Blogs

The Franchise Council of Australia named ATS as the Emerging Franchisor of the year for 2011 at the annual Excellence in Franchising Awards last night. Through a rigorous selection process ATS was assessed on business planning, leadership, franchise relationships, financial performance, franchise development, people, franchisee support, marketing, innovation, culture and citizenship.  This award recognises our incredible people, culture and commitment to best practice and we are incredibly proud and truly humbled by the award. There is much in the media that paints franchising and franchisors in an unsavoury light, and little that highlights the great...

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Will you charge a unit rate, an hourly rate, or a combination? Does your service provider insist on an hourly rate, or even an hourly rate plus a unit test rate? Or do they charge one rate for the first few tests, another rate for subsequent tests? Or is it just a flat unit test rate? I've always found a flat unit test rate with a minimum charge to be the most transparent and equitable charge out method as it is based on the volume of work completed, and not the number of hours a technician spends on site. Every business is individual and different charge out methods work in different circumstances, so it is worth to have a...

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It is always a good idea to look at the tags your provider uses as not all tags are equal! Are they heat sensitive tags that may fade in direct sunlight or go black when positioned next to an urn? Can you read the retest date on a handwritten tag? Do the tags comply with the new Australian Standard? Are the tags individually printed on site with a unique asset ID? The type of tag you choose should be determined by the type and the location of appliances in your business and as they stay with the appliance for up to 5 years, it is important to select the right tag for the job!

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In all states excluding QLD your technician will be able to repair or replace the plug or socket of your appliance whilst on site. This will ensure that following testing your workplace is up and running quickly, and will reduce the risk of your staff using failed items in an unsafe workplace. You will need to engage an electrician to repair or replace plugs and sockets in QLD.

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A Certificate of Compliance will state that as at the time of testing, all appliances made available on site were tested by the attending technician. Time and date stamped test results are therefore vital in the event of an incident as it can be accurately determined when and where the appliance was tested, the individual test results and the name of the technician who tested.

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If you have chosen a supplier using hand held test equipment, then your handwritten registers should be provided to you on the day of testing as a pass or fail is simply noted on the report. Asset ID's may or may not be added to the tag and the register, and will depend on the service provider. At the other end of the scale, electronic test reports are prepared off site once the test data file has been processed and ideally independently audited by someone other than the testing technician. These reports contain individual asset ID's for each site along with an asset description for easy identification. The reports will be printed or emailed to you, and some...

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There is an incredibly wide range of test equipment on the market, and there are some obvious benefits to some equipment, and some not so obvious pitfalls to other equipment. Firstly, you need to determine how you want to see your results. Are you happy with a handwritten log of testing showing Pass and Fail, or would you prefer an electronic printed register with audited test history of each individual test conducted? If you are happy with a handwritten log detailing Pass or Fail, then you might also be happy with handwritten test tags on your appliances, and therefore you can choose a provider that operates basic hand held test equipment or your local electrician...

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Ask anyone who has completed a one day course whether they know everything possible about the subject they have just studied, and the answer will be a resounding no. Test and tag is no exception. The number and diversity of appliances, environments and faults encountered by technicians simply cannot be taught in one day! It takes years for any tradesman to learn his craft - learning that comes through experience and education - and from experience we understand that it takes at least 6 months of full time testing for technicians to become comfortable with testing protocols, sometimes longer! Now we all know everyone has to start somewhere and that technicians...

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Whilst many people conduct their testing and tagging "in house", the majority of organisations choose to outsource their electrical safety management programs to a specialist provider. This comes with many benefits, as an external provider will complete testing more quickly, and in many cases a more comprehensive service is provided. But like any industry, there are reputable and not so reputable test and tag providers. Some providers are large National organisations and some are small one man operations, some are franchised, and some directly employ the technicians providing the service. There is no one right choice for every organisation, but regardless of your...

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In December 2010, the draft model WHS Regulations were released for public comment. The WHS Regulations have been created to provide detailed requirements about the elimination or minimisation of risks, along with detail on licensing and registration. At nearly 600 pages, the WHS Regulations are a massive document, one that many people are going to struggle to wade through, and it is hoped that specific educational documents will be developed to assist with implementation. Of particular interest to the electrical safety industry is the fact that testing and tagging regulations are now documented for all States. In some states there has been no documented test and...

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