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Infomation On Portable Appliance Testing
Why PAT test?
"In Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment",
"Portable Appliance Testing", "Pat Testing" or simply "PAT"
is a means by which companies can comply with the Electricity
at Work Regulations and other such legislation covering
safety in the workplace.
Do I need to have my items PAT tested?
There are around 1000 electrical accidents in the
workplace each year, involving some 30 deaths!
The "Health and Safety at Work act" (1974) puts a duty of
care upon both employer and employee to ensure the safety
of all persons using the work premises.
Landlords and letting agents are also duty bound to ensure
any appliances supplied as part of a tenancy are safe.
Also, "The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations"
1998 requires every employer to ensure that equipment is
suitable for the use for which it is provided (reg 4 (1))
and only used for work for which it is suitable (Reg 4(3)).
They require every employer to ensure equipment is maintained
in good order (reg 5) and inspect as necessary to ensure
it is maintained in a safe condition (reg 6).
It can be said therefore, that there is a requirement for
regular inspection and testing of all electrical equipment
in all work situations.
It should be noted that the safety and proper functioning
of certain portable appliances depends upon the integrity
of the buildings fixed electrical installation. It is equally
important to establish a system for the inspection and testing
of the fixed installation as well as the portable equipment
used within a building. Requirements for fixed installations
are given in BS 7671 and guidance can be found in IEE guidance
note 3.
Frequency of In-service testing
The frequency of testing depends on a number of factors,
including: -
- Type of premises Environment where
equipment is used
- The user of the equipment, equipment
type and construction
The IEE publishes guidelines for the initial testing frequency
of appliances according to the appliance type and premises
where it is to be used.
However, the most appropriate schedule can only be arrived
at after repeated in-service tests. Equipment, which is
found to be failing regularly, will need to be tested on
a more frequent basis to ensure its safe operation. Also
the opposite may be found to be the case. PDP Electrical
Services can help you establish the best schedule to comply
with the appropriate regulations. Also, many insurers now
stipulate annual testing as a requirement for their cover.
Insurers have been known to not pay out in the event of
an accident being caused by untested equipment!
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