# Testing power tools under DGUV Vorschrift 3: intervals, records, responsibility

> What the German DGUV Vorschrift 3 requires for power tools, cables and chargers in the workshop: test intervals, who may test and what belongs in the record.

## 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:

1. **Visual inspection:** housing, cable, plug, strain relief, markings, rating plate – damage, discolouration, repairs.
2. **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
3. **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](https://tulz.work/en/help/article/inspections) · [Inspection templates: DGUV V3 and torque wrenches according to ISO 6789](https://tulz.work/en/help/article/inspection-templates) · [Correct an inspection](https://tulz.work/en/help/article/correct-an-inspection) · [Email and reminders](https://tulz.work/en/help/article/email-and-reminders) · [Documents](https://tulz.work/en/help/article/documents)

Further reading: [Test equipment management in the workshop](https://tulz.work/en/guides/inspection-equipment-monitoring) · [Having torque wrenches checked](https://tulz.work/en/guides/checking-torque-wrenches)

[See all features](https://tulz.work/en/features)

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Source: https://tulz.work/en/guides/testing-portable-electrical-equipment · As of 2026-10-13 · Tulz