Two tests, two rhythms. The push-button test, done by the user, is six-monthly for fixed RCDs in offices, shops, service and manufacturing workplaces, and monthly on construction sites. The operating-time test, done by a competent person with a calibrated instrument, is two-yearly for office and service work and twelve-monthly for manufacturing, amusement and construction work. Portable RCDs used in construction and manufacturing are push-button tested daily or before each use. A monthly push-button test on every fixed RCD is recommended practice above the minimum.
The intervals
| Interval | What happens | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly (recommended practice) | Push-button test of every fixed RCD by the owner or staff; the Standara library defaults to this above the six-monthly minimum. | Owner or staff |
| Six-monthly | Push-button test of fixed RCDs in offices, shops, service and manufacturing workplaces; also immediately after a new RCD is installed. | Owner or staff |
| Monthly, or daily for portable units | Push-button test on construction sites: monthly for fixed RCDs, daily or before each use for portable RCDs in construction and manufacturing work. | Site staff |
| Two-yearly | Operating-time (trip time) test of fixed and portable RCDs used in office and service work, with a calibrated instrument. | Licensed electrician or competent person |
| Twelve-monthly | Operating-time test where the RCD serves manufacturing, amusement or construction work; three-monthly for portable RCDs on construction sites. | Licensed electrician or competent person |
Who does it and what to keep
The push-button test is the user's job: press the button, the circuit drops, reset it. The operating-time test needs a calibrated tester and a competent person, in practice a licensed electrician, and is usually done at the annual switchboard service. The record is a test register listing each RCD by board and circuit, the date and result of each test, and the trip time measured. An RCD that does not trip on the button, or trips outside its rated time, is taken out of service and replaced, not reset and deferred.
The rule behind the interval
The model Work Health and Safety Regulations (and the state electrical safety regulations in Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia) require RCDs at workplaces to be tested at the intervals set for the type of work, with records kept. AS/NZS 3760 sets the test method for portable RCDs and AS/NZS 3017 the method for fixed ones. AS/NZS 3000, the Wiring Rules, says where RCDs must be installed and is silent on in-service testing.
Common questions
Does a home or a residential strata building have to test RCDs?
The workplace rules apply to workplaces. Common property of a strata scheme where contractors and cleaners work is treated as a workplace by most managing agents, and the push-button test costs nothing, so the six-monthly rhythm is the usual policy. Inside a private lot it is a recommendation, not a requirement.
What is the difference between the push-button test and the operating-time test?
The push button proves the mechanism trips. The operating-time test measures how fast it trips at its rated leakage current, which is what protects a person; a device can pass the button and fail the time.
Put it in the register
An interval only holds when the asset is listed with its tasks, its contractor and where the record lives. Standara's library carries this asset with the tasks above attached, so adding it to a site's register produces the year's schedule, the monthly to-do list and the completion record the auditor or insurer asks for. The fuller picture, with the neighbouring assets and the rule behind each interval, is in the Electrical testing schedule.
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- A worked example: one club's register, planner and records for a year
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