AS/NZS 3760:2022 Electrical Safety Standard

What Does AS/NZS 3760:2022 Mean for Your Business?

In plain terms, this standard tells you how often electrical appliances in your workplace need to be inspected and tested — and what those tests must cover.

If you’re a business owner, office manager, or site supervisor, the standard applies to you. Under Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation, employers have a duty of care to ensure electrical equipment is safe to use. AS/NZS 3760:2022 is the benchmark used to meet that obligation.

Here’s what that means in practice:

• Every portable electrical appliance in your workplace — from power tools on a construction site to kettles in an office kitchen — may need periodic testing.
• Testing frequency depends on the environment. A power drill on a building site needs testing far more often than a desk lamp in a low-risk office.
• Records must be kept. It’s not enough to test — you need to prove you tested, with documented results and tagged equipment.
• Untested equipment can be a liability. If an untested appliance causes injury or fire, the absence of documented compliance can have serious legal and financial consequences for the business.

The good news? Meeting the standard is straightforward when you have the right provider. ATS handles the testing, tagging, and record-keeping for thousands of Australian businesses — taking the compliance burden off your plate entirely.

What Changed from AS/NZS 3760:2010 to AS/NZS 3760:2022

The 2022 edition of AS/NZS 3760 replaced the previous 2010 version. While the core framework remains the same, several important updates were made:

1. Revised Testing Intervals The 2022 standard introduced updated retesting intervals for several equipment categories and environments. Some intervals were extended where evidence supported lower risk, while high-risk environments such as construction retained more frequent schedules. Businesses operating under the 2010 standard should review their current intervals to ensure they align with the updated requirements.

2. Expanded Guidance on RCD Testing The updated standard strengthens requirements around Residual Current Device (RCD) inspection and testing — including both fixed and portable RCDs. This reflects growing recognition of the critical role RCDs play in preventing electrocution in the workplace.

3. Clarified Scope for Hired and Second-Hand Equipment The 2022 edition provides clearer guidance on testing obligations for equipment that is hired, leased, purchased second-hand, or returned to service after repair. If you use hired equipment on-site, this is particularly relevant.

4. Updated Record-Keeping Requirements The standard now includes more specific guidance on what test records must contain. In New Zealand, the requirement to record numerical test results (Earth Continuity Resistance, Insulation Resistance, and Leakage Current) is mandatory — and while not mandated when testing in Australia, it is considered best practice.

5. Alignment with Current WHS Regulations The 2022 revision was updated to align more closely with current Work Health and Safety Regulations across Australian states and territories, reinforcing its status as the primary compliance reference for electrical safety inspections.

Already have a testing program in place? If your current schedule was set up under the 2010 standard, it’s worth having ATS review your testing intervals to confirm they meet the 2022 requirements. You can contact us here!

Retesting Requirements

How often your equipment needs to be retested depends on the type of equipment and the environment in which it’s used. The standard outlines a range of inspection intervals — from as frequently as daily through to every 5 years — based on assessed risk.

Testing Intervals by Environment

Environment	Example Workplaces	Typical Interval
Construction, demolition, mining	Building sites, civil works	3 months
Factories, workshops	Manufacturing, production facilities	6 months
High-traffic public areas	Hotels, schools, aged care	12 months and 5 years
Low-risk offices	Corporate offices, retail	12 months and 5 years
Hire equipment	Equipment hire companies	Before each hire

Note: These are general guides. Actual intervals must be determined based on the specific equipment, environment, and risk assessment as outlined in the standard.

When Must Equipment Be Retested?

Outside of scheduled intervals, retesting is also required when equipment:

• Returns to service after repair or modification
• Has been involved in an incident (e.g. dropped, wet, or damaged)
• Is purchased second-hand or transferred from another site
• Has failed a previous visual inspection
• Is hired or leased — both before being placed into service and at regular intervals during hire

Who Can Perform the Testing?

Under AS/NZS 3760:2022, testing must be carried out by a competent person — someone with the knowledge, training, and experience to perform the required tests safely and accurately. This typically means a trained test-and-tag technician using calibrated equipment or a licensed electrician.

ATS technicians are trained and equipped to test to the full requirements of the standard, providing calibrated test results, compliant tagging, and complete digital records via our AIM reporting portal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does AS/NZS 3760:2022 apply to my business? If you operate a business in Australia or New Zealand and your employees use portable electrical equipment, the standard almost certainly applies to you. This includes everything from power tools and extension leads to office equipment and kitchen appliances. The standard applies across industries — construction, hospitality, healthcare, retail, education, and office-based businesses all have obligations under it.

What happens if I don’t comply? Failing to comply with AS/NZS 3760:2022 can result in serious consequences. Safe Work Australia and state-based WHS regulators can issue improvement notices, prohibition notices, and fines for non-compliance. More importantly, if an electrical incident occurs and you cannot demonstrate that equipment was tested and maintained in accordance with the standard, your business may face significant legal liability. Workers’ compensation claims, civil litigation, and reputational damage are all real risks.

Who is responsible for ensuring compliance? The legal responsibility sits with the Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) — in most cases, the employer or business owner. However, in practice this responsibility is often delegated to an office manager, facilities manager, or site supervisor. Regardless of who manages the day-to-day process, the PCBU remains ultimately accountable under WHS law.

How is a test tag different from a test record? Both are required under the standard. The test tag is the physical label attached to the appliance showing the test date, retest date, technician identifier, and pass/fail status — it gives a quick visual confirmation that the item has been tested. The test record (or asset register) is the underlying documentation — a historical log of all tests performed, including numerical test results where required. You should have both.

Does the standard apply to items that are always plugged in? Yes — “in-service” equipment includes items that remain plugged in continuously. Whether it’s a photocopier, a refrigerator in the break room, or a permanently connected display, if it has a flexible cord and plug, it falls within the scope of the standard.

What’s the difference between AS/NZS 3760 and AS/NZS 3012? AS/NZS 3760 covers in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment in general workplaces. AS/NZS 3012 is specifically focused on electrical installations and equipment in construction and demolition environments, with stricter testing requirements reflecting the higher-risk nature of those sites. If you work in construction, both standards may be relevant.

Can I do the testing myself? Testing must be performed by a competent person with the appropriate training, knowledge, and calibrated test equipment. While there is no licensing requirement in most Australian states for test-and-tag work specifically (unlike electrical work), using an untrained person risks inaccurate results, safety hazards, and non-compliant records. Most businesses find it more cost-effective — and safer — to use a professional test-and-tag provider like ATS.

How long do I need to keep test records? The standard does not specify a minimum retention period, but as a general guide, records should be kept for the life of the equipment plus a reasonable period afterward. Given the potential for WHS investigations and litigation, many compliance advisors recommend retaining records for at least 7 years. ATS’s AIM portal stores your test records digitally and makes them accessible at any time.

Click here to read more on the electrical safety regulations in your state or territory.