What you need to do to manage Electrical Risk in the Workplace

Managing electrical equipment and installations

A business needs to ensure that:

• power circuits are protected by appropriately rated fuses or circuit breakers
• electrical leads are not arranged so that they are easily damaged, run across floors or doorways, or over sharp edges
• only leads and tools designed for wet or damp conditions are used in those conditions
• circuits where portable equipment may be connected are protected by RCDs
• if any current protective device (RCD or circuit breaker) is triggered, the system is not re-energised until the reason has been identified by a competent person
• equipment identified as unsafe is disconnected or isolated and labelled as unsafe and not reconnected until it is repaired and tested as being safe
• regular visual inspections and testing of electrical equipment, including RCDs, occurs. The nature and frequency of inspection and testing will vary depending on the electrical risks.

For further Important and detailed info go to:  http://www.safework.sa.gov.au/uploaded_files/CoPManagingElectricalRisksWorkplace.pdf

 

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WE can give you advice on choosing an UPS or Surge Power board to suit your Requirements…. and At Tested and True …we come to your work place at a time convenient to you. We can do an assessment of your Electrical Hazards it can be conducted at the same time as we test and tag your Electrical Equipment. We provide a Full Report with recommendations to clear up current Hazards and how to prevent future risks. Call and ask for a quote. 040 7605568 Tested & True ~ test & tag Adelaide uses the very latest in Portable Appliance Testing…The STC ProLogger 2 it can perform RCD testing, Earth Leakage Detection and Run Testing all in one neat piece of equipment. On top this all our Technicians are Trained to National Standard UEENEEP026 in test & tag operations , all our Equipment is in good repair and in Calibration. Most of all we pride ourselves on our Knowledge of OH&S legislation and the current Australian Standard AS/NZS 3760:2010 ensuring that you get Quality Service at a competitive price. Call Now Mobile 040 7605568

Visit us at http://www.testedandtrue.com.au located in Lonsdale, South Australia

Peter Hill Manager Tested & True ~ test & tag Manager SA 0407605568 May 2016

National Coverage through the Safety Services Network (SA State Member)

Peter Hill Manager Tested & True ~ | test & tag | Lonsdale | South Australia |

So what is tested and what are we looking for when doing a Test and Tag regime?

Many of our clients organise regular test and tagging services simply because it is easier and safer.

A regular program of testing and tagging comprises of: (standard 10/15Amp 3 wire cabled appliance and plugged multi phase equipment)

A visual check to ensure the integrity of the Electrical cord and Appliance construction

• The Technician looks for Cuts and breaks in appliance and power cables may present as an  electrical hazard.
• An inspection of the integrity of the appliance housing looking for cracks and holes which may expose personnel to an electrical hazard.

A series of electrical tests are then conducted to detect the unobservable faults not found by the visual inspection process, and forms an integral part of the inspection/testing process.

The equipment is turned off to allow the technician access to the appliance plug. All tests are performed by disconnecting the appliance from the building power and connecting the plug to an insulation tester or a Portable Appliance Test-set built for the purpose of performing the tests automatically and uniformly. These Tests are:

1. Earthing continuity test: (specifically for metal shrouded appliances) to ensure there is adequate connection between the earth pin on the plug of the appliance and the metal cover shrouding the appliance.
2. Insulation resistance test: to ensure that no path exists with the appliance/lead for electrical current to transit from the active wires to earth.
3. Continuity Loop test: to make the sure that the active circuit which powers the appliance has a good solid connection and in no way presents as an electrical hazard.
4. Polarity Test: (only for items which distribute power: leads, power-boards, adapters etc) to ensure that the wires of an extension cord/power board appear the same order of connection at the plug as the do at the socket end.

Other Equipment Tests Include:

 RCD test to test the tripping time of a RCD to ensure your safety switch or RCD does work properly and switches off in a fault situation quick enough to save personnel from Harm.

