What it is about
Corded impact wrench, angle grinder, heat gun, extension reel, charger for the batteries, work light: anything that has a plug and is moved around the workshop is portable electrical equipment. The German DGUV Vorschrift 3 "Elektrische Anlagen und Betriebsmittel" (accident-prevention regulation for electrical installations and equipment) requires that this equipment is tested regularly by a competent person. The aim is not the paperwork but that nobody gets a shock from a chafed cable.
The employer is responsible for this; the testing itself can be delegated, the responsibility cannot. That is why it pays to set the whole thing up properly once.
Which intervals apply
For portable equipment, the regulation gives a guide value of 6 months, on construction sites 3 months. If the failure rate in the tests is below 2 %, the interval may be extended – in workshops and production facilities to at most one year, in offices to at most two years. In practice, most car repair workshops test annually and document the low failure rate that justifies it.
In addition: after every repair or modification of the equipment and whenever damage is visible, it is tested immediately – not at the next scheduled date. And before every use, a visual check by the user is part of it: cable, plug, housing.
Who may test
Testing may be carried out by a competent person: as a rule a qualified electrician, or an electrically instructed person under the direction and supervision of a qualified electrician, with suitable test equipment. Many workshops contract the test out to an external testing service that goes through the building once a year with an appliance tester; others train one member of staff for it and test themselves. Both are permissible – what matters is that qualification, measuring instrument and documentation are right.
What is tested
The basis is DIN VDE 0701-0702 or its successor standards DIN EN 50678 (after repair) and DIN EN 50699 (periodic testing). Every test consists of three parts:
- Visual inspection: housing, cable, plug, strain relief, markings, rating plate – damage, discolouration, repairs.
- Measurement, depending on the protection class: - protection class I (with protective earth conductor): protective conductor resistance, insulation resistance, protective conductor current - protection class II (double insulated): insulation resistance, touch current - protection class III (safety extra-low voltage): insulation resistance
- Functional test: operation, switches, protective devices.
The limits are in the standard and in the tester; the record holds the measured values, not just "passed".
What belongs in the test record
One record per device with:
- unique device identifier (inventory number), type, manufacturer, protection class,
- date of the test, name of the tester, test instrument used,
- result of the visual inspection, measurement and functional test with measured values,
- assessment (in order / defects / not in order) and action,
- next test date.
Added to this is the inspection sticker on the device with the next date – that is what the user sees. The records are kept at least until the next test; it makes sense to keep the complete test history per device, not least because of the failure rate for extending the interval.
Due dates under control: the procedure in the business
- Record all electrical equipment – including extension cables, multi-socket strips and chargers, which are easily forgotten. Without a complete list there is no complete test.
- Store a test interval per device (12 months as the rule, 6 months for heavily used equipment) and have the next date calculated.
- Advance warning one month before, so the testing service can be booked or the test day planned.
- Document the test with measured values, attach the record to the device as a PDF, apply the sticker.
- Block defects immediately: a device with defects is not "used until the repair" but taken out of issue.
- Evaluate the failure rate: how many devices failed? That decides whether the annual interval may be kept.
Frequently asked questions
How often do power tools in the workshop have to be tested?
The guide value of DGUV Vorschrift 3 is 6 months; with a failure rate below 2 %, the interval in workshops may be extended to at most one year. Most businesses therefore test annually and document the failure rate.
Does the test also apply to cordless tools?
The cordless tool itself, at safety extra-low voltage, usually only comes under the visual inspection; the charger with its mains plug, on the other hand, is portable electrical equipment and is tested as normal. If in doubt, ask the tester and put the charger on the list.
May the foreman carry out the DGUV V3 test himself?
Only if he is a competent person within the meaning of the regulation – that is, a qualified electrician or electrically instructed under the supervision of a qualified electrician – and uses a suitable test instrument. Otherwise an external testing service takes over.
How it works with Tulz
In Tulz, every power tool gets a test interval and a due date; the advance-warning list and the email reminder report upcoming tests by themselves. For the DGUV V3 test there are inspection templates for protection classes I to III with measuring points and limits; the test record is stored on the tool with measured values, tester and certificate (PDF) and can be printed. Devices with defects are blocked and no longer appear in issue; the test history stays with the tool.
Guides in the help centre: Inspections · Inspection templates: DGUV V3 and torque wrenches according to ISO 6789 · Correct an inspection · Email and reminders · Documents
Further reading: Test equipment management in the workshop · Having torque wrenches checked