AU2016212700B2 - A system, power outlet and power plug for selectively providing power for validly tagged electrical appliances - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided a system for industrial electrical appliance tagging and compliance system (100) comprising power outlets configured for selectively providing power to validly tagged electrical appliances. In preferred embodiments, the system is configured for allowing the implementation of differing tagging regimes so as to cater for differing operational environments which may be site- specific, or even differ within a single site, or change over time.

Description

A system, power outlet and power plug for selectively providing power for validly tagged electrical appliances

Field of the Invention

[1] The present invention relates to a system, power outlet and power plug for selectively providing power for validly tagged electrical appliances.

[2] The invention has been developed primarily for use in the building and construction

environment mandating the use of only properly inspected and tagged electrical appliances and will

be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the

invention is not limited to this particular field of use.

Background

[3] The building and construction industry is regulated by stringent OH&S legislation mandating

the frequent inspection and repair of electrical appliances and their evidentiary tagging for safety

purposes, such as for reducing the risk of injury and death, especially by way of electrocution.

[4] According to existing arrangements, tagging is a manual process wherein authorised

taggers/inspectors periodically inspect electrical appliances and tag the electrical appliances once

their having passed the inspection. Such tagging is usually denoted as being done by way of tags stuck

or otherwise fastened to the electrical appliance, the tag representing the date of the tagging and

other prescribed details for compliance. However, such manual tagging deals with risk at the fourth

tier of the hierarchy of control, Administration.

[5] However, OH&S regulations stipulate an OH&S risk handling hierarchy, wherein if a risk is

present, the risk must be eliminated (the first tier of the hierarchy of control) and, only if the risk

cannot be eliminated, must the risk be addressed by a lesser tier of the control such as currently

Administration

[6] However, tagging is not able to enforce control of the risks from the use of electrical

appliances because electrical appliances may still be operated despite their tag being out of date, and

often are, and additionally they are often tagged without inspection on construction sites. As such,

conventional tagging only addresses the risk poorly, but does not eliminate it.

[7] Attempts have been made to address the deficiencies of manual tagging.

[8] For example US 8620485 B2 (D1) in the name of IntaCept Pty Ltd provides an "electronic

version" of the conventional adhered tag in that the electronic tag of D1 is an in-line cut-off switch

configured to cut power to an electrical tool at the predetermined expiry date. Specifically, during

tagging, an expiry date predetermined and is written to the electronic tag. The electronic tag thereafter monitors the predetermined expiry date so as to be able to cut power should the appliance be attempted to be used after the expiry date.

[9] Specifically, referring to the commercial embodiments of the IntaCept electronic tags disclosed at http;//wwwj'igceutacomauI (including "How the IntaCept Tag

Works" ors/twhich states that "Once the

electrical appliance is re-tested, the IntaCept Tag will be given a new expiry date and will re-enable to

allow the appliance to be used once again.") and various proposed applications disclosed in D1 (See

col. 8 of D1) the IntaCept tags are essentially in-line power cut-off switches configured to cut power

at an expiry date which is predetermined during inspection.

[10] Further KR 20090077096 A (D2) is directed to the problem of preventing accidents from the insertion of foreign objects into plugs and CN 202940392 U (D3) is directed to the problem of

preventing appliance-specific current oversupply, neither of these relating to industrial appliance

testing or tagging.

[11] Now, as appreciated from the above, the IntaCept tags are configured during tagging for a

predetermined operating environment.

[12] However, a problem not recognised nor addressed by IntaCept/D1 is that electrical appliance

operating environments differ by location (down to differing regions of a construction site) and over time.

[13] For example, during early stage construction of a hospital construction site at which concrete

form work is being laid and which experiences a heavy rain downpour resulting in water seepage,

accumulation of puddles and the like, it would be advantageous for the site power contractor to

severely restrict the utilisation of electrical power tools to only those which have been tagged in the

last week so as to avoid the risks of the utilisation of electrical appliances which have not been inspected for more than this time and which may be prone to water seepage and operator

electrocution. Once the water has evaporated, it would be advantageous for the site power contractor

to lift the harsh tagging restriction and so as to allow the resumption of the use of electrical appliances

which had been tagged more than a week ago.

[14] It would furthermore be advantages to allow for the automated implementation of tagging

regimes wherein, for example, for the above hospital construction site, rain sensors could detect rain

and automate the implementation of the harsher tagging raising.

[15] Furthermore, during construction stages, especially multifloor buildings, construction stages

are completed at different times wherein, for example, the lower floors at which office equipment has

been installed and which represents a less harsh operating environment may tolerate greater inspection periods whereas the upper floors at which formwork is being laid, services roughed in and the like may represent a more harsh operating environment requiring stricter tagging requirements.

[16] As such, it would be advantageous to be able to implement differing tagging requirements at

these different regions of construction site.

[17] Furthermore, project software is commonly used to track construction progress. It would

further be advantages to have the software automatically set the tagging requirements of these

differing construction regions.

[18] Furthermore, tradespersons take tools from one site to another each having differing tagging

requirements. As such, it would be advantageous, rather than using the predetermined operating

environment expiry date of D1, to allow for the implementation of differing tagging regimes at differing sites.

[19] Furthermore, whereas a tradesperson may use an electrical appliance for work on site, it

would be advantageous for the tradesperson to be able to use his assigned electrical appliances at

home without restriction.

[20] Furthermore, contractors sometimes elect to self-insure so as to forego utilisation of the

workers compensation regime. Such contractors are required by law to implement standards that

meet or exceed the relevant OHS legislation. As such, it would be advantageous for such contractors to be able to implement custom tagging regimes.

[21] It would be furthermore advantages to have other advantages such as the ability to report on

the electrical appliances belonging to contractors, the electrical appliances used on a site or multiple

different sites, the electrical appliances that will soon require tagging and the like.

[22] It would furthermore be advantages to render an electrical appliance inoperable once

damaged as opposed to cutting the electrical cord is as commonplace today.

[23] It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference

does not constitute an admission that the information forms part of the common general knowledge

in the art, in Australia or any other country.

Summary of the Disclosure

[24] The claimed invention provides, in a preferred embodiment, a tagging system having power

outlets having user configurable tagging validity periods so as to be able to account for differing and

dynamically changing tagging regimes suitable for differing operating environments which may be site

specific and change over time. The claimed invention and the embodiments described herein also

provide further advantages over the prior art.

