in their box)pc roll out, put on hold until the PC was unpacked and someone with 30 min training (I think it was that, on how to use the tester) then tested and tag them all. If it does not have the tag, it can not be plugged in was the H&S person stance on it. Depending on its environment, the tagging needs to be done every 3 month - 5 years, most uni stuff is 2 years.

I have plug in a bucket load of pc in my life, the only issue was back when auto-sensing power supply was not common, it was set to 110v...even then it was just bang and smoke comes out, no shock involved, but is now needed to prove that the device is "safe" to plug in

rb99

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Reply # 1953120 7-Feb-2018 16:30

Ah well, will see who I can dig up round here and see what they say / charge. Hopefully will remember to let you guys know.

btw saw after a bit of googling a suggested price for PAT testing in the UK of 1-2 pounds per item. Wonder how the exchange rate will work out for this corner(?) of the globe.

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Oblivian

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Reply # 1953125 7-Feb-2018 16:41

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TheMantis:

Contrary to popular belief there is no legal requirement to test and tag. There is however, by and large, a legal requirement for appliances to be electrically safe. To achieve this legal requirement test and tag has become the defacto method of compliance. Individually you are not bound by this requirement, i.e in your own house etc. The university is though. Unfortunately for you the university is well within their rights to require anything you connect to their electrical system to be proven to be electrically safe. Think of the consequences if electrically unsafe appliances are connected to the electrical system without any sort of control - a potential disaster. Easiest thing is to find an appliance repairer and have them throw your appliance on a PAT and give you a suitable tag. Might cost you $20ish.

Another point: Operators of PAT equipment do not need to hold any sort of electrical qualification, they only need to be trained to use that specific PAT equipment. Absolutely crazy.

Glad I'm not the only one that trolled it and couldn't find any reference to putting a tag on a cord after a visual inspection

Even builders don't need to. It just specifies visual safety checks and an RCD are required. Whats that tell you if we need to go and get told to test low voltage cables to laptops from the adaptor..

As for the testers, they popped up in droves straight after the idea come about and it cottoned on. I always looked at it as a money maker for anyone who didn't read the books to the letter.

wellygary

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Reply # 1953129 7-Feb-2018 16:53

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TheMantis:

Think of the consequences if electrically unsafe appliances are connected to the electrical system without any sort of control - a potential disaster.

You mean like a circuit breaker popping, as it is supposed to do if it detects a fault on the circuit, :)

Any appliance sold in NZ has to meet the relevant NZS already, so anything out of a box is surely safe,

(Sure they can claim "old" appliances might not be safe, but hey just because it has a tag on it doesn't stop a power cord being stuck in a door jam potentially severing or bridging the conductors)

rb99

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Reply # 1953134 7-Feb-2018 17:01

wellygary:

TheMantis:

Think of the consequences if electrically unsafe appliances are connected to the electrical system without any sort of control - a potential disaster.

You mean like a circuit breaker popping, as it is supposed to do if it detects a fault on the circuit, :)

Any appliance sold in NZ has to meet the relevant NZS already, so anything out of a box is surely safe,

(Sure they can claim "old" appliances might not be safe, but hey just because it has a tag on it doesn't stop a power cord being stuck in a door jam potentially severing or bridging the conductors)

Thats a thought - we did have a laptop that kind of blew its power brick and left a little mark on the carpet - maybe these tests are good, but then it also did trip a circuit breaker in the house - maybe these tests are not so good. (Sorry for displaying my ignorance of all things with a plug on the end).

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nickb800

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Reply # 1953147 7-Feb-2018 17:18

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The rules state that you must have stuff test n tagged, but will they actually be patrolling to enforce the rule?

rb99

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Reply # 1953153 7-Feb-2018 17:30

nickb800:

The rules state that you must have stuff test n tagged, but will they actually be patrolling to enforce the rule?

Well, they say 'must have a safety check and be in good working condition & order' which apparently isn't the same thing as tested and tagged. But whether its a good idea to turn up with stuff that hasn't got a tag with an illegible signature on it, I'm not so sure. I guess they can give stuff the once over as people move in to rooms.

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nickb800

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Reply # 1953163 7-Feb-2018 18:01

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Uni hostels often have lots of rules which aren't enforced. I bet there will be plenty of others (majority?) who arrive with appliances that haven't been tagged. Even if they do enforce the rule, I'm sure they will be soft on it at the beginning. They may even facilitate a test'n'tagger to come in for a day. Personally, I wouldn't worry about it

rb99

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Reply # 1953181 7-Feb-2018 18:32

nickb800:

Uni hostels often have lots of rules which aren't enforced. I bet there will be plenty of others (majority?) who arrive with appliances that haven't been tagged. Even if they do enforce the rule, I'm sure they will be soft on it at the beginning. They may even facilitate a test'n'tagger to come in for a day. Personally, I wouldn't worry about it

That would be nice but I really don't think I'm going to get it past SWMBO.

rb99

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