3Phase Test: usually high powered workshop and building site equipment with multiple active wire connections (tests performed on 3phase test are similar to that of standard appliance tests outlined above)

Emergency Exit sign test: Tests the ability for an emergency exit sign to stay on when power is off 90 minutes is the expected time, if it fails to reach the expected time then the circuitry/ battery will be in need repair or replacement .

That is it, in a very basic overview if you need to know more please either contact us or contact Safe-Work SA (South Australia) http://www.safework.sa.gov.au/  1300 365 255 or The Workplace Safety Authority in your local area.

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At Tested and True …we come to your work place at a time convenient to you. We can do an assessment of your Electrical Hazards it can be conducted at the same time as we test and tag your Electrical Equipment. We provide a Full Report with recommendations to clear up current Hazards and how to prevent future risks. Call and ask for a quote. 040 7605568 Tested & True ~ test & tag Adelaide uses the very latest in Portable Appliance Testing…The STC ProLogger 2 it can perform RCD testing, Earth Leakage Detection and Run Testing all in one neat piece of equipment. On top this all our Technicians are Trained to National Standard UEENEEPOO8 in test & tag operations by Intertag in Sydney NSW, all our Equipment is in good repair and in Calibration. Most of all we pride ourselves on our Knowledge of OH&S legislation and the current Australian Standard AS/NZS 3760:2010 ensuring that you get Quality Service at a competitive price. Call Now Mobile 040 7605568

Visit us at http://www.testedandtrue.com.au  also National Coverage through the Safety Services Network (SA State Member)

Peter Hill Manager Tested & True ~ | test & tag | Lonsdale | South Australia |

 

Buyers Guide To Surge Power Boards

How do surge protected power boards work ?
At first glance a surge protected power board operates like any other Power Board. It shows its ability at that moment when too much voltage gets passed along the transmission line , the surge protected board lets only a ‘safe’ amount through to the connected equipment. The rest it channels into the electrical outlet’s ‘earth’ and safely dissipated into the ground.
When a surge occurs at a certain level above normal voltage, a component built into the surge protected power board becomes conductive and starts to carry the excess electric current back down through the ground wire, so the damaging high voltage doesn’t reach connected equipment. Once the surge ends, that protective component resumes its ‘dormant’ stage of being non-conductive. It’s a bit like an electrical version of a pressure valve.
Australian domestic wiring is designed for a standard voltage of 230–240 volts. If the voltage goes too far above that, it can damage electronic equipment, which usually has many sensitive components. If excess voltage lasts for a very brief time (1–2 nanoseconds) it’s called a spike. If it lasts longer it’s called a surge. Even though a spike or surge can be so brief their duration is measured in nanoseconds, they can still cause damage to sensitive components. It is vitally important to protect sensitive business equipment, Computers, printers, photocopiers etc these items of equipment are sensitive to Surges in voltage.

So what sort of a Surge Protected Board should you Buy ? Here are the specifications you should consider…Energy absorption/dissipation – This rating, given in joules, tells you how much energy the surge protector can absorb before it fails. A higher number indicates greater protection. Look for a protector that is at least rated at 200 to 400 joules. For better protection, look for a rating of 600 joules or more.
Response time – Surge protectors don’t kick in immediately; there is a very slight delay as they respond to the power surge. A longer response time tells you that your computer (or other equipment) will be exposed to the surge for a greater amount of time. Look for a surge protector that responds in less than Ten nanoseconds.
It is best to look for a Surge protected board with an indicator light that tells you if the protection components are functioning. Eventually the protection component will burn out after continual power surges, but the board will still function as a power connection. Without an indicator light, you have no way of knowing if your protector is still functioning properly.
Other important features may include ?
Building wiring status indicator: Detects potentially dangerous wiring problems in the wall outlet.
Circuit breaker: Protects the surge board from overload by connected devices drawing too much current.
EMI noise filtration: This reduces or eliminates line noise (electrical interference).
Other connections: Surge protected sockets for coaxial cable, modem or Ethernet network, all of which can also conduct high voltage that can damage connected devices.
Outlet spacing: Allows more room for one or more devices that use a transformer block.
Sockets: Check the number of mains power sockets available, usually from four to eight.

