For the last 10 or so years, I've run a mobile test and tag business in Christchurch, as first under Jim's Test and Tag, lately under our own business name Port Appliance Test and Tag, over the years I've developed a fair amount of expertise the standards and regulations that swirl around TnT, some time ago Safeguard did a feature piece which I helped fill in some of the gaps ( A Live Issue ) since that was printed, what's changed?

From my perspective, not a lot, things are still getting "pass tags" put on them that shouldn't pass (see my little shop of test and tag horrors) the scary thing is, the folk getting this wrong aren't all from a tick and flick "competent person" course, they're a mixture of CPs and "qualified folk", who seem to barely understand what it is that they are there to do. Some of the "CP's" are part of franchise groups, none from Jim's TT that I've seen, probably due to the extensive in house training course that JTT run for their Franchisees and the in group support that is part of the deal- but the rest,hmm.....

I think that in part this is down to Test and Tag training companies not having a Code Of Practice that they have to adhere to, I spend two days per month running test and tag training courses in Christchurch.I know we do a reasonable job in the time we have available, and a common comment from anyone who has done a TnT Competent Person Course with another provider, is that we cover way more than other ones do, we try to cover what the test and tag standard AS/NZS 3760 states is the body of knowledge required to test and tag competently and safely,it would be nice to have a little more time to do that, but we have to follow the market on length.

Another part of the issue is a lack of NZQA Standards that could be used to ensure that all are operating from the same page, I envisage a generic "Test and Tag to 3760 requirements" paper, and a "Test and Tag to 3102" extension paper for building site test and tag, along with pulling in a standard electrical NZQA paper covering basic safety while working with electricity. I see this evolving into a "test and tag" qualification in its own right, able to be completed by anyone, but subject to some external scrutiny (maybe from the EWRB) that would put a stop to the tick and flick brigade by either having to prepare their trainees for an externally assessed competency test, or at least having some external oversight on their training activities. Having two test and tag unit standards that could be pulled into various classes of electrical registration would help lift the qualified folks game.

Anyway, that's my two cents worth- what are your thoughts? Do you have any questions about test and tag?