Electrical compliance is an obligation, one that the team at Test & Tag Training are experts in.
In high-risk environments that obligation is all the more crucial, particularly environments involving temporary power, portable equipment and rapidly changing conditions.
Staying compliant can be the difference between safe operations and serious consequences.
For organisations like Disaster Relief Australia, where volunteers deploy into disaster-affected communities across the country, electrical safety is a critical part of preparedness and response.
That’s where Test & Tag Training plays a vital role.
Built for unpredictable conditions
Disaster Relief Australia unites the skills and experience of military veterans, emergency service personnel and motivated civilians to help communities prepare for and recover from disasters.
The veteran-led organisation now has more than 7,000 volunteers operating across every state and territory, with 10 disaster relief and recovery teams nationwide.
Each team maintains its own cache of equipment — from generators to power tools — used during flood, fire and storm recovery operations.
According to Associate Director of Logistics and Procurement Sarah Vaz, keeping that equipment compliant is a significant logistical task.
“Managing compliance requirements from a testing and tagging point of view can be a challenge,” she said.
“We utilise the skillset that to make sure that all the equipment for those teams is compliant.
“When we’re out on operations, if new equipment comes in, they’ve got the ability to understand if there’s a potential fault what they need to do when that happens.”
Rather than relying on external contractors, Disaster Relief Australia made the decision to bring the qualification in-house.
Test & Tag Training provided volunteers with nationally recognised training, offering both online and face-to-face options.
“They work with us to provide what best fits our needs,” Sarah said.
“We recently had a logistics conference and workshop in Brisbane, we were able to provide all of our coordinators with testing and tagging training.
“A trainer from Test and Tag Training actually visited in-person to do it … they’ve been fantastic.”
Equipped and ready to go
Disaster Relief Australia also sources its testing equipment directly from Test & Tag Training, creating a streamlined, end-to-end compliance solution.
With multiple teams operating independently across Australia, consistency matters. Having standardised, reliable testing equipment ensures volunteers can apply their training correctly, regardless of location or deployment conditions.
“We purchased all our PAT testers from Test & Tag Training,” Sarah said.
“They provide us with continuous support for that equipment to make sure they’re serviced and calibrated correctly.”
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This approach reduces downtime, improves safety outcomes and removes uncertainty during already high-pressure operations.
Test & tag is one of the few electrical safety tasks that doesn’t require a licensed electrician, just a trained and competent person under AS/NZS 3760.
In just one day, volunteers or workers can become qualified to use PAT testers and undertake testing and tagging.
“One of the most important things in my view is having these tools actually provides our volunteers with skills and meaningful engagement opportunities,” Sarah said.
“So making sure we can give back to our volunteers while strengthening our overall capability as an organisation.”
Clear, practical and fit for purpose
As Australia’s largest provider of nationally recognised test and tag training, the team at Test & Tag Training supports organisations operating in high-risk, fast-moving environments.
For Disaster Relief Australia, having trained volunteers and reliable testing equipment in place means electrical safety is managed upfront, allowing teams to deploy with confidence when it matters most.
Practical training and the right equipment deliver real-world safety outcomes under pressure.
You can learn more about Test & Tag Training here