[25] As such, with the foregoing in mind, according to one aspect, there is provided a system for

industrial electrical appliance tagging and compliance, the system comprising: at least one electrical

appliance power plug comprising a writeable data bearing media; at least one tagging device

comprising a data bearing media writer for writing tagging data to the respective writeable data

bearing media of the at least one power plug; and at least one power outlet for selectively providing

power to the at least one electrical appliance, the power outlet comprising: a power controller, the

power controller comprising memory configured for storing a validity period and the power controller

comprising an interface for updating the validity period; a data bearing media reader in operable

communication with the power controller, the data bearing media reader configured for reading the

data bearing media of the at least one electrical appliance power plug when the at least one electrical appliance power plug is plugged into the power outlet; and an electrical power switch controllable by

the power controller, the switch adapted to selectively provide electrical power to the at least one

electrical appliance power plug when the at least one electrical appliance power plug is plugged into the power outlet, wherein: during electrical appliance inspection and tagging of an electrical appliance

electrically connected to the at least one electrical appliance power plug, the at least one tagging

device is configured for writing, using the data bearing media writer, tagging data to the writeable

data bearing media of the at least one electrical appliance power plug, the tagging data comprising at least an inspection date; during power outlet configuration the power outlet is configurable with the

validity period using the interface; and in use, when the at least one electrical appliance power plug is

plugged into the at least one power outlet, the power controller of the at least one power outlet is

configured to: read, using the data bearing media reader, the inspection date from the data bearing

media of the at least one electrical appliance power plug; read the validity period from the power

controller memory; calculate an expiry date in accordance with the validity period and the inspection date; determine a current date; close the switch if the calculated expiry date is prior the current date;

and open the switch if the calculated expiry date is post the current date.

[26] The power outlet interface may be a computer data interface and wherein, in use, the at least

one power outlet may be configured for receiving the validity period from a server.

[27] The system may further comprise the server and wherein the server may be configured for

construction project scheduling and wherein the system may be configured for automating the

updating of the validity period in accordance with a construction stage at a location of the power

outlet.

[28] The system may further comprise a server comprising an appliance database, the appliance database comprising electrical appliance identification data stored in relation to appliance inspection

data and wherein, during the electrical appliance inspection and tagging of an electrical appliance the server may be configured for storing, in the appliance database, at least the inspection date in relation to an electrical appliance ID of the electrical appliance.

[29] The appliance database may further comprise electrical appliance use data stored in relation

to the electrical appliance identification data wherein, in use, when the at least one electrical

appliance power plug may be plugged into the at least one power outlet, the system may be

configured for updating the electrical appliance use data with data comprising at least the electrical

appliance ID, a power outlet ID and a use date.

[30] The system may further comprise at least one electrical appliance operator mobile

communication device and wherein in use, the electrical appliance operator mobile communication

device may be configured to record a location of the electrical appliance operator and wherein the system may be configured for updating the electrical appliance use data with data comprising at least

the electrical appliance ID, location and a use date.

[31] The server may be configured for generating electrical appliance reports in accordance with

the electrical appliance identification data, appliance inspection data and electrical appliance use data.

[32] The report reports on the electrical appliances belonging to a contractor.

[33] The report reports on the electrical appliances used on a site within a time period.

[34] The report reports on the electrical appliances requiring tagging.

[35] The report reports on the electrical appliances that will soon requiring tagging.

[36] In use, the server may be further configured for sending tagging requirement push

notifications to at least one of electrical appliance operators indicative of an impending tagging

requirement of the at least one electrical appliance.

[37] In use, the server may be further configured for sending tagging requirement push

notifications to at least one inspector indicative of an impending tagging requirement of the at least one electrical appliance.

[38] The server may be configured for location based selection of the at least one inspector.

[39] The system may further comprise a physical interlock adapted to prevent the electrical

connection of power plugs not having a complimentary physical interlock.

[40] According to another aspect, there is provided a nullifier device configured for plugging with

the at least one electrical appliance power plug as described herein and wherein, the nullifier device

may comprise a data bearing media writer for writing tagging data to the respective writeable data

bearing media of the at least one power plug and wherein the data bearing media writer may be

configured for rendering the writeable data bearing media inoperable with the at least one power outlet as described herein.

[41] According to another aspect, there is provided a the power outlet comprising: a power

controller, the power controller comprising memory configured for storing a validity period and the

power controller comprising an interface for updating the validity period; a data bearing media reader

in operable communication with the power controller, the data bearing media reader configured for

reading a data bearing media of a at least one electrical appliance power plug when the at least one

electrical appliance power plug may be plugged into the power outlet; and an electrical power switch

controllable by the power controller, the switch adapted to selectively provide electrical power to the

at least one electrical appliance power plug when the at least one electrical appliance power plug may

be plugged into the power outlet, wherein: during power outlet configuration the power outlet may

be configurable with the validity period using the interface; and in use, when the at least one electrical appliance power plug may be plugged into the at least one power outlet, the power controller of the

at least one power outlet may be configured to: read, using the data bearing media reader, the

inspection date from the data bearing media of the at least one electrical appliance power plug; read

the validity period from the power controller memory; calculate an expiry date in accordance with the

validity period and the inspection date; determine a current date; close the switch if the calculated

expiry date may be prior the expiry date; and open the switch if the calculated expiry date may be

post the expiry date.

[42] According to another aspect, there is provided a power plug as described herein.

[43] According to another aspect, there is provided a tagging device as described herein.

[44] According to another aspect, there is provided a server comprising an appliance database as

described herein.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[45] Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention,

preferred embodiments of the disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[46] Figure 1 shows a system for selectively providing power for validly tagged electrical appliances

in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Description of Embodiments

[47] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles in accordance with the

disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of

the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the

inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the disclosure as illustrated herein, which would normally occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the disclosure.

[48] Before the structures, systems and associated methods relating to the system for industrial

electrical appliance tagging and compliance are disclosed and described, it is to be understood that

this disclosure is not limited to the particular configurations, process steps, and materials disclosed

herein as such may vary somewhat. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein

is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting

since the scope of the disclosure will be limited only by the claims and equivalents thereof.

[49] In describing and claiming the subject matter of the disclosure, the following terminology will

be used in accordance with the definitions set out below.

[50] It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "'a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[51] As used herein, the terms "comprising," "including," "containing," "characterised by," and

grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional,

unrecited elements or method steps.

