Are you in charge of safety in your school? You need to be aware of your obligations to ensure the safety of teachers and students. Your school needs to be compliant with health and safety standards – much like any other business. A building with precious cargo such as yours should be well maintained. Not sure about your testing obligations? Have no fear, our Jim’s Test & Tag blog will help you secure your school with testing and tagging tips.
Which equipment needs testing and tagging?
As a general rule, anything that plugs in should be tested routinely. Electrical safety should be a guarantee in every school. Our technicians can use test and tag equipment to verify the usability of each unique item. The appliances that need to be tested will vary from school to school – the following items may be eligible for testing in your building:
The Staffroom
Protect the adults by ensuring all portable appliances are checked at regular intervals. Your staffroom could be home for a number of appliances. At Jim’s Test & Tag we commonly test the following items in school staffrooms:
- Microwave
- Coffee Machine
- Kettle
- Power boards
The Library
The library should be a safe environment for learning and expression. You need to test and tag each piece of electrical equipment in your library to secure the safety of each student. In your library, you may choose to test the following items:
- Computers
- Printers
- Power boards
- Telephones
- Photocopiers
- Multimedia equipment (e.g. projectors)
The Classroom
The classroom can be chaotic enough without the added risk of electrical injury. You can make sure your room is safe by having one of our staff use electrical test and tag equipment to check each of the following pieces of equipment:
- Projectors
- Smartboards
- Laptop Bays
- Power boards
- TV & DVD units
The Art Room
Creativity will flow when students and teachers are safe and happy. Your school needs to be compliant in every area, including the art room. Testing and tagging equipment should be a priority in any art room that contains any of the following appliances:
- Computers
- Darkroom equipment
- Glue gun
The Food Technology Room
Do you teach home economics? Testing and tagging each electrical appliance will help you keep the food tasty and the children safe. We have included some of the most common items we test in kitchens at schools. You might also find the following items in the canteen or staffroom where they will need to be tested as well.
- Microwaves
- Mixers
- Food processor
- Toaster
How often do electrical tests need to occur in schools?
Electrical appliance testing in Australian schools needs to be conducted at regular intervals dictated by the AS/NZS 3760:2010 standard. The standard is applicable to schools as a workplace, and includes the following information regarding test frequency:
- All appliances in an environment where the equipment or supply flexible cord is subject to flexing in normal use (or is open to abuse, or is in a hostile environment) need to be tested every 12 months. Cord sets and power boards need to be tested every 12 months. Your safety switches must be tested every 12 months in this environment.
- All appliances in an environment where the equipment or supply cord is not subject to flexing in normal use (and is not open to abuse and is not in a hostile environment) need to be tested every 5 years. Cord sets and power boards in this environment need to be tested every 5 years. Safety switches in this environment need to be tested every 2 years.
- If your school is a residential property (i.e. a boarding school) you need to test every appliance, cord set, and power board every 2 years. The same interval applies to your boarding school safety switches.
- Commercial cleaning equipment must be tested every 6 months for protectively earthed appliances and every 12 months for double insulated appliances. Cord sets and power boards used for commercial cleaning need to be tested every 12 months.
- Any hire equipment needs to be tested prior to hire.
- Second-hand or repaired equipment need to be tested after repair or before it is used after servicing.
If you have any questions about your specific testing requirements, please get in touch with our team. Our testing and tagging services are comprehensive and you can be sure that your school will have excellent safety maintenance with Jim’s Test & Tag. Contact us on 131 546 for a free quote or fill in the online quote form for more specific information. If you are a parent or teacher, check out these 6 rules for school safety for more ideas about how to keep children safe.