What is PAT Testing?

Although the electrical industry still uses this term, the testing that needs to be done doesn’t only apply to what we all think of as ‘portable equipment’, the testing applies to any equipment that is connected to the fixed wiring of an installation whether via a removable plug or permanently connected. For example:

A kettle, hand dryers, air conditioning units, IT equipment, extension leads and adaptors, an iron, a saw, a drill, a towel rail, an electric compressor, a washing machine

What should I be looking for when someone is performing the tests correctly?

In an office environment a standard test would go as follows:

• Ask user to shut down appliance.
• Remove plug from socket
• Remove plug top (if not moulded) and check terminals are tight, terminated correctly and fuse is the correct rating and marked to the correct safety standards
• Remove the fuse from moulded plugs and check as above
• Check entire length of cable
• Visually inspect the appliance
• Plug the cable into the tester and run the tests
• Plug the appliance into the tester and run the tests
• Replace everything and power up to ensure all is working
• Enter information onto the tester (if required)
• Remove old labels and apply new labels to the equipment.

How often do I need my equipment tested?

There are many companies around who will tell you that all your equipment needs to be tested every year, this is not the case.

It very much depends on the type of equipment and the environment the equipment is being used in. For instance in an office some equipment may only require a visual inspection every two years with no testing. On a construction site however certain equipment may need to be visually inspected every month and tested every three months. We can advise on the appropriate frequencies.

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