[52] It should be noted in the following description that like or the same reference numerals in

different embodiments denote the same or similar features.

System for industrial electrical appliance tagging and compliance

[53] Turning now to figure 1, there is shown a system 100 for selectively providing power for validly

tagged electrical appliances.

[54] The system comprises at least one power outlet 155 in at least one power plug 135 adapted

to draw electrical power from the power outlet 105 to supply an electrical appliance 140.

[55] In the embodiments that follow, there will be described the application of the system 100

within the building and construction industry. Therefore, as will be appreciated from the below description, the system 100 is adapted to prevent the operation of non-validly tagged electrical

appliances, rather than simply reducing the risk as with conventional manual tagging arrangements.

[56] In a preferred embodiment as will be described in further detail below, the system 100 is

configured for allowing for the implementation of user configurable tagging regimes so as to suit

differing operating environments wherein the power outlet 105 is configured with a validity period so

as to be able to calculate and expiry date in accordance with when the electrical appliance was last

tagged. In this way, the system 100 is able to implement a range of tagging regimes to suit differing

operating environments.

[57] It should be noted that the system 100 may be used for other applications also. For example,

hospitals may employ the system 100 to prevent the provision of power to medical equipment

requiring servicing.

[58] The power outlet 155 is specifically configured to selectively control the provision of power to

the power plug 135 as is described in further detail below. As such, in use, on building and construction

sites, for example, portable power boards may be provided at various locations, the power boards

comprising a plurality of the power outlets 155 adapted for selectively providing power only to those

validly tagged electrical appliances 140.

[59] The power plugs 135 are similarly adapted to interface with the power outlet 155, but not

substantially or intrusively so as to allow for the relatively simple adaptation of existing power plugs 135. In a preferred embodiment as will be described in further detail below, the power plug 135 is

provided with a writable/readable data bearing media 130 adapted to provide data to the power

outlet 155. The data bearing media 130 may be in near field communication (NFC), Radio-frequency

identification RFID tag of the like such as an inexpensive sticker tag or the like stuck to the power plug

135.

[60] Now, the power plug 155 comprises a power controller 155. The power controller 155 is

preferably a low-power computing device such as a microprocessor or the like. In embodiments, the power controller 155 may draw power from an AC to DC converter operably coupled to the electrical

inputs of the power outlet 155. In other embodiments, the power controller 155 may draw power

from a battery source, such as a rechargeable battery source.

[61] The power controller 155 comprises memory which may be used for storing a validity period

in the manner described below in embodiments.

[62] The power outlet 155 further comprises a data bearing media reader 120 adapted to read data from the writable/readable data bearing media 130 of the power plug 135. The data bearing

media reader 120 is in operable communication with the power controller 115.

[63] Furthermore, the power outlet 155 comprises an electrical power switch 105. The switch 105

is operably connected to the power controller 115 so as to be controllable by the power controller

115.

[64] Furthermore, the switch 105 is adapted to selectively provide power to plug electrical

connectors of the power outlet 155 so as to selectively provide power to the power plug 135 in

accordance with control instructions received from the power controller.

[65] In an embodiment, the switch 105 may be an electromechanical relay or solid-state device such as a solid state relay, power transistor and the like.

Tagging data

[66] Now, in use, the power controller 155 is adapted to receive tagging data from the power plug

135 borne data bearing media 130 and control the switch 105 in accordance with the tagging data.

[67] As such, the tagging data received from the power plug 135 is used by the power controller

115 to determine whether the electrical appliance 140 is a validly tagged. If the power controller 115

determined that the electrical appliance 140 is not validly tagged, the power controller 115 will control

the switch 105 to open so as to prevent the provision of power to the power plug 135. Conversely,

should the power controller 115 determine that the electrical appliance 140 is validly tagged, the

power controller 115 will control the switch 105 to close so as to provide power to the electrical

appliance 140

[68] It should be noted that the power outlet 155 may be configured such that the default state of

the switch 105 is open. In this manner, unless the power controller 115 receives appropriate tagging

data, the power outlet 155 will not provide power. For example, should a conventional power plug 135 (that is a power plug 130 not comprising the data bearing media 130) be electrically coupled to

the power outlet 155, the conventional power plug 135 will not be able to draw power from the power

outlet 155.

[69] It should be noted however, that the electrical appliance 140 would still be to draw power

from conventional power outlets such as where, for example, a tradesperson uses their electrical

appliances at home where tagging is not required.

Tagging Device

[70] In a preferred embodiment, the data bearing media 130 is writable such that tagging data may

be written to the data bearing media 130 during the tagging process. For example, during the tagging

process, once the tagger has tested the electrical appliance 140, the tagger would write data to the

data bearing media 130.

[71] In this regard, the system 100 further comprises a mobile computing device/tagging device

170 which, in embodiments, may be used for the purposes of writing data to the data bearing media 130. In one embodiment, the mobile computing device 170 is a mobile communication device 170,

such as a smart phone device or the like.

[72] The functionality described herein may be implemented by way of software application

downloaded to the mobile communication device 170 for execution such as a software application

downloaded from the Apple iTunes store, for example.

[73] Furthermore, in preferred embodiment, the mobile communication device 170 comprises a

data bearing media writer/reader 165.

[74] As such, once the tagger has tagged the electrical appliance 140, the tagger may hold the

mobile communication device 170 proximate the power plug 135 so as to write the tagging data to

the data bearing media 130.

[75] In a preferred embodiment, the system 100 utilises NFC technology wherein the power plugs

130 comprise adhesive writable NFC tags and the mobile communication device 170 comprises an NFC

interface adapted to read and write data to and from the NFC data bearing media 130.

[76] However, it should be noted that other mechanisms may be employed within the purposive

scope of allowing the power plug 135 to provide data to the power outlet 155.

[77] For example, other near field communication technologies may be employed, such as RFID,

Bluetooth and the like.

[78] Furthermore, in embodiments, the data bearing media 130 need not necessarily be writable

and may, for example, be read only and comprise a unique identifier representing the power plug 135.

In this manner, the system 100 may comprise a database representing those authorised appliances as

represented by their unique IDs. In this manner, the power outlet 155 may receive the unique ID from

the read only data bearing media 130 for cross-reference purposes to the database of authorised

appliances. In this regard, the power outlet 155 may comprise a local database of authorised

appliances, or alternatively, a network interface 145 adapted to allow the power outlet 155 to send the unique ID of the power plug across a network 160 to a server 180 or the like for cross-reference

against an appliance database 185.