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At Tested and True …we come to your work place at a time convenient to you. We can do an assessment of your Electrical Hazards it can be conducted at the same time as we test and tag your Electrical Equipment. We provide a Full Report with recommedations to clear up current Hazards and how to prevent future risks. Call and ask for a quote. 040 7605568 Tested & True ~ test & tag Adelaide uses the very latest in Portable Appliance Testing…The STC ProLogger 2 it can perform RCD testing, Earth Leakage Detection and Run Testing all in one neat piece of equipment. On top this all our Technicians are Trained to National Standard UEENEEP008 in test & tag operations by Intertag in Sydney NSW, all our Equipment is in good repair and in Calibration. Most of all we pride ourselves on our Knowledge of OH&S legislation and the current Australian Standard AS/NZS 3760:2010 ensuring that you get Quality Service at a competitive price. Call Now Mobile 040 7605568

Visit us at http://www.testedandtrue.com.au located in Lonsdale, South Australia

Peter Hill Manager Tested & True ~ test & tag Manager SA 0407605568 May 2016

Fixed RCD testing… Why is it important?

At every workplace there is at least one Electrical switch board that is built to divide the power and lighting into manageable circuits feeding, lights, equipment and power points for us to use. Though we may not have an understanding electricity, it is important that you know about the little understood device called the RCD (residual current Device) or sometimes referred to as the Safety Switch that will find amongst the breakers and or fuses in this panel.

An RCD is an electromechanical device,that detects any shunting of electrical power to earth thereby shutting the circuit down in mere milli-seconds, in doing so avoiding electrocution to personnel and possible fire hazards.

Being and Electromechanical device ,it can like any other similar device be prone to failure. As part of a regular testing check, it needs to have a push button test which basically is a test every 6 months to check out the mechanical workings of the RCD of which any body can do. If there are breakers on your Panel that are RCD’s.. the give away is a breaker with a button for testing also on the breaker are the words 30ma RCD… these are the devices that need to be tested monthly by push button. Picture below

But this is a bit like push button testing a battery smoke alarm it only test the resultant action it doesn’t test the actual detection part of the device.

So periodically you need to have your fixed Main switchboard panel RCD’s tested with a calibrated RCD tester, and if it responds with a shutdown time lag of less than 299 mill-seconds… typical times for most RCD’s are usually are 5-50 milliseconds… here is a table below which will help

TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH EQUIPMENT IS USED
	Residual Current Devices (RCDs)
	PUSH BUTTON TEST BY USER	TEST FOR OPERATING TIME RCD TESTER
FACTORIES, WORKSHOPS, PLACES OF REPAIR, MANUFACTURING, ASSEMBLY, MAINTENANCE OR FABRICATION.	6 MONTHS	12 MONTHS
LABORATORIES, TEA ROOMS, OFFICE KITCHENS	6 MONTHS	2 YEARS
OFFICE EQUIPMENT WHERE EQUIPMENT OR SUPPLY FLEXIBLE CORD IS SUBJECT TO FLEXING ON NORMAL USE OR IS OPEN TO ABUSE OR IS IN A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT	6 MONTHS	2 YEARS
OFFICE EQUIPMENT WHERE EQUIPMENT IS NOT SUBJECT TO CONSTANT FLEXING OF THE SUPPLY CORD	6 MONTHS	2 YEARS
NEW EQUIPMENT AND REPAIRED/SERVICED EQUIPMENT	PRIOR TO INITIAL INTRODUCTION TO USE, AND AFTER SERVICING	PRIOR TO INITIAL INTRODUCTION TO USE, AND AFTER SERVICING

