PAT Test Law:
PAT Testing Regulations

Please Also See The Following Related Pages:

PAT Testing Courses

PAT Testing Equipment

PAT Testing

I know what you're thinking - shouldn't it be called PA Testing, or just plain PAT..?

We have already established that electrical equipment is a common cause of fires. One reason can be when portable electrical equipment malfunctions or becomes damaged. Sometimes these problems are not always obvious to the layman (and sometime they are obvious but are ignored!).

Employers have responsibilities under PAT testing regulations in law to carry out a PAT Test on all items of portable electrical equipment and to take reasonable steps to maintain electrical equipment in good order. For once, this is not within the scope of the Regulatory Reform Order that we keep coming back to.

There are several pieces of legislation affecting the duty to carry out a PAT test. The main areas of PAT testing legislation are the 'Electricity At Work Regulation 1989', and the 'Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998'.

PAT Test - So What Exactly is a Portable Appliance?

Portable means it isn't part of the building or fixed plant, meaning that the PAT test only relates to things that can be picked up or relocated. A simplistic definition you may come across is that you should PAT test anything with a plug on, which is a reasonable rule of thumb, but not quite accurate in all circumstances. Most portable appliances will connect to a socket with a plug, but there are some exceptions, so do not use it as a definite rule. The safest definition of a portable appliance is that it is something designed to be moved while connected to an electrical supply.

Anything with a plug will certainly require PAT test, and that includes things like extension leads and other cables, which you might not think of as appliances in themselves.

An important thing to remember is that this doesn't just apply to equipment provided by the employer. So if Tina in Marketing brings her curling tongs in so she can get ready before going straight out from work, they need to have a PAT test done too (or, more realistically, staff are not allowed to bring such items into work).

This also applies to equipment used by contractors or anyone else working on your premises. For example, if you bring a DJ in for your Staff Christmas Party, you need to see evidence that all his lighting and sound equipment have current PAT test certificates.

Pat Test - How Often Do Appliances Require Testing?

PAT testing regulations are open to interpretation on this, and nothing is set in stone. You as employer have a duty of care to ensure the equipment is safe, so you must assess the risk with regard to the different types of equipment.

Something like a hand drill that is in an out of its box and used all over the premises on a regular basis is far more liable to wear and tear and damage, and will therefore require a much more frequent PAT test than a PC for example.

As a rough guide for those two items, I would say the PC would need no more than an annual PAT test, whereas the drill probably ought to undergo PAT Testing on a quarterly basis, with daily visual checks by users.

Who Can Carry Out A PAT Test?

A 'Competent Person' must undertake the work. In other words, you can't just buy a piece of kit and do it yourself, unless you have been properly trained in how to carry out a PAT Test.

Whoever is carrying out the PAT Testing needs to understand about how to classify appliances, the different types of test that are necessary, special measures for testing IT equipment, correct labelling and recording systems, etc.

Using Specialist Contractors For Your Testing

It makes a lot of sense to set up a contract with a specialist contractor to undertake your PAT Testing for you. One experienced company I can recommend for any PAT testing requirements is 1stAidFire, based in Southern England. You can find their website here, and please quote 'FRA1' if you get in touch with them, to let them know where you heard about them.

Pat Testing Courses

Follow this link for further information about Pat Testing Training Courses and the option of putting some of your staff on a Pat Testing Course.

Pat Test - Record All Your Results

The law is typically vague on the need to record the results of your PAT Testing. Why take the time and go to the expense of having everything regularly PAT tested, then if something does go wrong, not be able to prove you have been so diligent. You should keep a detailed record of at least the date each item had a PAT test and the test result.

Most testing systems label each item after the PAT test with an adhesive label that has a unique reference number in the form of a bar code. The label will also typically show the date of the test, and the initials or signature of the tester, and possibly the due date of the next PAT test.

The bar code identification is used with software so that you can track and reproduce the pat testing record of all items on a PC.

© copyright Fire-RiskAssessment.com 2008-09