[79] In this regard, the read only data bearing media 130 may comprise a barcode including a 2-D

barcode, read-only NFC chip, read only RFID chip and the like.

[80] However, as alluded to above, in a preferred embodiment, the data bearing media 130 is

writable so as to allow the writing of tagging data directly to the data bearing media 130 by a tagger.

[81] Now, the tagging data may represent a differing information.

Selectively providing power in accordance with tagging date and an expiry date

[82] In one embodiment, the tagging data comprises a tagging date data representing when the

electrical appliance 140 was tagged. In this manner, the power controller 155 is adapted to control

the switch 105 at least in accordance with the tagging date.

[83] In this regard, the power controller 115 may be adapted to calculate an expiry date in

accordance with the tagging date and control the switch 105 accordingly. For example, the power

controller 115 may be configured such that all electrical appliances 140 are only valid for six months

after tagging. In this manner, by receiving the tagging date from the data bearing media 130, the power controller 115 is able to calculate the six-month expiry date and not provide power to any electrical appliances 140 that were tagged prior to the six-month period.

Selectively providing power in accordance with appliance type

[84] In a further embodiment, the tagging data may comprise appliance type data representing

the type of appliance such that the power controller 115 is adapted to calculate expiry date in

accordance with the appliance type data. For example, power tools may require more frequent

inspection as compared to other electrical appliances such as electrical lighting. In this regard, the

power controller 115 may be configured to apply a three-month expiry dates to power tools and a six

month expiry dates to other electrical appliances.

[85] In a further embodiment, the power controller 115 may control the provision of power in

accordance with the appliance type data without necessarily calculating an expiry date. For example,

in an exemplary embodiment as will be described in further detail below, certain power outlets 155

may be adapted to provide power only to certain types of appliances, such as wherein corridor located

power outlets 155 are adapted to supply only power to floor cleaning electrical appliances 140 but not others.

Selectively providing power in accordance with differing tagging regimes

[86] Now, in a preferred embodiment, and as alluded to above, the system 100 is configured for

allowing the implementation of differing tagging regimes so as to cater for differing operational

environments which, as also alluded to above, may be site-specific, or even differ within a single site,

or change over time.

[87] For illustrative purposes, there will be described an exemplary embodiment wherein the

system 100 is utilised for enforcing electrical tagging compliance on a multistorey hospital

construction site.

[88] On the hospital construction site, a power contractor will install multiple power boards at

various locations is comprising a plurality of power outlets 155.

[89] Now, for the lower floors for which office and hospital equipment is currently being installed

and therefore represents a less harsh operating environment, the power contractor will configure the

power outlets 155 to implement a less harsh tagging regime.

[90] Specifically, the memory device of the power controller 155 is configured for storing a validity

period. For example, the power contractor may specify the validity period has been six months meaning that electrical appliances 140 which have been inspected in the last six months may be

operated on the lower floors of the hospital construction site.

[91] Specifically, as alluded to above, when the electrical appliance 140s been tagged, the tagging

device 170, using the data bearing media writer 165 will write at least the inspection date to the

writable data bearing media 130 of the power plug 135.

[92] In this manner, when the power plug 135 is inserted into the power outlet 155, the data

bearing media reader 120 will read the inspection date from the writable data bearing media 130 of

the power plug 135. Furthermore, the power controller 155 implements a timer or calendar function

so as to be able to determine the current date. As such, knowing the current date and knowing the

date at which the electrical appliance 140 was last inspected, the power controller 155 is configured

for calculating an expiry date six months from when the electrical appliance 140 was inspected.

[93] As such, the power controller 155 is configured to close the switch 105 if the calculated expiry date is prior the current date and openness which of the calculated expiry date is post the current

date.

[94] Now, for the upper floors of the construction site where slabs are being laid comprising

exposed metal studs and the like and therefore be in a harsh operating environment, the power

contractor may configure the power outlets 155 with a shorter validity period. For example, the power

contractor may configure the power outlets 155 on the upper floors with a validity period of one

month.

[95] In this manner, the power outlets 155 on the upper floors are configured for only supplying

power to those electrical appliances 140 which have been tagged in the last month.

[96] Now, during a torrential downpour the upper floors of the hospital building site become

flooded and water accumulation and seepage occurs. During this event, the power contractor may

configure the power outlets 155 to implement a more severe tagging regime wherein only electrical

appliances 140 which have been tagged in the last week may be used so as to reduce the risk of electrocution from electrical appliances which have not been recently inspected.

[97] Once the water evaporates, the power contractor is able to configure the power outlets 155

to implement the former one month validity period tagging regime.

[98] The power outlet 155 comprises an interface allowing for the setting of the validity period.

[99] In one embodiment, the interface comprises electromechanical switches, such as dip switches

or the like allowing the power contractor to manually set the validity period. For example, the

electromechanical switches may comprise an electrical dial switch or the like allowing for the rotation

thereof to nominate the validity period, such as, for example from 0 months to 12 months.

[100] In other embodiments, the interface may represent an environmental harshness wherein the power outlet 155 is configured, such as by comprising a lookup table or the like, with the appropriate

validity period to suit the environmental harshness.

[101] In another embodiment, the interface is a data interface allowing for the computerised

updating of the validity period of the power outlet 155. In one embodiment, the data interface is

configured to read the validity period from a power contractor device, such as a hand-held computing

device such as a mobile communication device or the like which may be configured in accordance with

a softer application. In this manner, the power contractor may place the mobile device adjacent each

power outlet 155 to write the validity period.

[102] However, in other embodiments, the power outlet 155 is configured for receiving the validity

period via the network interface 145 from the server 180. It should be noted herein that the network

116 need not be a traditional Ethernet network or the like and should be construed rather as any

means for conferring data between the various computing device described herein. In this regard, the power board installer contractor may use a mobile communication device configured to write the

validity period to the power outlet 105 dynamically such as by using near field communication, RFID

or the like.

Dynamic dating in accordance with Project schedule

[103] Now, as opposed to having to manually configure each power outlet 155 separately, in

embodiments, the system 100 may read project schedule data from project scheduling software so as

to be able to dynamically update the power outlets 155 in accordance with the type of construction

being performed at the differing regions of the power is 155.

