Can You Pat Test Your Appliances And Equipment? Things To Know

Using electrical equipment can get dangerous due to some underlining fault the equipment has sustained and not been detected. To save yourself from compromising situations while using electrical equipment, one must ensure that one checks the functionality of the equipment from time to time. The way of checking electrical equipment is called PAT Testing.

About 10,000 accident occurs at different workplaces, among which 30 victims face fatal consequences. Thus, you must check the portable appliances for the safety of your employees, tenants or yourself. While it is not mandatory, it falls as your duty to get the appliances checked.

There are various kinds of injuries that you can incur from a faulty electronic, like shock, burns, falls, electrocution, etc. If you are lucky you will have many minor injuries but in extreme cases, you might face severe consequences.

Trained and licensed electricians do PAT testing; you may do it yourself if you have the proper training. However, lest has looked at some of the PAT testing aspects.

What is PAT testing?

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PAT testing is a way to check the portable appliances you are using have no defaults that might lead to an accident. An appliance must go through some necessary installation processes and maintenance that will mark it safe to use. The checking includes:

  • Checking if the cable is working correctly and there are no loose wires.
  • Checking if the external casing is alright.
  • Checking the plug interior and exterior and ensuring that the plug is safe to hold and will not pass electric shocks.
  • Insulation tests.

Things You Need To Know If You Want To Become A Pat Tester

Source: intersafe.co.uk

To become a PAT tester, you must take proper training and ensure that you have the knowledge and certificates from the City & Guilds 2377-77 PAT training course.

After you have acquired the certificate, there are certain pieces of equipment that you need to have in order to perform the tests.

A few examples of testing equipment are PAT tester, medical safety tester, advanced PAT tester, pass/ fail PAT tester, dual voltage PAT tester, etc.

While you can have a basic PAT tester and you are good to go, if you want more accurate results, you might need to invest in an advanced PAT tester. The Advanced version provides more data that helps you understand the competence of the appliance.

Level of PAT testing

PAT testing is a three-tier testing process, and all three steps are crucial in determining the safety of the equipment. The three-level of checking are:

  • User checks: Pre-use inspection that is carried out from time to time.
  • Formal Visual Inspection: This step is a simple testing, more of a visual kind of test. It tells the user if the equipment is safe to use by looking at the exterior of the product.
  • Combined Inspection And Test: A more detailed inspection of the appliance to seek any incompetence that can not be detected with the above-mentioned two steps.

Laws About PAT Testing

Source: mt-electrical.co.uk

There is no obligation regarding PAT testing., nor is it mandatory. But for safety oneself, it is recommended to have a PAT test done from time to time.

If you are a business owner or a landowner, you can save yourself from any allegations of negligence if you have carried out the PAT test regularly. All you need to do is have all the previous documents of the tests performed. If any fault has been detected, it is your duty to take care of the fault and amend it as soon as you can.

If you are a landlord, you have to abide by the new rules set out regarding the PAT testing on the 1st of June 2020. According to this law, the landlord must call upon an experienced electrician and get all the appliances that are installed in the house PAT tested and verify that they are safe to use.

The intervals of getting the test done vary from appliance to appliance. There are two classes of electrical equipment- Class I and Class II. Depending on the class of the equipment, the way they are handled, the location and age, and the intervals of PAT testing are decided. While some appliances might need a yearly inspection, others will need a quarterly inspection.

Why is it essential to undergo pat testing?

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There are a lot of benefits of PAT testing, the main one being that it will help you to keep secure from compromising situations:

  • Regular testing will reduce the risk of any faulty electrical appliance might have.
  • PAT testing will make you a responsible employer or landowner who is liable for the safety of their employees to tenants.
  • PAT testing will help to detect any fault that has occurred in the appliance and amend it. It saves the user from catching fire or getting electric shocks from using a faulty appliance.
  • Caring out regular PAT testing will save you time and money from long-term repair work.
  • You can lower your insurance premium if you decide to have regular PAT testing. They will help you fight with the insurance companies if they try to pin the blame in case any accidents happen. If you do not have any proper documentation, the insurance company will not allow you to exercise the benefits of the insurance policy. To keep yourself guilt-free and update references to the policy that you have purchased and perform the PAT testing at regular intervals.

Conclusion

As discussed earlier, PAT testing is a way of ensuring that everything is in the right place and is no threat from using the appliance. Ensure that you are performing testing of your portable electrical appliance at fixed intervals. It will also help you to keep tour grounds clear if an employee or a tenant hurts themselves while using an electrical object.