Class 1 and 2 Electrical Appliances
3 Phase Equipment
RCD Units
When PAT testing, different types of test are performed depending on the particular class an appliance falls under. Read more...
Basically, during manufacture, a portable appliance is given a class rating depending on how the user is protected from electrical shock. Any portable appliances without a class rating should be treated as a Class 1 appliance. If an appliance uses mains voltage, it has to provide two levels of protection to the user. Many have more, but 2 is the minimum. By having more levels of protection, this ensures the appliance remains safe even if the first level fails. Electrical appliances are currently categorised into either Class I, Class II. Read less...
Three phase appliances are most commonly found in factories, workshops, manufacturing plants and places of assembly where the appliances are subject to heavier duty workloads. Read more...
Many forklifts, such as those used in warehouses, require a three phase charger.
Due to the higher voltage used – 415 volts instead of the usual 240 volts mains supply – and often higher amps, three phase appliances can present a substantially higher risk of electric shock injuries to workers, especially if the appliance is defective. Read less...
Residual current devices, or RCDs as they are more commonly called, are important safety devices that can save your life. Read more...
An RCD is a device that measures how much current is flowing on the active/live conductor and the neutral conductor of a circuit or appliance. These values should be the same or very close to being the same. If there is a variation, there could be current flowing to “earth” which means there could be a defect in the circuit or an appliance connected to it. When the variation between the active and neutral readings is greater than a specific value the RCD will “trip” and shut off the power supply to that circuit. When that happens the user of the appliance is protected from a potential electric shock.
RCDs will only protect you if they are working and react (trip) fast enough. To ensure the RCD is functioning correctly it must be tested on a regular basis. This requires specialised test equipment and testing procedures. The procedure involves simulating a defect and measuring the trip time to 1/1,000 of a second. Read less...
Comply with AS/NZS 3760:2010 standards. You can find our Standards Licence by clicking here.