[104] For example, the server 180 may execute a commonplace project schedule tracking software

program configured to track the various stages of the various regions of the hospital building site. As

such, as each stage is completed the system 100, reading the current stage state from the project

schedule tracking software is configured for automating the updating of the power outlets 155 at the

appropriate respective locations such that the power outlets 155 configured for implement in a

tagging regime suitable for the particular region and the current construction stage.

[105] For example, once the slabs of the upper floors of the hospitals have been laid and the services

roughed in, when the equipment installation process starts the system 100 may automate the

updating of the power outlets 155 accordingly to implement the less harsh tagging regime allowing

for a six month validity period.

[106] In embodiments, each power outlet 155 may be connected across a data network 160 to the

server 180 such as by comprising inbuilt Wi-Fi modules or the like.

[107] In other embodiments, the server 180 may communicate with power operator mobile

communication devices which in turn write the appropriate validity periods to the proximate power

outlets 155. In this embodiment, the server 180 would set the appropriate validity period for each power outlet as identified by a power outlet ID. As such, when the power operator mobile communication device is proximate the power outlet 155, it reads the power outlet ID from the power outlet 155, such as from a data bearing media or the like so as to ascertain the appropriate validity period stored within the memory device of the mobile communication device so as to be able to write to the appropriate validity period back to the power outlet 155.

Reporting

[108] In embodiments, the use of the electrical appliances 140 is reported to the server 180 such

that the server is able to calculate electrical appliance usage reports.

[109] For example, the server 180 may be configured for generator reports listing the electrical

appliances 140 which are in a particular site and further information in relation to their specific

appliance types and tagging state so as to, for example, be able to list the types of electrical appliances

used on site and whether any of those electrical appliances will soon require tagging.

[110] Such reporting may be on a per contractor basis as opposed to on a site specific basis wherein,

for example, a particular contractor, subcontractor or the like may be able to receive reports on the electrical appliances in their care.

[111] In one embodiment, each time the plug 135 is inserted into the power outlet 155, the power

outlet 155, may send, via the network 160, to the server 180, appliance use data.

[112] For example, when the power plug 135 inserted into the power outlet 155, the power outlet

155 may read an appliance ID from the data bearing media 130 of the power plug 135. The power

outlet 155 may then send the appliance ID to the server 180 such that the server 108 is able to update

the usage data for the appliance in the appliance database 185.

[113] In embodiments, the appliance database 185 may relate appliance IDs and site IDs. In this

manner, upon receiving the appropriate appliance ID, the server 180 is able to ascertain the sight at which the appliance is used.

[114] In other embodiments, each tradesperson, when attending a site, may carry with them a

mobile communication device which reports on their location. As such, the server 180, by knowing

the electrical appliances associated with each tradesperson and subsequently receiving the locations

of each tradesperson may be able to dynamically calculate the locations of electrical appliances.

[115] As such, the system 100 may take into account the travelling between sites of tradespersons

wherein, for example, for the purposes of generating tagging compliance reports, the system 100 is

able to leverage from being able to know exactly when and where electrical appliances were used. As

such, subcontractors may be sent from site to site without the administrative overhead of having to

update the site-specific tag registers accordingly.

[116] In embodiment, the system 100 may be configured for recording a maintenance audit trail

wherein, each time the electrical appliance 140 is inspected, the details of the inspection, the type of

inspection conducted and the inspection results are recorded within the appliance database 185. As

such, for each electrical appliance, the server 180 may be able to report on the maintenance and

inspection history of the electrical appliance.

Operator ID

[117] In a further embodiment, the tagging data may comprise an operator ID representing the

operator of the electrical appliance. As such, and an exemplary embodiments described below, certain

operators may be prevented from using any of their electrical appliances 140.

Power requirement compliance

[118] In an embodiment, the power outlet 155 may comprise an ammeter 110 in operable

communication with the power controller 115. The ammeter 110 is adapted to measure current draw

of the electrical appliance 140 in use. Furthermore, the tagging data may represent electrical supply

parameters, including the required current of the electrical appliance. In this regard, the power

controller 115 is adapted to control the switch 105 in accordance with a current measurement

received from ammeter 110 and the required current data of the tagging data.

[119] For example, should the tagging data represent that a particular power drill requires a

maximum current of 3 A, should the power controller 115 ascertain from the ammeter 110 that the

power drill is drawing 10 A, such as during a short condition, the power controller 150 may be adapted

to open the switch 105.

Encryption

[120] In embodiments, the tagging data may be encrypted so as to prevent unauthorised tampering.

In this regard, the mobile communication device 170 and the power outlet 155 may utilise public key

cryptography so as to allow the mobile communication device 170 to encrypt the tagging data during

the tagging process for writing to the data bearing media 130 for the subsequent decryption by the

power controller 115.

[121] In this regard, each tagger may be provided with a digital certificate which may be installed

by the mobile communication device 170. The digital certificate may be uniquely associated with a

tagger such that any tagging may be unequivocally associated with the tagger and may further

comprise an expiry date requiring the periodic renewal of the digital certificate by the tagger.

Status indication

[122] In a further embodiment, the power outlet 155 may comprise a status indicator 155 adapted

to indicate an operational status of the power outlet 155. In one embodiment, the status indicator

155 may be an LED or the like, including multicoloured LEDs, protruding through the faceplate of the

power outlet 155.

[123] The status indicator 150 is operably coupled to the power controller 115 such that, in use, the

power controller 115 is adapted to control the status indicator to indicate a status.

[124] The status may indicate that the tagging data is valid and that the power controller 115 is

therefore controlling the switch 105 to supply power. In this embodiment, the status may be

represented by the colour green, for example.

[125] Furthermore, the status may indicate that the tagging data is invalid and that the power

controller is therefore controlling the switch to not supply power. In this embodiment, the status may

be represented by the colour red, for example.

[126] Furthermore, the status may indicate that the tag validity period is about to expire so as to

provide a warning to the operator to have the electrical appliance 140 tagged. For example, should

the tag validity period expire within the next seven days, the status indicator 150 may flash, or show

the colour orange to warn the operator.

Tagging requirement reminders

[127] In embodiments, the system 100 further comprises a mobile communication device 170 for

use by the electrical appliance operator. In this manner, the mobile communication 170 may receive

push notifications notifying the operator to have the electrical appliance 140 tagged.

[128] Specifically, in one embodiment, during the tagging process, not only is tagging data written

to the data bearing media 130 of the power plug 130 but also sent, from the mobile communication

device 170 to the server 180 via network 160 for storage within appliance database 185.

