While it may be possible to order a turntable from an overseas supplier on the internet, there is no guarantees that is a good idea. A turntable consists of a complicated metal structure, various moving parts and an electrical control system.

The Electricity Act 1945 provides for the Director of Energy Safety to prescribe the appliance classes and types that require approval, an interstate regulatory authority or a designated agency before they can be sold, hired or advertised or imported into Western Australia. All appliances must go through a certification process which ensures a safe design before they care approved to enter the Australian or New Zealand markets.

A turntable control system consists of many items that are identified as “Level 3” in Appendix B Table B.4 of AS/NZS 4417.2:2012 ‘Regulatory compliance mark for electrical and electronic equipment Part 2: Specific requirements for particular regulatory applications’.

Level 3 is classified as potentially high-risk equipment, and must meet the following requirements:

• be linked to a registered Responsible Supplier;
• be registered on the National Database;
• have a valid Certificate of Conformity (Certificate) from a recognised certifier; and
• be marked with the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM).

Then there is the metal structure. You may have heard the saying that “Oil ain’t Oils”. The same can be said for steel. They are many grades of steel with different alloys, manufacturing processes and QA/QC certification, or maybe no QA/QC at all. For a steel structure to provide the necessary strength to perform the job it was intended to do, it needs to be both designed correctly and with certified materials. It is not uncommon for overseas manufactures to use counterfeit bolt grades. So, while you believe you are installing a certain strength of bolt with a certain corrosion protection, you may find the bolt sheared off and corroded in place!

WCT have seen turntables designs that leak water through the control system, down the conduit and into the electric motor. Causing dangerous situation and severely shortening the lifespan of the motor. Other designs have been completely unmaintainable! Once something breaks, it is time to rip it up and put in a new one. A crisis in many cases.