Portable Applicance Testing (PAT)

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is a detailed inspection of electrical appliances and equipment used in commercial properties, businesses and rental properties to ensure they are free from faults and safe to use.

If you’re a landlord, business owner or employer, it’s your legal obligation to ensure you’re maintaining high standards of electrical safety in your property or business.

PAT testing is the BEST way to ensure you’re doing everything to make sure the appliances and equipment in your properties or businesses are safe!

PAT testing legislation was put into effect to ensure that all companies conform to the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974, Electricity at Work Regulations of 1989, Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations of 1998 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations of 1999.

However, PAT testing is COMPULSORY for all Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMOs) and you’ll need to be able to provide safety certificates for all the electrical appliances upon request.

While there is not a legal obligation to do PAT testing in residential properties, it’s worth considering as it’s the best way to ensure the electrical appliances and equipment you and your family use are safe.

It’s important this work is carried out by a competent person who has the experience and knowledge of being able to check and test appliances for safety purposes and you’ll find many registered electricians are able to carry out PAT testing.

We will carry out visual inspection of the appliance, plug and lead and then inject test signals into the cable and appliance to ensure its integrity

The visual inspection includes checking things like the supply socket for signs of overheating, examining the plug and the rest of the appliance for signs of damage.

Following the visual inspection, we’ll then carry out a series of tests including a simple function test of the supply socket to make sure all connections are present as well as leakage and polarity tests.

✔ Full list containing each appliance tested

✔ Full set of test results for each appliance tested

✔ Full explanation of any items that fail testing

✔ A pass or fail label on each appliance with the date of inspection and the name of the person who carried out the testing.

We’ll then talk through the report with you and advise you if any further action is required and what steps to take.

As a rule of thumb, PAT tests should be carried out around every 1-2 years, however if you see any obvious damage or deterioration between checks, then it’s essential to get this checked out immediately.

Another important point to be aware of is that not all types of equipment are the same and some may need more frequent checks e.g. equipment used in harsh environments will need to be checked more often to make sure it’s safe.

We’ll look at the different types of equipment that are used in your property or business and help you decide how often you need to conduct checks on it to ensure you’re maintaining safety standards.