[129] In this manner, the database 185 would be populated with various appliance data

representing those tagged electrical appliances. The appliance data may represent the type of

electrical appliance, the electrical appliance ID, the tagger ID, the operator ID, the tagging date and the like.

[130] As such, in accordance with the appliance data within the database 185, the server 180 may

send push notifications to various operators, allow operators to view the tagging status of their

electrical appliances and the like.

[131] For example, should an electric drill of an operator be nearing the end of the valid tagged

period, the server 180 may send a push notification to the mobile communication device 170 of the

operator to warn the operator to have the electric drill re-tagged.

[132] In this regard, the server 180 may further comprise information representing authorised

electrical taggers such that the operator may select an appropriate electrical tagger to perform the tagging. Such selection may be performed in accordance with the location of the operator and the taggers so as to select the nearest tagger, for example.

[133] Additionally, the server 180 may send a notifications to taggers to perform tagging, such as

wherein a particular building site requires electrical appliances to be retagged.

[134] In embodiments, the power outlet 155 may further comprise a network interface 145 as such,

in use, the power controller 155 may be adapted to send, via the network interface operational data,

such as to the server 180 for recordal within the database 185.

[135] Such operational data may represent the electrical appliances have an interface to the power

controller 155.

Physical interlocks

[136] In a preferred embodiment, the power outlet 155 comprises standardised sized plug socket

so as to be able to receive therein conventional plugs. However, in embodiment, the power outlet 155

is customised so as to be able to only interface with customised power plugs 135, such as power plugs

comprising specifically sized and spaced power plug prongs, for example.

[137] In one embodiment, the power outlet 155 may comprise a physical interlock 125 adapted to

prevent the electrical connection of power plugs not having a complimentary physical interlock.

Nullifier device

[138] In embodiments, the system 100 comprises a nullifier device (not shown) adapted to render

a particular electrical appliance 140 instantly inoperable. For example, on-site, should an electrical

power cord of the electrical appliance 140 become damaged, the nullifier may be utilised to write data

or wipe data from the data bearing media 130 so as to render the power plug 135 inoperable.

[139] In one embodiment, the nullifier comprises a handheld device comprising a plug socket. In

order to operate the nullifier device, the power plug 135 is inserted into the plug socket of the nullifier

such that the nullifier detects the insertion of the power plug 135 so as to be able to write data to wipe data from the proximate data bearing media 130. In this regard, the nullifier may similarly

comprise a data bearing media writer.

[140] In addition the power outlet may provide power to plugs based solely on the validity of the

plug. For example, the system 100 may be used for domestic applications including where children

(being vulnerable to accidental electrocution) are present. In this manner the contacts of the power

outlet have no voltage potential difference until such time that an authorised power plug is presented.

Further exemplary embodiments

[141] Having described the above technical architecture, there will now be described further

exemplary embodiments primarily for illustrating certain of the functionality of the system 100.

However, it should be noted that this embodiment is exemplary only and that no technical limitation

should necessarily be imputed to the embodiments described herein accordingly.

[142] In this exemplary embodiment, there is a plumber Alex who works for ABC plumbing. Alex is

currently on site building the John Hunter Hospital which building is run by XYZ contractors. Alex has

seven electrical tools that are required on sites to perform his work.

[143] The building site has implemented system 100 in providing a plurality of power boards

comprising a plurality of power outlets 155.

[144] Alex's tools were tagged three weeks ago by authorised taggers of the system 100. During this process, the data bearing media 130 was retrofitted to 6 of Alex's existing appliances and Alex

purchased a new tool already comprising the configured power plug 135.

[145] For the retrofit, and NFC adhesive sticker was stuck to each of the existing power plugs 135 of

Alex's existing tools. Each NFC adhesive sticker is adapted for non-removal and comprises strong

adhesive and tamper evidencing materials, such as materials comprising perforations adapted to tear

or change colour under force so as to prevent the tag from being removed and fastened to another

appliance. In embodiments, visible data may be printed on the tag such as by using a printing device

for visual inspection purposes, the visible data comprising the date of tagging, the type of electrical

appliance, the operator of the electrical appliance and the tagger. In this regard, should the tag be

fastened to another type of electrical appliance or electrical appliance been operated by another, such

maybe visually ascertained from the visible data.

[146] As such, Alex begins work. Alex's work is recorded by the server 180 within the database 185.

Specifically, when plugging the power plug 135 of a power drill into the power outlet 155, the power

outlet is adapted to send, via the network interface to the server 180, Alex's ID, the ID of the electrical

appliance, the date and time and the location. Additionally, or alternatively, Alex's mobile

communication device 170 may record Alex's activity, including Alex's location and the tools used and provide such data to the server 180.

[147] The server 180 is configured by XYZ contractors that Alexis authorised on site. Were Alex not

authorised by XYZ contractors, for example, the server 180 may send data to the power outlet 155 to

disable the provision of power or send a push notification to Alex's mobile communication device 170

or to a mobile communication device 170 of XYZ contractors warning of Alex being unauthorised.

[148] During work, the electrical cable of Alex's power saw is accidentally cut with a chisel and is noticed by Alex's supervisor. As such, Alex's supervisor immediately inserts the power plug 135 of the

power saw into the nullifier device to write data to the data bearing media 130 to disable the power

plug 135 from being able to draw power from the power outlet 155.

[149] A couple of days later, Alex receives a push notification from his mobile communication device 170 that is electric drill will only work on site for three more days. Simultaneously, when plugging his electric drill into the power outlet 155, the status indicator 155 shows orange representing that the power drill is about to expire.

[150] As such, Alex may utilise his mobile communication device 170 request tagging, including in viewing nearby taggers. In this regard, Alex may request an appointment such as by scheduling a date and time for the tagging.

[151] However, Alexis too busy and ignores the warning. As such, four days later, when attempting to utilise Alex's electric drill, the power outlet 155 refuses to provide power for Alex's electric drill. As such, Alex is forced to have the electric drill tagged.

[152] Alex's employer, ABC plumbing is required to provide comprehensive information relating to the appliances used by their employees, and their tagging statuses. As such, ABC plumbing may request such data from the server 180. In this regard, the database 185 may record appliances in relation to operators in relation to employers. In this manner, when searching by ABC plumbing, the server 180 is adapted to identify all operators and all electrical appliances associated with the employer.

