What is PAT testing.

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Portable Appliance Testing (PAT Testing) is an essential part of a organisation or individual's responsibility to health and safety. This is achieved using a number of specific testing tasks on your portable appliances.

A lot of individuals ask if Portable Appliance Testing is a official requirement?
The answer is no, however, it is a legal requirement and many insurance brokers require the underwritten to meet the terms of all up to date regulations. This comprises the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which state that "As may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent, so far as reasonably practicable, such danger" (Regulation 4(2)). "Electrical equipment includes anything used, intended to be used or installed for use, to generate, provide, transmit, transform, rectify, convert, conduct, distribute, control, store, measure or use electrical energy." (Regulation 2(1)).

Employer responsibility is also stated by The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. This states that "Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is so constructed or adapted as to be suitable for the purpose for which it is used or provided." (Regulation 4(1)). This includes all work equipment (fixed, portable or transportable) connected to a source of electrical energy."

What does PAT testing involve? You might say. Most PAT testing businesses will begin with a visual examination checking for:
· Broken flexes
· Broken plugs and equipment (overheating, burn marks, discolouration)
· Correctly wired plugs
· Correctly rated fuse
Then a sequence of tests (which is reliant on the type of equipment), they may contain:
· Earth continuity testing
· Insulation resistance
· Polarity test
· Earth leakage test
The equipment checked by a PAT testing company are simply, any sort of equipment, which is supplied by electrical energy.
The IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment states that this Code of Practice includes:

Portable Appliances:
An electrical device of less than 18 kg in weight that is meant to be moved while in operation or an appliance which can simply be moved from one area to another, e.g. toaster, food processor, vacuum cleaner, fan heater.

Movable Equipment (often termed Transportable):
This is equipment, which is either: 18 kg or less in weight and not fixed, e.g. electric fire, or equipment with wheels, castors or other means to facilitate movement by the operator as necessary to perform its proposed use, e.g. an air conditioning unit.

Hand-held Gear:
This is portable equipment meant to be held in the hand in normal use, e.g. hair dryer, grinder, 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, dish washer.

Fixed Equipment/Appliances:
This is equipment of an appliance, which is attached to a prop or otherwise secured in a specified area, e.g. bathroom heater, towel rail, domestic air conditioning.

Appliances/Equipment for fixing in:
This equipment is meant to be installed in a ready made recess such as a cupboard or such like. In general, equipment for fixing in doesn’t consist of an enclosed space on all sides because in an area, additional protection against electric shock is provided by the surroundings e.g. a fitted fridge.

Information Technology Equipment (Business Equipment):
IT equipment takes in electrical business equipment such as computer and mains supplied phone 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 Cables:
The use of extension leads should be avoided where possible]. If used, they should be checked as portable appliances. It is recommended that 3-core cables (including a safety earthing conductor) be used.
A standard 13 A 3-pin extension socket-outlet with a 2-core wire should never be used even if the appliance to be used is Class II, as it would not give protection from electrical mishap if used at any moment 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 leads are too large for standard 13 A plugs, but they may be used in conjunction with BS EN 60309 industrial plugs.
These max lengths are not relevant to the flex of an appliance, for instructions refer to paragraph 15.13 (IEE Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment).
If extension cable lengths do exceed the above, they shall be protected by a 30 mA RCD manufactured to BS 7071.