RCD Tester: Double-Checking Safety Standards
After string of deaths related to electrocution in the late 1990s, the Ombudsman in Queensland released the Workplace Electrocution Project which looked into the response of the government agencies on the deaths as well as the safety mechanisms in place. The report concluded that the investigations were conducted haphazardly, inadequate record-keeping practices and lack of oversight. But the report also led for the enactment of more stringent laws including proper monitoring, testing and tagging of equipment, and monitoring of the safety switches both in households and offices through the use of an authorised RCD tester.
What does an RCD tester do?
The device is designed primarily to check of safety switches or circuit breakers, which operates by spotting and tracing the amount of current that flows through the conductor on the earth in case of an anomaly in the earthed circuit.
Although that's a bit too technical, the simpler explanation is this: they work by cutting off the power supply in case of instability in the current. They are called safety switches for a reason because they protect your house from a fire in most short circuits as a result of faulty wiring system; and they also switch off in case a person touches and live wire and is experiencing electric shock. Test and tag in Mackay also includes checking the soundness of the circuit breakers.
Basis in law
The need to regularly check the RCD is stipulated in the Australian Standard AS/NZS3760:2010 as well as other state legislations. Although appliances and other electrical equipment are regularly inspected, homeowners and employers have the responsibility to have their circuit breakers checked religiously as well.
Sadly, checking the RCD is also the most overlooked part in the whole test and tag process. The experts will specifically check for any abnormality in the current and making the report of their conclusion to be handed to the client.
Misconception
There's a running perception that people could no longer be electrocuted if they bought safety switches. If the fault in the system can be traced to the neutral or active wires, the person who touched a live wire will still be electrocuted. The amount of damage will depend on the health of the individual, the circumstances surrounding the victim as well as insulation. This explains why others die from the same amount of current, while others never felt any side-effects. Test and tag in Mackay will check the locking mechanism, the trip current test and the operation capability of the mechanism to make accurate readings.
What does an RCD tester do?
The device is designed primarily to check of safety switches or circuit breakers, which operates by spotting and tracing the amount of current that flows through the conductor on the earth in case of an anomaly in the earthed circuit.
Although that's a bit too technical, the simpler explanation is this: they work by cutting off the power supply in case of instability in the current. They are called safety switches for a reason because they protect your house from a fire in most short circuits as a result of faulty wiring system; and they also switch off in case a person touches and live wire and is experiencing electric shock. Test and tag in Mackay also includes checking the soundness of the circuit breakers.
Basis in law
The need to regularly check the RCD is stipulated in the Australian Standard AS/NZS3760:2010 as well as other state legislations. Although appliances and other electrical equipment are regularly inspected, homeowners and employers have the responsibility to have their circuit breakers checked religiously as well.
Sadly, checking the RCD is also the most overlooked part in the whole test and tag process. The experts will specifically check for any abnormality in the current and making the report of their conclusion to be handed to the client.
Misconception
There's a running perception that people could no longer be electrocuted if they bought safety switches. If the fault in the system can be traced to the neutral or active wires, the person who touched a live wire will still be electrocuted. The amount of damage will depend on the health of the individual, the circumstances surrounding the victim as well as insulation. This explains why others die from the same amount of current, while others never felt any side-effects. Test and tag in Mackay will check the locking mechanism, the trip current test and the operation capability of the mechanism to make accurate readings.
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