[153] Furthermore, the server 180 is adapted to send advertisements to Alex. For example, the server 180 is adapted to determine that Alex's power drill is almost 6 years old and is therefore nearing the end of its service life. As such, the server 180 is adapted to send, such as by way of a push notification to Alex's mobile communication device 170 and advert that Bunnings warehouse is having a 30% off special on power drills.

[154] One day, one of Alex's subcontractors is caught performing an unsafe act in utilising scissor lifts while not being trained to do so and is therefore banned from the site. As such, XYZ contractors 180 configure the server 180 de-authorise all electrical appliances 140 relating to the subcontractor. In this regard, data may be sent to each power outlet 155 for storage within a local database of the power outlet 105 representing those electrical appliances which have been de-authorise. Alternatively, for each electrical appliance, the power outlet 155 is adapted to query the server 180 whether the electrical appliance is authorised.

[155] At home, Alex may utilise his electrical appliances 140 within conventional power outlets 155 with a problem, even if it electrical appliances are out of date.

[156] A couple of days later, Alex are sent to another construction site for the upgrade of St James Hospital. As such, the server 180 is updated to record that Alex has moved to the new site and the provision of power to Alex's electrical appliances 140 controlled in accordance with the requirements of the new site.

[157] Within the corridors of St James Hospital, the power outlets are replaced with the power

outlet 155 so as to selectively provide only power to certain types of electrical appliances. For

example, the power outlets 155 within the corridors of St James Hospital are adapted to provide

power only to vacuum cleaners and electric floor mops. In this manner, when Alex attempts to connect

his power drill to the power outlet 155 within the corridor, the power outlet 155 is adapted to refuse

to supply power because the power drill is not of the appropriate floor cleaning electrical appliance

type.

Interpretation Wireless:

[158] The invention may be embodied using devices conforming to other network standards and for other applications, including, for example other WLAN standards and other wireless standards. Applications that can be accommodated include IEEE 802.11 wireless LANs and links, and wireless Ethernet.

[159] In the context of this document, the term "wireless" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels, etc., that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. The term does not imply that the associated devices do not contain any wires, although in some embodiments they might not. In the context of this document, the term "wired" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels, etc., that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagnetic radiation through a solid medium. The term does not imply that the associated devices are coupled by electrically conductive wires.

Processes:

[160] Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specification discussions utilizing terms such as "processing", "computing", "calculating", "determining", "analysing" or the like, refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities into other data similarly represented as physical quantities.

Processor:

[161] In a similar manner, the term "processor" may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data, e.g., from registers and/or memory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data that, e.g., may be stored in registers and/or memory. A "computer" or a "computing device" or a "computing machine" or a "computing platform" may include one or more processors.

[162] The methodologies described herein are, in one embodiment, performable by one or more processors that accept computer-readable (also called machine-readable) code containing a set of instructions that when executed by one or more of the processors carry out at least one of the methods described herein. Any processor capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken are included. Thus, one example is a typical processing system that includes one or more processors. The processing system further may include a memory subsystem including main RAM and/or a static RAM, and/or ROM.

Computer-Readable Medium:

[163] Furthermore, a computer-readable carrier medium may form, or be included in a computer

program product. A computer program product can be stored on a computer usable carrier medium,

the computer program product comprising a computer readable program means for causing a

processor to perform a method as described herein.

Networked or Multiple Processors:

[164] In alternative embodiments, the one or more processors operate as a standalone device or

may be connected, e.g., networked to other processor(s), in a networked deployment, the one or

more processors may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-client network

environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer or distributed network environment. The one or

more processors may form a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by

that machine.

[165] Note that while some diagram(s) only show(s) a single processor and a single memory that

carries the computer-readable code, those in the art will understand that many of the components

described above are included, but not explicitly shown or described in order not to obscure the

inventive aspect. For example, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also

be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple

sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

Additional Embodiments:

[166] Thus, one embodiment of each of the methods described herein is in the form of a computer

readable carrier medium carrying a set of instructions, e.g., a computer program that are for execution on one or more processors. Thus, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, embodiments of

the present invention may be embodied as a method, an apparatus such as a special purpose

apparatus, an apparatus such as a data processing system, or a computer-readable carrier medium.

The computer-readable carrier medium carries computer readable code including a set of instructions

that when executed on one or more processors cause a processor or processors to implement a

method. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a method, an entirely

hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and

hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of carrier medium (e.g., a computer program product on a computer-readable storage medium) carrying computer-readable program code embodied in the medium.

Carrier Medium:

[167] The software may further be transmitted or received over a network via a network interface

device. While the carrier medium is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the

term "carrier medium" should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a

centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more

sets of instructions. The term "carrier medium" shall also be taken to include any medium that is

capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by one or more of the

processors and that cause the one or more processors to perform any one or more of the

methodologies of the present invention. A carrier medium may take many forms, including but not

limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.

Implementation:

[168] It will be understood that the steps of methods discussed are performed in one embodiment

by an appropriate processor (or processors) of a processing (i.e., computer) system executing

instructions (computer-readable code) stored in storage. It will also be understood that the invention

is not limited to any particular implementation or programming technique and that the invention may

be implemented using any appropriate techniques for implementing the functionality described

herein. The invention is not limited to any particular programming language or operating system.

Means For Carrying out a Method or Function

[169] Furthermore, some of the embodiments are described herein as a method or combination of

elements of a method that can be implemented by a processor of a processor device, computer

system, or by other means of carrying out the function. Thus, a processor with the necessary

instructions for carrying out such a method or element of a method forms a means for carrying out the method or element of a method. Furthermore, an element described herein of an apparatus

embodiment is an example of a means for carrying out the function performed by the element for the

purpose of carrying out the invention.

Connected

[170] Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term connected, when used in the claims, should not be

interpreted as being limitative to direct connections only. Thus, the scope of the expression a device

A connected to a device B should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A

is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A

and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. "Connected" may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other.

Embodiments:

[171] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means

that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is

included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in

one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not

necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features,

structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one

of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments.

[172] Similarly it should be appreciated that in the above description of example embodiments of

the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single

embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure,

however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more

features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive

aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims

following the Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments are hereby expressly incorporated into

this Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate

embodiment of this invention.

[173] Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features

included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be

within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those

in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any

combination.

Different Instances of Objects

[174] As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives "first", "second",

"third", etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are

being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given

sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.

Specific Details

[175] In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is

understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

Terminology

[176] In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific

terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be

limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all

technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose.

