Portable Appliance Testing / PAT Testing
What is Portable Appliance Testing?
The ‘Inspection and Testing of In-Service Electrical equipment’ (usually known as PAT or Portable appliance testing) was introduced to enable organisations and companies to comply with the Electricity at work Regulations. To meet these Regulations, it is necessary to have in place a schedule of Inspection and Electrical Safety Testing of portable appliances.
Items to be tested.
The regulations cover all items of in-service electrical equipment. It is usual for this equipment to be connected to the electrical supply via a plug and socket; however it also covers items connected by industrial plugs or hard wired via a fused connection unit.
The Tests involved
The testing is carried in two stages.
- Visual Inspection
- The condition of the flexible cable.
- The appliance.
- The fuse rating.
- The plug head.
- Electrical Test
- Earth Continuity test.
- Insulation Test.
- Functional Test.
Remedial Action
Minor faults found during the Inspection and Test can be repaired on site with the appliance then being re-tested to ensure it passes. Examples include the replacement of correct rated fuses for the appliance, replacement of plug tops and replacement of the flexible cord.
More serious faults will always be quoted first prior to commencement.
Certification and Reporting
On completion of the Inspection and test procedure, all items will be labelled with either the pass or fail safety sticker as appropriate. A detailed report will be provided on paper format and digitally on CD-ROM in PDF format for ease of storage.