Tested & True ~ test & tag  Lonsdale We know how to test all types of test sensitive electrical equipment like that of a RCDs and Surge Protected devices…We specifically use the STC ProLogger 2 it can perform RCD testing, Earth Leakage Detection and Run Testing all in one neat piece of equipment. On top this all our Technicians are Trained to National Standard UEENEEP008 in test & tag operations by Intertag in Sydney NSW, all our Equipment is in good repair and up to date. Most of all we pride ourselves on our Knowledge of OH&S legislation and the current Australian Standards ensuring that you get Quality Service at a competitive price.

Article By Peter Hill… Tested & True ~ test & tag, Lonsdale, South Australia, Contact 0407605568 May 2016 www.testedandtrue.com.au

Buyers Guide to Surge Protected Power Boards

How do surge protected power boards work ?
At first glance a surge protected power board operates like any other Power Board. It shows its ability at that moment when too much voltage gets passed along the transmission line , the surge protected board lets only a ‘safe’ amount through to the connected equipment. The rest it channels into the electrical outlet’s ‘earth’ and safely dissipated into the ground.
When a surge occurs at a certain level above normal voltage, a component built into the surge protected power board becomes conductive and starts to carry the excess electric current back down through the ground wire, so the damaging high voltage doesn’t reach connected equipment. Once the surge ends, that protective component resumes its ‘dormant’ stage of being non-conductive. It’s a bit like an electrical version of a pressure valve.
Australian domestic wiring is designed for a standard voltage of 230–240 volts. If the voltage goes too far above that, it can damage electronic equipment, which usually has many sensitive components. If excess voltage lasts for a very brief time (1–2 nanoseconds) it’s called a spike. If it lasts longer it’s called a surge. Even though a spike or surge can be so brief their duration is measured in nanoseconds, they can still cause damage to sensitive components. It is vitally important to protect sensitive business equipment, Computers, printers, photocopiers etc these items of equipment are sensitive to Surges in voltage.

So what sort of a Surge Protected Board should you Buy ? Here are the specifications you should consider…Energy absorption/dissipation – This rating, given in joules, tells you how much energy the surge protector can absorb before it fails. A higher number indicates greater protection. Look for a protector that is at least rated at 200 to 400 joules. For better protection, look for a rating of 600 joules or more.
Response time – Surge protectors don’t kick in immediately; there is a very slight delay as they respond to the power surge. A longer response time tells you that your computer (or other equipment) will be exposed to the surge for a greater amount of time. Look for a surge protector that responds in less than 15 nanoseconds.
It is best to look for a Surge protected board with an indicator light that tells you if the protection components are functioning. Eventually the protection component will burn out after continual power surges, but the board will still function as a power connection. Without an indicator light, you have no way of knowing if your protector is still functioning properly.
Other important features may include ?
Building wiring status indicator: Detects potentially dangerous wiring problems in the wall outlet.
Circuit breaker: Protects the surge board from overload by connected devices drawing too much current.
EMI noise filtration: This reduces or eliminates line noise (electrical interference).
Other connections: Surge protected sockets for coaxial cable, modem or Ethernet network, all of which can also conduct high voltage that can damage connected devices.
Outlet spacing: Allows more room for one or more devices that use a transformer block.
Sockets: Check the number of mains power sockets available, usually from four to eight.

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Tested & True ~ test & tag  Lonsdale We know how to test sensitive electrical equipment like that of a Surge Power Board and other Surge protected equipment…We specifically use the STC ProLogger 2 it can perform RCD testing, Earth Leakage Detection and Run Testing all in one neat piece of equipment. On top this all our Technicians are Trained to National Standard UEENEEP008 in test & tag operations by Intertag in Sydney NSW, all our Equipment is in good repair and up to date. Most of all we pride ourselves on our Knowledge of OH&S legislation and the current Australian Standards ensuring that you get Quality Service at a competitive price.