Terms such as "forward", "rearward", "radially", "peripherally", "upwardly", "downwardly", and the

like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as

limiting terms.

Comprising and Including

[177] In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the

context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the

presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in

various embodiments of the invention.

[178] Any one of the terms: including or which includes or that includes as used herein is also an

open term that also means including at least the elements/features that follow the term, but not

excluding others. Thus, including is synonymous with and means comprising.

Scope of Invention

[179] Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be the preferred embodiments of

the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made

thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes

and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention. For example, any formulas given above are merely representative of procedures that may be used. Functionality may be added or deleted from

the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged among functional blocks. Steps may be added

or deleted to methods described within the scope of the present invention.

[180] Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be

appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

Claims (20)

1. Claims 1. A system for industrial electrical appliance tagging and compliance, the system comprising:

   at least one electrical appliance power plug comprising a writeable data bearing media; at least one tagging device comprising a data bearing media writer for writing tagging data to the respective writeable data bearing media of the at least one power plug; and

   at least one power outlet for selectively providing power to the at least one electrical

   appliance, the power outlet comprising:

   a power controller, the power controller comprising memory configured for storing a validity

   period and the power controller comprising an interface for updating the validity period;

   a data bearing media reader in operable communication with the power controller, the data

   bearing media reader configured for reading the data bearing media of the at least one electrical

   appliance power plug when the at least one electrical appliance power plug is plugged into the

   power outlet; and an electrical power switch controllable by the power controller, the switch adapted to

   selectively provide electrical power to the at least one electrical appliance power plug when the at

   least one electrical appliance power plug is plugged into the power outlet, wherein:

   during electrical appliance inspection and tagging of an electrical appliance electrically

   connected to the at least one electrical appliance power plug, the at least one tagging device is

   configured for writing, using the data bearing media writer, tagging data to the writeable data

   bearing media of the at least one electrical appliance power plug, the tagging data comprising at

   least an inspection date;

   during power outlet configuration the power outlet is configurable with the validity period using the interface; and

   in use, when the at least one electrical appliance power plug is plugged into the at least one

   power outlet, the power controller of the at least one power outlet is configured to:

   read, using the data bearing media reader, the inspection date from the data

   bearing media of the at least one electrical appliance power plug;

   read the validity period from the power controller memory;

   calculate an expiry date in accordance with the validity period and the inspection date;

   determine a current date;

   close the switch if the calculated expiry date is prior the current date; and

   open the switch if the calculated expiry date is post the current date.
2. 2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power outlet interface is a computer data

   interface and wherein, in use, the at least one power outlet is configured for receiving the validity

   period from a server.
3. 3. A system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising the server and wherein the server is

   configured for construction project scheduling and wherein the system is configured for automating

   the updating of the validity period in accordance with a construction stage at a location of the power

   outlet.
4. 4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a server comprising an

   appliance database, the appliance database comprising electrical appliance identification data

   stored in relation to appliance inspection data and wherein, during the electrical appliance inspection and tagging of an electrical appliance the server is configured for storing, in the appliance

   database, at least the inspection date in relation to an electrical appliance ID of the electrical

   appliance.
5. 5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the appliance database further comprises electrical

   appliance use data stored in relation to the electrical appliance identification data wherein, in use,

   when the at least one electrical appliance power plug is plugged into the at least one power outlet,

   the system is configured for updating the electrical appliance use data with data comprising at least the electrical appliance ID, a power outlet ID and a use date.
6. 6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the system further comprises at least one electrical

   appliance operator mobile communication device and wherein in use, the electrical appliance

   operator mobile communication device is configured to record a location of the electrical appliance

   operator and wherein the system is configured for updating the electrical appliance use data with

   data comprising at least the electrical appliance ID, location and a use date.
7. 7. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the server is configured for generating electrical

   appliance reports in accordance with the electrical appliance identification data, appliance

   inspection data and electrical appliance use data.
8. 8. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the report reports on the electrical appliances

   belonging to a contractor.
9. 9. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the report reports on the electrical appliances used

   on a site within a time period.
10. 10. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the report reports on the electrical appliances

    requiring tagging.
11. 11. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the report reports on the electrical appliances that

    will soon requiring tagging.
12. 12. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in use, the server is further configured for sending

    tagging requirement push notifications to at least one of electrical appliance operators indicative of

    an impending tagging requirement of the at least one electrical appliance.
13. 13. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in use, the server is further configured for sending tagging requirement push notifications to at least one inspector indicative of an impending tagging

    requirement of the at least one electrical appliance.
14. 14. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the server is configured for location based

    selection of the at least one inspector.
15. 15. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a physical interlock adapted to prevent

    the electrical connection of power plugs not having a complimentary physical interlock.
16. 16. A nullifier device configured for plugging with the at least one electrical appliance power

    plug as claimed in any one of claims 1-15 and wherein, the nullifier device comprises a data bearing

    media writer for writing tagging data to the respective writeable data bearing media of the at least

    one power plug and wherein the data bearing media writer is configured for rendering the writeable

    data bearing media inoperable with the at least one power outlet as claimed in any one of claims 1

    15.
17. 17. A power outlet comprising: a power controller, the power controller comprising memory configured for storing a validity

    period and the power controller comprising an interface for updating the validity period;

    a data bearing media reader in operable communication with the power controller, the data

    bearing media reader configured for reading a data bearing media of a at least one electrical

    appliance power plug when the at least one electrical appliance power plug is plugged into the

    power outlet; and

    an electrical power switch controllable by the power controller, the switch adapted to

    selectively provide electrical power to the at least one electrical appliance power plug when the at

    least one electrical appliance power plug is plugged into the power outlet, wherein:

    during power outlet configuration the power outlet is configurable with the validity period

    using the interface; and

    in use, when the at least one electrical appliance power plug is plugged into the at least one

    power outlet, the power controller of the at least one power outlet is configured to: read, using the data bearing media reader, the inspection date from the data

    bearing media of the at least one electrical appliance power plug;

    read the validity period from the power controller memory; calculate an expiry date in accordance with the validity period and the inspection date; determine a current date; close the switch if the calculated expiry date is prior the expiry date; and open the switch if the calculated expiry date is post the expiry date.
18. 18. A power plug as claimed in any one of claims 1-15.
19. 19. A tagging device as claimed in any one of claims 1-15.
20. 20. A server comprising an appliance database as claimed in any one of claims 1-15.