Lesson 4.3 · 5 min

Safety checks and the electrical inspection

Open in the coursewith narrated slides, a checklist to tick off and a quiz

At a glance

Safety checks. Active medical devices are checked regularly, at the manufacturer's interval, otherwise as a rule every 6 to 36 months.
Five years, and a label. Every check has a report, kept for five years. The device shows the date of the next check.
The electrical protection regulation. Employers also have their electrical installation checked regularly, as a rule at most every five years.
Test button every six months. Residual current devices are checked with the test button, at the manufacturer's interval, otherwise every six months.
The electrical inspection report. The result goes into the inspection report. On one sample visit, it had to be renewed.

In detail

The safety check

The operator has active non-implantable medical devices safety-checked regularly, and non-active ones only if the manufacturer requires it § 6(1) MPBV. Purely battery-powered devices not in Annex 1 are exempt, unless the manufacturer requires checks § 6(2) MPBV.

Question	Answer
How often?	at the manufacturer's interval; if there is none, a qualified person sets it: as a rule 6 to 36 months, for Annex 1 devices 6 to 24 months. An interval set this way may be overrun by up to six months	§ 6(3), (5)
Who?	only people or bodies with technical training, testing experience and measuring equipment under Annex 3	§ 6(7)
What stays?	a report with the inspector, date, scope, measured values and tolerances, methods and overall result, kept for at least five years	§ 6(8)
On the device?	a label with the date of the next check (month, year) and who did the check	§ 6(9)

Older labels under the 2007 version stay valid until the end of their check interval § 12(7) MPBV. Annex 1 devices get an incoming inspection before first use; if a detailed test report from the manufacturer or supplier comes with it, a visual check for transport damage and the label are enough § 3 MPBV.

The electrical installation

Anyone who employs staff is covered by the Electrical Protection Regulation 2012 § 1 ESV:

Residual current devices are checked by an instructed person with the test button, at the manufacturer's interval, otherwise at least every six months and after a fault § 7(3) ESV.
The electrical installation is checked by a qualified electrician regularly, at most every five years. Up to ten years applies only where loads are low, as in particular in offices or in trade and service businesses, and only without exceptional strain. With exceptional strain, such as damp or splash water, the authority must set shorter intervals: at most three years, or one year where several such factors combine § 9(1)–(3) ESV.
Portable class I equipment is also checked regularly, unless the risk assessment has found that it only runs on sockets protected by an RCD of up to 30 mA § 9(1) no. 2 ESV § 5 no. 1 ESV.
The result goes into an inspection report with date, inspector, signature, scope and result. The last two reports are kept, or the last one where the interval is over three years § 11 ESV.

The QSV requires that "required inspections take place as prescribed" § 5 no. 5 QSV. On one sample visit, the electrical inspection report had to be renewed (quality report 2017–2021).

Checklist

We know the check interval for every active medical device.
The date of the next check is on each device.
The reports of the last five years are in the device file.
The RCD test button is pressed every six months and noted.
We know our installation's inspection interval, and the latest inspection report is on file.

Quiz

How often must a residual current device be checked with the test button if the manufacturer gives no interval?

Only after a power cut
Every day
Every five years
At least every six months

Show the answer

The answer is D: At least every six months. Residual current devices are checked by pressing the test button at the manufacturer's intervals, or if none are given, at least every six months and after a fault (§ 7(3) no. 1 ESV 2012).

Sources

This lesson's statements rest on:

Not legal advice. What counts is the acts and regulations in the Federal Legal Information System and the Austrian Dental Chamber's regulations (read on 7 October 2026). The health minister's regulation with the criteria from 2028 (§ 9b(2) GQG) had not been issued on that day. Not covered are insurer contracts, billing, data protection in detail and the employer's duties under the Worker Protection Act in detail; there is a separate course on those at aschg.globalapps.top. Not an offer of the Austrian Dental Chamber, a regional dental chamber, the BIQG or the Chamber of Commerce.