Is PAT Testing Law?
Is PAT Testing Law?
This is a question that we probably get asked most often.
Making sure an electrical appliance is safe to use is Law - although PAT Testing does not exist in legal terms as it is a slang term.
The Law states that it is a Duty Holder's responsibility to check to make sure that ALL electrical systems are of such construction and are maintained as a practicable step to prevent danger. The Electricity at Work Regulations (1989) Sec. 4 and other Legislation reiterates this.
There is a lot of misinformation on the internet so all we need to do is to point you directly to :
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (sec.4). sec 4-6 refers to Inspection
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (sec 8) sec 7-8 refers to inner conductors including the integrity of the earthing conductor and sufficient insulation which would require a test.
There is no denying that formal inspections and electrical testing is required but the Health and Safety Executive only state that appliances must be safe to use and will not tell anybody how to to it but offer suggestions and guidance.
Formal Inspections are necessary to check if an item of electrical equipment is of such construction for continued use. (Usually skipped by a lot of providers as it takes time to open plug tops)
Testing is necessary to ensure that the safety features incorporated at the time of manufacture such as 'Earth Bonding' and 'Insulation' are there throughout the working life of an electrical appliance.
This should be carried out to equipment that is likely to be In-service between inspections/tests.
So if you look back at the highlighted words you will see:
In-service, Inspections, Testing, Electrical Equipment.
The IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) has a Code of Practice which ALL 'PAT Testing' Companies should follow as it is considered best practice.
The IET Code of Practice for in-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (5th Edition).
Although it is usual for the Duty Holder to ask a 'PAT Testing' company to carry this out on their behalf it is ALWAYS the responsibility of the Duty Holder to ensure that it is being carried out correctly and fully itemised and detailed inspection/test results should be issued by the provider so that the 'responsible person' can interpret results and determine ongoing frequencies based on risk...not the PAT Testing Company.
Reassuringly, Worksafepat provide all the above for you, including training if required to aid your compliance.
DUTY Holder and PAT Testing Training
In 2014, following the release of updated Health and Safety Guidance Notes HSG107 'Maintaining Portable Electrical Equipment' - INDG236 Maintaining Portable Equipment in Low Risk Environments and another updated Code of Practice for in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment (which we were involved in) Worksafepat decided to include Duty Holder training in addition to PAT Testing to help promote Health and Safety in accordance with best practice due to a lack of regulation both in Pat testing and training.
Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (PAT Testing) must be carried out by a sufficiently trained 'Competent Person'.
Unfortunately due to a lack of regulation, the PAT Testing industry is awash with unscrupulous traders which has resulted in a surge of enquiries for our services. We can usually identify if a provider is offering a genuine service by looking at just one page of your risk assessment (results) to see if they are in accordance with best practice. We can do this FREE of CHARGE or during our training sessions.
When a technician arrives at your site, regardless of which company you use, they should be able to refer to your test results from your previous provider to check for any on-going degradation of the appliance by comparing previous results, this is in accordance with the afore-mentioned Code of Practice.
If detailed results are not available, it is then that we begin to wonder if the third party provider has just charged the customer for the cost of the label which could leave them in breach of The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and other legislation surrounding electrical safety in the workplace.
The WORKSAFEPAT brand is a brand which has become very familiar within both the Private and Corporate sectors. WORKSAFEPAT Ltd is proud to be able to offer PAT Testing training from just one candidate to complete maintenance departments with an impressive Client base ranging from Sole Traders, Caretakers, Residential Homes and Schools, Colleges and Cathedrals to Local Government, Ministry of Defence, NIIT, Conduent, Airbus and globally recognised Corporations.
