Sale and supply of second-hand equipment

If you are selling or supplying second-hand electrical equipment you must make certain information available to prospective buyers.

Organisations and individuals supplying or offering to supply second-hand electrical equipment must be aware of the legal obligations imposed on them under electricity safety legislation. These include:

• A person supplying or offering to supply second-hand electrical equipment must attach a label to the equipment stating that it is second-hand,
• A business, including major charitable organisations, supplying or offering to supply second-hand electrical equipment must also attach a label stating that the equipment is second-hand and has been inspected and tested, and is compliant with Australian/New Zealand Standard(AS/NZS) 3760, or
• If it has not been tested, the business supplying or offering to supply second-hand electrical equipment must include a clear statement on the label stating the equipment is second-hand, with additional words as follows: DANGER – DO NOT USE OR CONNECT TO SUPPLY – THIS SECOND-HAND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT MAY BE FAULTY AND SHOULD BE INSPECTED AND TESTED BY A COMPETENT PERSON IN ACCORDANCE WITH AS/NZS 3760

The Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 3760 covers the requirements for In-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment.

Suggested labels

The inclusion of the inspector’s identity is not mandatory but is strongly recommended.

The use of generic AS/NZS 3760 compliance tags, commonly used by tradesmen and inspectors and available from electrical wholesalers, is acceptable in conjunction with a label stating the equipment is second-hand.