Portable Appliance Testing
(PAT Testing)
Walsh Electrical Services provides a Portable Appliance Testing (more commonly known as "PAT testing") service, complete with certification. We are registered with the NICEIC Portable Appliance Testing Scheme in addition to the Approved Contractor Scheme, and are also registered with RECI and the ECA. Our PAT testing service covers portable and fixed appliances, regardless of whether these are 230V single phase, 110V Reduced Low Voltage (RLV) or 400V three-phase/three-phase and neutral assets. All work is carried out strictly in accordance with the 5th Edition of the Code of Practice for the In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment, published by the IET.
Assets (appliances) will be categorised as either "Pass" or "Fail". We may be able to carry out repairs to equipment which has failed a PAT test in certain circumstances if so required and agreed to. Any such repairs are chargeable in addition to the inspection and testing. However in some instances the equipment may either need to be returned to the manufacturer for repair, or alternatively may be beyond economic repair.
In the North the Electricity at Work Regulations require that "as may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent so far as reasonably practicable, such danger." The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommend PAT Testing is carried out at suitable intervals for this purpose. This could include equipment which has been hired for an extended period (e.g. over a week).
Second-hand electrical equipment which is sold for commercial gain (e.g. by charity shops) must be fit for purpose and safe to use. It should also undergo PAT Testing unless a risk assessment or manufacturers' advice suggests that this is insufficient and that further production testing is required.
In the South PAT Testing is required by Regulation 81 of S.I. No. 299/2007 - Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007. Equipment supplied at a voltage exceeding 125 volts alternating current which is exposed to conditions causing deterioration which could give rise to danger must be visually inspected by the user before use. Furthermore there should be regular inspection and testing by a competent person appropriate to the equipment's nature, location and use. Records of this must be held for a period of at least five years, and these may be inspected by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). PAT Testing is also likely to be a requirement of many insurance companies.
All Portable Appliance Testing carried out by Walsh Electrical Services is carried out by time-served fully-qualified Electricians with appropriate training, qualifications and experience in PAT Testing. The inspection and testing will typically be subject to a site callout fee for each site where assets (appliances) are kept, with an additional charge per asset. Different types of assets may be subject to different charges.