Unless and until you suffer an accident then probably nothing will happen. However, remember that maintenance of a safe electrical system is a legal requirement. Therefore a preventable accident could lead to prosecution, for which there will be no insurance cover. You may also find that an insurance loss adjuster could make much of the fact that you may not have maintained the system adequately which could have led to the claim. Again, this could lead to an unsuccessful claim and a costly experience

You are responsible to make sure that you and your staff comply with Health & Safety legislation. However, it is usually dependant on the terms of your lease as to whether you or your landlord pays for testing to be carried out on the electrical installation. Usually, if you are on a full repairing lease then the cost will fall to you. Portable Appliance testing will always be at your expense.

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is an important part of a company’s or individual’s responsibility to health and safety. This is done using a series of specialised testing procedures on your portable appliances.

No, however, it is a statutory requirement and many insurance companies require the insured to comply with all current regulations. This includes the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which state that “As may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent, so far as reasonably practicable, such danger” (Regulation 4(2)). “Electrical equipment includes anything used, intended to be used or installed for use, to generate, provide, transmit, transform, rectify, convert, conduct, distribute, control, store, measure or use electrical energy.” (Regulation 2(1)). The responsibility on the employer to ensure work equipment is safe is also covered by The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. This states that “Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is so constructed or adapted as to be suitable for the purpose for which it is used or provided.” (Regulation 4(1)). This includes all work equipment (fixed, portable or transportable) connected to a source of electrical energy.”

We start with a visual inspection checking for: – Damaged flexes – Damaged plugs and equipment (overheating, burn marks, discolouration) – Correctly wired plugs – Correctly rated fuseThen a series of tests (depending on the class of equipment), they may include: – Earth continuity testing – Insulation resistance – Polarity test – Earth leakage test

Basically, any type of equipment, which is powered by electrical energy. The IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment states that this Code of Practice covers: – Portable Appliances: An appliance of less than 18 kg in mass that is intended to be moved while in operation or an appliance which can easily be moved from one place to another, e.g. toaster, food mixer, vacuum cleaner, fan heater. – Movable Equipment (sometimes called Transportable): This is equipment, which is either: 18 kg or less in mass and not fixed, e.g. electric fire, or equipment with wheels, castors or other means to facilitate movement by the operator as required to perform its intended use, e.g. air conditioning unit. – Hand-held Appliances: This is portable equipment intended to be held in the hand during normal use, e.g. hair dryer, drill, soldering iron – Stationary Equipment or Appliances: This equipment has a mass exceeding 18 kg and is not provided with a carrying handle, e.g. refrigerator, washing machine. – Information Technology Equipment (Business Equipment): Information technology equipment includes electrical business equipment such as computer and mains powered telecommunications equipment, and other equipment for general business use, such as mail processing machines, electric plotters, trimmers, VDUs, data terminal equipment, typewriters, telephones, printers, photo-copiers, power packs. – Extension Leads: The use of extension leads should be avoided where possible. If used, they should be tested as portable appliances. It is recommended that 3-core leads (including a protective earthing conductor) be used. A standard 13 A 3-pin extension socket-outlet with a 2-core cable should never be used even if the appliance to be used in Class II, as it would not provide protection against electrical shock if used at any time with an item of Class I equipment. The length of an extension lead for general use should not exceed the following: – Core Area Maximum Length – 1.25mm2 12 metres – 1.5mm2 15 metres – 2.5mm2 25 metres* – 2.5mm2 cables are too large for standard 13 A plugs, but they may be used with BS EN 60309 industrial plugs. These maximum lengths are not applicable to the flex of an appliance, for guidance refer to paragraph 15.13 (IEE Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment). If extension lead lengths do exceed the above, they shall be protected by a 30 mA RCD manufactured to BS 7071

Yes, however, you would need to ensure that any person who carries this testing out is competent to do so. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 guidance on Regulation 4(3) state that: “The operation, maintenance and testing of electrical systems and equipment should be carried out only by those person who are competent for the particular class of work.” This is covered by the IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment which states: “Those carrying out inspection and testing must be competent to undertake the inspection and, where appropriate, testing of electrical equipment an appliances having due regard to their own safety and that of others. The tester must have an understanding of the modes of electrical, mechanical or thermal damage to electrical equipment and appliances and their flexes, which may be encountered in any environment. Training must include the identification of equipment and appliance types to determine the test procedures and frequency of inspection and testing. Persons must be familiar with the test instruments used and in particular their limitations and restrictions so as to achieve repeatable results without damaging the equipment of appliance. The importance must be stressed of recording inspection and test results, labelling and reporting to managers for action on defects, trends or changes in their assessment of risk

Although you may believe that purchasing your own Portable Appliance Test instrument and having in-house staff carry out the portable appliance testing may be more cost effective, there are several factors to bear in mind. Firstly, you would need to ensure that the requirement of competence is met, which will undoubtedly involve expenditure in training. Secondly, you need to purchase the equipment and the software, and gain the expertise in its use. We find that many companies who have tried to carry out testing in-house also take more time to do the testing as the staff generally only do this as part of their job, and do not have the experience to minimise the disruption factor in shutting down equipment. There may also be a tendency to “pass” appliances that may present a potential hazard, as it would mean taking the appliance out of commission. All of our test engineers are trained to meet the current recommendations. This is our core business and we firmly believe that we can carry out the Portable Appliance Testing at your premises in the most cost-effective manner, whilst our experience and unique systems minimise the disruption to you and your staff.

We can supply all your test results and appliance register to you on a CD-ROM instead of or in addition to hard copies of reports. Hard copies are produced as standard and sent from our Head Office following completion of testing. These reports include a full Appliance Register, Fail Certificates (if applicable) and Pass Certificates, and are bound into a folder for ease of reference. You will also receive a covering Display Certificate.

We have a great deal of experience in working within the constraints of three-shift manufacturing environments. Because the majority of the testing involves carrying out live tests; we can schedule dead testing around pre-arranged windows of opportunity. Be these during holidays, breakdowns, process changes, cleaning or maintenance stoppages, shift changes or weekends.