Portable Appliance Testing - is it law?

The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASW 1974) is an Act set by Parliament that places a duty of care on Employers & Employees to ensure the safety of all persons using the work premises. This Act is law, and to contravene this law is a criminal offence.

You will see on our PAT page that there is considerable Legislation & Regulations that place a duty on Employers and Employees for the safety of their selves and others. Carrying out frequent Inspection & testing to your electrical equipment will promote safety.

  How often does portable appliance testing need to be carried out?

Frequency of testing depends on the type of equipment and the environment in which it is used. Our recommendations are based on the guidelines by the HSE, IEE and our own experience.

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  What types of appliances need testing?

Any type of equipment, which is powered by electrical energy.

The IEE 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.
Fixed Equipment/Appliances - This is equipment of an appliance, which is fastened to a support or otherwise secured in a specified location, e.g. bathroom heater, towel rail.

Appliances/Equipment for Building in - This equipment is intended to be installed in a prepared recess such as a cupboard or similar. In general, equipment for building in does not have an enclosure on all sides because on one or more of the sides, additional protection against electric shock is provided by the surroundings e.g. a built-in electric cooker.

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.

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.

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  Wouldn't it be cheaper if I have one of my employees carry out Portable Appliance Testing?

You will need to ensure that the requirement of competence is met. This will involve expenditure in training, purchase of PAT equipment and software, time to gain experience and expertise in its use.

In-house trained testers usually takes more time to do the testing as maintenance staff generally only do this as part of their job, and do not have the experience to minimise the disruption in shutting down equipment.

All of our test engineers are trained to meet the current recommendations, our experience and systems will minimise the disruption your business giving a cost effective option.


  How much will it cost?

Our pricing is based on a cost per test. Click on CALL ME BACK and a representative from Electrotest Services will call you at their earliest convenience.


  Are there any additional costs?

The only additional costs are for the supply and/or fitting of materials or minor repairs to appliances so that they pass the testing, e.g. new plug top, correctly rated fuse, rewiring plug top etc. These are detailed on our price list.


  We have 1000's of appliances – does this mean that we get reams of paper?

With our unique Web Reporting System we can supply all your certification via a viewable adobe acrobat document.

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  What is fixed installation testing?

Fixed Installation Testing involves testing the electrical services and systems that conduct electricity around a building.

It covers all the hard wiring in a building, whether that building is commercial, industrial or residential.

Anything electrical in a building that is fixed such as lighting, socket outlets, air conditioning and other fixed plant needs to be tested.


  How can it benefit my business?

Owners of buildings have a duty of care to users. The wiring of buildings is an area that is often taken for granted yet it can be the cause of fire or injury through electric shocks.

The Electricity at Work Act, 1989 states that all electrical systems and equipment used in the working environment should be in a safe condition. The Health & Safety Executive recommend that to comply with the regulations, an inspection and testing programme should be undertaken at all places of work.
Many insurance companies are demanding electrical installation safety reports before re-insuring buildings.

  How often should a building be tested?

The IEE recommend maximum periods between inspections:

• Factories – 3 years
  
• Commercial buildings – 5 years
  
• Residential – 10 years

  How much does testing cost?

Testing costs depend on the type of building and the number of circuits to be tested, the availability of circuit data and whether testing takes place while the building is manned or vacant.


  How long does it take to test?

This can vary dependant upon specification and access, however a typical commercial installation, with two 24 way distribution boards, would take in the region of 2 working days to test.


  What is involved with a Fixed Wiring Inspection?

For large sites, a survey may be required to determine the number of circuits, circuit breakers, RCD's etc. Following this a quotation is issued and if accepted, the site information is assessed by a project manager who determines the number of engineers required within the agreed schedule.

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