Why You Need A PAT Tester

You may have seen the small labels on electrical appliances in places of work that say tested along with a date. These labels indicate that a PAT tester has tested the equipment for safety. In the UK this is a legal requirement to ensure all electrical devices are safe to use. Portable appliance testing or you may have heard it called PAT testing is needed to ensure electrical equipment is operationally safe where employees or members of the public may use the equipment. The actual term that covers all such testing is in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment. There are several different UK laws that cover the safety and testing of electrical equipment. As a general rule if you consider all portable equipment that plugs into the mains is generally a piece of electrical equipment that will need testing. The reason such testing needs to take place is to ensure any electrical devices are fit and safe to use. For employers it is their responsibility to ensure to the best of their ability that their employees are safe at work. With regards to electrical testing this means that the equipment they uses such as computers, printers, copiers and even kettles
are safe to use. If equipment is being used in a public place you will also need to ensure that it is PAT tested. A music or disco disc jockey would need to ensure that their electrical equipment is safe to use. The same would apply to any electrical equipment that may have the potential to harm the public. To get the equipment tested you need to use a person who is competent, this means that you do not necessarily have to employ a fully qualified electrician to test your electrical devices. As far as being competent goes you should not gamble with peoples safety and think you can get a member of staff to do the testing. A PAT tester can be employed to do the testing, there are many qualified people who have the recognised qualifications to do this. Someone with the City and Guilds who holds the code of practice for in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment, vocational 3 will be qualified to carry out the testing. For many small businesses this may be more cost effective than employing a fully qualified electrician to do the PAT testing for you. They will also be able to advice you how often certain types of electrical equipment will need testing.