Article By Peter Hill… Tested & True ~ test & tag, Lonsdale, South Australia, Contact 0407605568 January 2016 www.testedandtrue.com.au

 

Electrical fires & Fire Extinguishers

Electrical fires and Fire Extinguishers

But First a bit about Portable Fire Extinguishers…Basically Fire extinguishers are devices that release chemicals and/or water to put out a fire. They keep small fires from spreading, assist in fighting fires but are only first to the incident appliances until the fire department arrives. Fire extinguishers and on site Fire hoses are designed to provide the user with an appliance to attend a small fire during its initial stage. When deciding to attack a fire, always designate another person to raise the alarm and obtain a back-up fire extinguisher. Portable fire extinguishers should be provided in all buildings.

Types of fire extinguishers and their application

There are basically 5  types of portable fire extinguishers used here  in Australia. They are Water, Foam, Dry Powder, Wet Chemical and Carbon Dioxide. Each type of extinguisher may be rated for one or more classes of fire. In some cases, particular extinguishers are not only considered ineffective against certain classes of fire, they can be dangerous in those circumstances. The Classes of fire are:

CLASS A Paper, Wood, Cardboard

CLASS B Solvents, Paint, Petroleum, Ethanol/methanol

CLASS E Electrical fires … (this is the one we are going to concentrate on in this article)

CLASS F Cooking oils and fats

OPERATION

To use the extinguisher, you pull out the safety pin (this metal safety pin prevents the operating lever from closing accidentally) and depress the operating lever. The lever pushes on an actuating rod, which presses the spring-mounted valve down to open up the passage to the nozzle. The bottom of the actuating rod has a sharp point, which pierces the gas cylinder release valve. The proper way to use the extinguisher is to aim it directly at the fuel, rather than the flames themselves, and move the stream with a sweeping motion.

Of the 5 extinguishers types 2 are suitable for Electrical fires they Dry Powder and Carbon Dioxide

Dry Powder

ABE powder consists of mono ammonium phosphate and/or ammonium phosphate. It is effective on Class A: B & E Fires .As well as suppressing the flame in the air, it also melts at a low temperature to form a layer of slag which excludes oxygen from the fuel. For this reason it is effective against class A fires unlike a Rating B:E only extinguisher. ABE powder is the best agent for fires involving multiple classes.

Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is especially effective on electrical fires, Class E Fires, as being a gas; it does not leave any residues which might further harm the damaged equipment. Carbon dioxide (CO2) also works on Classes B and C Fires by displacing the less dense oxygen. This can be problematic in enclosed occupied spaces as we need oxygen too! Although carbon dioxide is exhaled in our own breath, in the high concentrations required to extinguish deep seated fires it is one of the most toxic extinguishing agents used. (Carbon dioxide can also be used on Class A Fires when it is important to avoid water damage, but in this application the gas concentration must usually be maintained longer than is possible with a hand-held extinguisher.)

So as you can see Both of these extinguisher are suitable for Electrical fires but it depends on whether your fighting a fire in a confined space which would make using the Carbon Dioxide Extinguisher out of the question!

Tested & True ~ test & tag  Lonsdale also does fire Extinguisher and smoke Alarm testing to National Standards.. Also we Test and Tag electrical items and we use the very latest in Portable Appliance Testing…The STC ProLogger 2 it can perform RCD testing, Earth Leakage Detection and Run Testing all in one neat piece of equipment. On top this all our Technicians are Trained to National Standard UEENEEP008 in test & tag operations by Intertag in Sydney NSW, all our Equipment is in good repair and in Calibration. Most of all we pride ourselves on our Knowledge of OH&S legislation and the current Australian Standards ensuring that you get Quality Service at a competitive price.

Article By Peter Hill… Tested & True ~ test & tag, Lonsdale, South Australia, Contact 0407605568 www.testedandtrue.com.au