Pat Testing

ALBA Portable Appliance Testing

PAT Testing Explained

What is Portable Appliance Testing?

Portable Appliance Testing (also known as PAT Testing) is a series of special tests performed by a competent person to verfiy if electrical appliances are safe for use.

Testing is normally split into two methods:

Visual Inspection:

1) Checking for correctly wired plugs, signs of overheating and discolouration

2) Checking for correclty rated fuses

followed by

Instrument Testing which may consist of:

1) Insulation resistance

2) Earth continuity

3) Polarity

4) Earth leakage

Why do I need to PAT Test?

- Its the best way to comply with The Electricity at Work Act 1989 which places a duty of care onto Employers and Landlords to ensure the safety of electrical appliances.

- Provides peace of mind that equipment is safe to use.

- Prevents loss of productivity if faults are rectified before an appliance is damaged.

- Insurance companies may refuse to provide cover or pay a claim for damage caused by an untested appliance.

Seaward Primetest 100

Why use ALBA?

City & Guilds Qualified
Follow I.E.E. Code of Practice
Use calibrate
'Seaward Primetest 100 Pat Testing Equipment
Public Liability Insurance of £5m
Prices from only £1.95 per appliance
Free reminder service

What is a 'Portable Appliance'?

A Portable Appliance is an electrical item which is connected to the power supply by plug or socket.

How often do I need to get items tested?

We follow the Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment published by the Institute of Electrical Engineers (I.E.E.) below:

SUGGESTED FREQUENCY OF INSPECTION AND TESTING OF EQUIPMENT

Type of Premises	Type of Equipment Note I	User Checks Note	Class I	Class II Note 4
Type of Premises	Type of Equipment Note I	User Checks Note	Formal Visual Inspection Note 3	Combined Inspection and Testing Note 5	Formal Visual Inspection Note 3	Combined Inspection and Testing Note 5
Industrial including Commercial Kitchens	S IT M P H	weekly weekly before use before use before use	None None 1 month 1 month 1 month	12 months 12 months 12 months 6 months 6 months	None None 3 months 3 months 3 months	12 months 12 months 12 months 6 months 6 months
Equipment used by the public	S IT M P H	Note 6+ Note 6+ Note 6+ Note 6+ Note 6+	monthly monthly weekly weekly weekly	12 months 12 months 6 months 6 months 6 months	3 months 3 months 1 month 1 month 1 month	12 months 12 months 12 months 12 months 12 months
Schools	S IT M P H	weekly+ weekly+ weekly+ weekly+ before use+	None None 4 months 4 months 4 months	12 months 12 months 12 months 12 months 12 months	12 months 12 months 4 months 4 months 4 months	48 months 48 months 48 months 48 months 48 months
Hotels	S IT M P H	None None weekly weekly before use	24 months 24 months 12 months 12 months 6 months	48 months 48 months 24 months 24 months 12 months	24 months 24 months 24 months 24 months 6 months	None None None None None
Offices and Shops	S IT M P H	None None weekly weekly before use	24 months 24 months 12 months 12 months 6 months	48 months 48 months 24 months 24 months 12 months	24 months 24 months 24 months 24 months 6 months	None None None None None

Notes

S	Stationary equipment
IT	Information technology equipment
M	Movable equipment
P	Portable equipment
H	Hand-held equipment

User checks are not recorded unless a fault is found.

The formal visual inspection may form part of the combined inspection and tests when they coincide, and must be recorded see 7.2b.

If class of equipment is not known, it must be tested as Class 1.

The results of the combined inspections and tests are recorded see 7.2c

For some equipment such as children's rides a daily check may be necessary.

supervisor/teacher/member

What now?

Simply contact Alba for a FREE ESTIMATE today:

Tel: 01862 894372

Mob: 07783 581386

Email: albapattesting@hotmail.co.uk

ALBA Portable Appliance Testing

For your insurance & peace of mind