PAT TESTING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - PAT TESTING INFORMATION
| Q. What do the letters PAT stand for? | A. PAT stands for: Portable Appliance Testing |
| Q. What are the IEE Codes of Practice? | A. The IEE Codes of Practice are guidelines concerning the correct procedure for PAT Testing, issued by the Institution of Electrical Engineers. |
| Q. Is it law that we have to have our electrical 'stuff' PAT tested? | A. The Electricity at Work Regulations places a duty on employers and the self employed to ensure electrical equipment is 'maintained in a condition suitable for use'. The periodic inspection and testing of all electrical equipment is the recognised approach to fulfill legal obligations under the EAW regs. It is also a requirement of insurance companies that businesses have their electrical equipment routinely tested. |
| Q. How long does it take? | A. Typically, PAT Testing takes about 2 - 3 minutes per electrical appliance. One engineer can test between 100 and 200 appliances a day, depending on the type of appliances being tested and the location. |
| Q. Do many items fail? | A. Not usually. Most minor faults can be put right before being tested, eg. incorrect fuse sizes, loose wiring in plugs etc. |
| Q. What is the most common cause for an item to fail? | A. Bare wires, often caused when a flex has been trapped against a sharp object. Industrial vacuum cleaners are prone to this problem because they have long flexes and (much like myself) have a hard life! However, if the damage is near to the plug end of the flex, we can shorten the flex to cut out the damaged part (at no extra charge). |
| Q. Do you carry out PAT Testing in London? | A. Yes, we carry out PAT Testing in and around London |
| Q. We have some drills that have got a few minor cable tears, but we've put insulating tape around them, will they pass? | A. No. Insulating tape is not guaranteed moisture resistant, so we will not pass them unless of course you have a new flex fitted (it's not expensive and could save your life). |
| Q. How often do we need our electrical appliances testing? | A. It depends on the type of location and also the type and general condition of your electrical appliances. Once every 1 or 2 years are the most common time scales. More frequent visual checks are required which should be carried out routinely by a responsible person and also by the person using the equipment. |
| Q. How much will it cost? | A. It depends on how many electrical items that you have for testing. Click here to see our pricing structures and latest special offers. |
| Q. Our employees bring some of their own electrical items to work. Do they need testing? | A. Yes they do. Private equipment used at work has the potential to be just as dangerous as company electrical equipment. By allowing electrical equipment onto the company site, the employer becomes responsible for the safety of it. |
| Q. I am currently leasing electrical equipment. Is it my responsibility to have them PAT Tested? | A. Yes, under The Defective Equipment Act, you are responsible for all third party equipment. |
| Q. What qualifications does a person need to carry out PAT Testing. I've heard that anyone can do it? | A. The industry standard recognised qualification is City and Guilds 2377 - Portable Appliance Testing Inspection and Testing Certificate. There is some confusion amongst the public as who can carry out PAT Testing. It stems from the use of the term 'competent person', which some people have assumed can mean just about anyone. However, the explanatory notes to the Electricity at Work Regulations clearly describe the 'competent person' as a person having the necessary skills, qualifications, knowledge and experience to carry out inspection and testing. In short, a person must be suitably qualified to PAT Test. |
| Q. How do we know that our electrical appliances have been tested and that you haven't just stuck labels on every appliance in sight? | A. The PAT testing equipment that we use records all of the tests carried out on each appliance, the test results are printed off and presented to you in a folder. Our detailed test results show which engineer carried out the testing, the date of testing, a description of the appliance and an appliance number, along with a list of all the tests carried out on each and every appliance. This system proves to you that we actually did carry out inspection and testing for all the appliances invoiced. |
| Q. I've heard that PAT Testing damages I.T. equipment, is this true? | A. If carried out correctly, PAT Testing does not damage any equipment. We use special 'soft tests' when testing I.T. equipment, this form of testing is perfectly safe for delicate electrical appliances such as I.T. equipment. |
| Q. Do new appliances need PAT Testing? | A. The 'Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations' states that new equipment should be inspected 'after installation and before being put into service' and, 'after assembly at a new site or location'. We recommend a common sense approach - that new items be incorporated into your regular PAT testing routine, but in the meantime, any new items should be visually checked over by the 'responsible person' employed in your company to oversee electrical safety. |
Link: PAT Testing Directory
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