Medical gas systems keep patients alive in theatre, resuscitation and ICU — which is exactly why Queensland requires a specific licence to install, test, maintain or commission them. Nova Biomedical holds a QBCC Mechanical Services – Medical Gas licence, something a lot of general biomedical servicing companies don’t carry. We test and maintain medical gas pipeline systems to AS 2896 and medical air purity to AS 2568 for hospitals, clinics, aged care providers and government sites across Australia.
What’s Included in Our Medical Gas Testing Service
- Pipeline system testing to AS 2896 — pressure testing, cross-connection testing, and outlet flow/pressure verification across oxygen, medical air, nitrous oxide, and vacuum lines.
- Medical air purity testing to AS 2568 — checking on-site compressor output against required limits for oxygen content, moisture, oil, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate contamination.
- Gas manifold and outlet inspection, including alarm system function testing so staff are actually warned if a system drops out of range.
- Full compliance documentation and test certificates, ready to hand to an accrediting body or your facility’s engineering records.
Who Needs This Service
Any facility with a piped medical gas system — hospitals, day surgeries, theatres, and larger aged care and government health sites — needs regular testing to AS 2896 and AS 2568 to stay compliant and keep the system safe. This isn’t general test-and-tag work: installing, altering, or testing a medical gas system in Queensland legally requires a specific medical gas licence, which not every biomedical servicing provider holds.
Our Testing Process
- Review the system layout and previous test/compliance records before we arrive on site.
- Pressure, cross-connection and flow testing across every outlet on the pipeline system, to AS 2896.
- Medical air purity sampling and analysis against AS 2568 limits, for on-site compressor-fed systems.
- Alarm and monitoring system checks, so a system fault would actually be flagged to staff.
- Documented results and certification handed over, with any non-conformances flagged clearly rather than buried in a report.
Common Issues We Find
- Medical air compressor output drifting outside AS 2568 purity limits, often well before anyone notices without formal testing.
- Outlet flow or pressure that’s fallen out of spec at the far end of a pipeline run.
- Alarm panels that aren’t actually wired through to a monitored location, so a genuine gas system fault wouldn’t reach staff in time.
- Facilities that have had general test-and-tag done but never had their actual gas pipeline system tested to AS 2896 — the two are not the same thing.
FAQ
Is medical gas testing the same as electrical safety testing?
No. AS/NZS 3551 electrical safety testing covers electrical medical equipment. Medical gas testing is a separate, specifically licensed discipline covering pipeline systems, outlets and medical air purity under AS 2896 and AS 2568. A facility can have fully compliant electrical safety testing and still have a non-compliant gas system if it hasn’t been tested separately. See our electrical safety testing page for that side of compliance.
Do you need a special licence to test medical gas systems?
In Queensland, yes — installing, altering, testing or commissioning a medical gas system legally requires a QBCC Mechanical Services – Medical Gas licence. Nova Biomedical holds this licence; not every general biomedical servicing provider does, so it’s worth confirming before you book the work.
How often should medical gas systems be tested?
Testing frequency depends on your facility type and accreditation requirements. Get in touch and we’ll confirm the right interval for your system as part of a quote.
Book Your Medical Gas Testing
Get in touch through our Contact Us page for a quote, or ask about bundling medical gas testing into a PPM contract alongside your electrical safety testing.
