- Portable Appliance Testing
- Portable Appliance Testing, or "PAT testing" for short, is a set of tests designed to ensure safety of employees, employers and visitors to public spaces and protect them against the risk of electrical shock. It has been introduced as part of a set of measures to ensure safety in the workplace.
- According to the Health and Safety Executive, 25% of electrical accidents involve the use of portable appliances. This does not necessarily mean that electrical equipment is dangerous - but often that it has been rendered dangerous by incorrect use or through a lack of care during handling.
- The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places the responsibility of ensuring the safety of portable equipment for use on employers AND employees. It is everyone's responsibility to ensure that electricity can be used safely.
- If, as an employee, you think equipment is unsafe, you have a responsibility to report it to your employer - it doesn't help anyone to say after an accident "Well, I always thought it was dangerous" when nobody knew that a potential hazard had not been highlighted.
- Employers have a responsibility to ensure that all electrical equipment is visually examined with a frequency determined by its usage and also that when advised of potentially hazardous faults, sensible measures are taken to ensure that the equipment is confirmed being safe for use or taken out of service.
- As a result of the Act and other recent legislation, the Institution of Electrical Engineers published the "Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment". This guide forms the basis for portable appliance testing in the U.K. It is the cornerstone of the City and Guilds courses designed for both administrators responsible for electrical safety and for those carrying out inspections and tests on portable and moveable appliances.
- Anybody carrying out PAT testing should have a thorough understanding of the IEE Code of Practice.
- Portable Appliance Testing is part of the inspection process defined by the Code of Practice which applies to all mains powered portable and movable equipment.
- What is "Portable Equipment" and "Movable Equipment"
- Portable equipment is regarded as electrical items weighing less than 18kg and which can be moved in operation or which can easily be moved from one place to another (i.e. 6020 CD Recorder).
- Movable equipment is mounted on wheels or casters to facilitate movement by the operator (i.e. Language Laboratory).
- Both types of equipment are typically connected to the mains electricity supply via a plug and flex as shown above.
- Coomber Policy on PAT Testing
- PAT testing probes can pack a 25A wallop at 6 volts, quite enough to fry intricate circuit boards, multi-processors and wiring built to cope with only a few milliamps.
- Coomber takes great care to ensure that all products leaving the factory have been properly constructed in accordance with current European regulations. All equipment is tested prior to packing and despatch. We are satisfied that our equipment, if properly maintained, will withstand the rigors of a correctly applied PAT test, subject to the points below.
- All Coomber equipment should be operated in accordance with the operating instructions. All equipment is supplied with operating instructions. You can download copies of the instructions for all our recent equipment from the Product Support section of this website.
- "...care must be taken, when testing electrical equipment to avoid damaging otherwise satisfactory equipment by the application of test voltages and currents". [IEE Code Section 6.1]
- PAT testing should only be undertaken by "a person competent to undertake the inspection and, where appropriate, testing of electrical equipment and appliances". [IEE Code Section 9.4]
- "Testers have to be familiar with test equipment and in particular their limits and restrictions so as to achieve repeatable results without damaging the equipment or appliances" [IEE Code Section 9.4]
- "...This person [the tester] must be capable of inspecting the equipment and, where necessary, dismantling it to check the cable connections. Care must always be exercised when conducting tests. Remember, inappropriate tests can damage equipment. [IEE Code Section 15]
- Finally, for those considering testing Coomber equipment following a repair "A repairer may wish to subject an appliance to the [tests]. The repairer will need to make a decision based on the condition of the appliance and the nature of the repairs he has carried out. The repairer must be knowledgeable about the equipment and able to make the decision. [IEE Code Section 6.4]
"Oops! Maybe I shouldn't have prodded that bit"
While Coomber equipment is guaranteed against manufacturing defect and faulty components, it is not guaranteed against inappropriate PAT testing.
IF EQUIPMENT IS RENDERED USELESS DUE TO INAPPROPRIATE TESTING, THE COST OF REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF COOMBER.
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- For more information relating to PAT testing and electrical safety try visiting these informative websites -
- Health & Safety Executive http://www.hse.gov.uk
- Institution of Electrical Engineers http://www.iee.org
- About PAT Testing http://www.pat-testing.info/
- The Institution of Electrical Engineers booklet "The Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment" (ISBN: 0-85296-776-4) is available from the IEE website for £30.
- Abuse
- Most electrical accidents happen because equipment is poorly treated or abused by the user. Click here to see some of the abuse which can lead to a risk of electrical shock.