Someone got a shock from a tool or appliance?
If they might still be in contact with it, don't touch them. Switch off at the power point or the main switch if you can do it safely, and call 111 if they're hurt. Then take the item out of use, label it so nobody plugs it back in, and keep it for an electrician to check.
What gets checked
Anything with a plug that people move around: extension leads, multiboxes, power tools, kitchen appliances, heaters, chargers and IT gear. Fixed wiring and hard-wired equipment sit outside test and tag; an electrician checks those another way.
The tester looks first, for cracked plugs, damaged cords, missing or bent pins, taped joins and scorch marks. Then each item gets electrical tests, a tag, and a line in the record.
What happens on the day
Walk-through
The tester finds every item in scope, room by room. A list of your gear and where it lives speeds this up.
Look, then test
Each item gets a visual check and then electrical tests. Anything that fails is labelled and taken out of use.
Tag and record
Items that pass get a tag showing the date and result, and you get a written register of what was tested.
Deal with failures
Failed items are repaired by someone qualified to do it, or thrown out. Nobody should patch them up in the staffroom.
Pull it from use straight away
- A cracked or melted plug, or a bent pin.
- A cord with cuts, tape or bare wire showing.
- A cord pulled out of its plug or tool, with coloured wires visible.
- Scorch marks, a burning smell or crackling.
- A tool that gives even a small tingle.
- A lead that gets warm in use.
How often, and who can do it
We're not going to give you an interval or a list of who may test. It depends on the type of workplace and the standard your business follows, and we haven't confirmed those rules from an official New Zealand source. Ask the tester which standard they test to, what interval they suggest for your site, and why.
What we can say: WorkSafe says employers and employees can't do electrical work in a workplace unless they're registered and hold a current practising licence. Its appliance-owner code lets owners repair their own domestic appliances kept mainly for their own use, which doesn't stretch to fixing the office kettle.
If you'd like a licensed electrical worker doing the testing, that's who we match you with, and they can repair faults they find on the same visit.
Work vehicles charged at home
If staff charge employer-owned EVs at home, WorkSafe's January 2026 EV guidance discourages the portable cable. Its advice is a dedicated charging station on a dedicated circuit, load management above 20 A, and a yearly safety and function test, which fits naturally alongside a test-and-tag visit. EV charger installation covers the charger side.
What you get at the end
Expect a tag on every item and a written register or report listing each one, its result and the date. Keep it where you can find it.
Test and tag on its own doesn't change your wiring, and the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB) says a Certificate of Compliance is for fixed wiring work, not maintenance. If the electrician repairs fixed wiring or adds a circuit while on site, that work comes with an Electrical Safety Certificate, plus a CoC for new or extended wiring. None of it is high-risk work.
Between visits
You can
- Look over leads and tools before each use.
- Pull anything damaged from use and label it.
- Use plug-in RCDs for power tools where the circuit has no RCD.
- Keep leads off wet floors and out of walkways.
Leave to a licensed electrician
- Repairs to any failed appliance, lead or tool.
- Fixed wiring, new outlets and circuits.
- Anything at the switchboard.
- Finding out why a tool or circuit keeps tripping an RCD.
Questions to put to the tester
- Which standard do you test to, and what interval do you suggest for us?
- What's in scope, and what isn't?
- What record will we get, and in what format?
- If something fails, can you repair it on the day?
- Are you a licensed electrical worker, and can I see your licence ID?
Where we'd start
We'd keep a simple list of every portable item and where it lives, book a tester who'll explain the interval they recommend, and make a quick look-over part of how the team works. The tag shows the item passed on the day; the daily check is what catches the lead that got run over last week.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.