5 Safety Tests In The Workplace That Could Help Save A Life

Providing a safe workplace environment for your employees and visitors is an obligation that every business must adhere to. Fire and electrical safety are some of the major areas of concern .

To minimise the risk of harmful incidents and ensure the health of your staff, equipment and business, inspections and adequate precautions are necessary.

Check out these five safety tests that will help prevent detrimental situations at the workplace.

Emergency And Exit Light Testing

In case of a crisis, emergency lights and exit lights will be crucial in helping occupants safely evacuate a property.

You must secure the safety of your workers and onsite visitors by ensuring your emergency lights and exit lights are functioning properly.

Regular exit light testing is essential, even if you are aware of the location of all the exits and all the exit lights seem to be working properly. The long-term reliability that it will be fully functional during an emergency is what matters most.

Therefore, every 6 months, exit lights and emergency lights must undergo a 90-minute discharge test. This test must be performed by a licenced fire protection technician or electrician.

Regular testing and maintenance of emergency and exit lights will ensure they are always in working order, while also minimising the risk of a faulty emergency lighting during any emergency.

Fire Protection Equipment Testing

The fire protection equipment that are crucial for fire safety include fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, fire doors, fire hose reels, exit lights, fire blankets and more.

Therefore, ensuring functional fire protection equipment is  crucial to fire safety.

Fire protection testing, which involves testing, maintenance and inspection of fire safety equipment, aids in achieving this. This ensures the safety of your workers and visitors by performing at the moment of need and offering protection.

According to the AS/NZS 1851 Standard, fire extinguishers, fire doors, fire hydrants, fire blankets and exit lights must be tested every 6 months. The routine service of fire protection equipment and system is outlined by this standard.

Electrical Testing And Tagging

The process of electrical testing, inspection and tagging (labelling) of electrical equipment at regular intervals is termed as electrical testing and tagging.

This process is essential for minimising the risk of electric shock at your workplace. The employees run the risk of operating hazardous and faulty equipment without regular electrical testing and tagging. Such an instance can lead to fatal injuries from electric shocks and even give rise to electrical fires.

The AS/NZS 3760 Standard sets the frequency of electrical testing and tagging.

Standards Australia gave birth to this joint Australian and New Zealand Standard, outlining testing methods and in-service safety inspections as well as the frequency of such tests.

You will be held liable for negligence if your equipment fails to comply with the standard. You will also be subsequently subjected to financial penalties.

RCD safety switch testing

More commonly termed as a safety switch, the RCD or residual current device acts like a life-saving device by offering protection from electric shocks. It detects a leakage in an electrical socket and immediately disconnects the circuit or power, offering protection.

Harmful and fatal injuries may occur if you have a faulty electrical appliance or your RCD fails to function in time. Regular RCD safety switch testing prevents mishaps and ensures whether it is in a good working condition.

The AS/NZS3760 Standard specifies the frequency of RCD testing as well as the type of environment and/or equipment required.

Earth fault loop impedance test

An earth fault loop impedance test is the process of detecting faults in your electrical circuit by testing the electrical earth of all electrical power points and installations.

A faulty condition might make an active electrical installation a potential death trap, as people coming into contact with it may suffer from a severe electrical shock or life-threatening injury.

Therefore, it’s crucial to have your power points and electrical installations tested for any earth fault loop impedance.