10.3 Mandatory Test Sequence & Documentation

Full EWRB Recommended Verification Sequence

Section 8 is a process, not a menu of optional meter tricks. The EWRB Toolbox and AS/NZS 3000 verification structure align on this order (clause numbers confirm in your permitted edition):

Where methods require, reconfirm polarity or connections under live conditions after energisation—never as a substitute for the dead-test block. The point of sequence is safety and validity: do not apply IR test voltage or energise for EFLI/RCD until the installation is suitably complete, continuous, and insulated.

Why order matters

• Visual defects (missing MEN, open barriers) are caught before instruments create a false sense of security
• Continuity establishes the earthing network before IR references earth and before live fault-loop tests
• IR failures must be fixed before livening
• Polarity and correct connections prevent energising circuits that leave neutrals switched or actives transposed
• Live EFLI and RCD tests assume the dead foundation is true

Pre-Livening Checklist

Before operating the main switch for live verification:

1. MEN link restored and verified present at the main earthing point (visual + related continuity evidence)
2. Visual recheck — covers on, barriers intact, no temporary leads left as permanent, labels and isolators identifiable
3. Dead tests satisfactory — continuity, IR (≥ 1 MΩ at 500 V DC classic LV teaching), polarity, correct connections as applicable to the PEW
4. Work area controlled — other persons protected; prove-test discipline for any isolation still in play
5. Instrument readiness — correct functions for EFLI, RCD, and PFC/PSCC as required; leads and PE connections sound

Skipping pre-livening checks to “save time” is a classic exam wrong answer and a real-world shock/fire risk.

Record Results for CoC / Certification Evidence

Verification is inseparable from certification competence under the Electricity (Safety) Regulations and EWRB expectations:

• Record what was tested, where, with what results, and pass/fail against criteria
• Retain records that support Certificate of Compliance, electrical safety certification, and inspection trails as applicable to the work
• Note instrument identity/calibration awareness as professional practice requires
• Document defects, remediation, and retest outcomes—not only the final green tick

A CoC that asserts compliance while verification was incomplete, unrecorded, or failed-and-ignored is not defensible. The exam rewards answers that couple sequence + records + refuse-to-certify-on-fail.

All PEW Must Be Tested

Verification is not limited to brand-new whole-house rewires:

“I only moved one socket” is not a free pass out of polarity, continuity, IR, and RCD checks as applicable. Scale the tests to the PEW; do not invent a zero-test category for convenience.

AS/NZS 3017 as Methods Companion

On open-book stems: open 3000 for what must be achieved and in what order; use 3017 thinking for how to perform the test safely. 3017 does not replace Section 8 duties.

Failures: Do Not Certify — Remediate and Retest

Never sign or issue certification on the basis of failed or omitted mandatory tests. The competent path is: stop → remediate → retest → record → then certify if compliant.

Exam traps

• Live tests first “because the board is already on”
• Certifying after a failed IR “because RCD tripped OK”
• Treating 3017 as optional folklore instead of the methods companion
• Testing only new circuits and ignoring PEW on repairs/additions

Study note

Commit the seven-step sequence to automatic recall. Drill: MEN on before live tests; records for CoC; fail = fix + retest. Flag Section 8 contents pages and keep AS/NZS 3017 in your mental toolkit beside 3000 for method questions.