Don’t take the risk – switch it off

How often do you leave electrical appliances plugged in and switched on, never turning them off? People always think “it’ll never happen to me”, but what if it does?

The following photographs are from a client’s office. An extension lead has been plugged in to the socket for approximately 12 months and never turned off. Plugged into the extension is a metal, class 1 kettle. The kettle gets turned on many times every day to boil water for tea and coffee.

As a result the extension has overheated. In this case in not one but two occassions. It’s happened once before and rather than repacing the lead, the plug has been moved to a different inlet.

The black plug is so firmly damaged the protective cover on the Live pin has melted and become one with the inlet. We tried to remove the plug, even forcing it and levering with a screwdriver had little effect. As a result we had to cut the wire to the plug, and rewire a new plug onto the kettle lead.

Had this been left much longer we are in no doubt this would have started a fire. This shows genuinely why PAT Testing is so important – if we had not been there to inspect, this may have gone unnoticed and the business may not have been there in a few months.

Don’t risk a fire – Get PAT Tested

We have recently acquired a new hotel PAT Testing contract in the Lake District. A beautiful hotel with stunning views overlooking Basenthwaite, near Keswick.

We are due to conduct the PAT testing of this 21- bedroom hotel in March 2013.

PAT Tester for the NECC

We will be working with the North East Chamber of Commerce for a second successive year in 2013 after it was agreed we would continue working with them.

We will conduct their PAT Testing at their 3 sites in March 2013.

We continue to be members of the NECC.

Care Home PAT Testing Contract

January 2013 saw our first Care Home contract when we acquired the PAT Testing for the 12 properties of the Ladhar Group portfolio. With properties covering the North East and Yorkshire. We have now completed the inspection and testing at all the sites for this year.

We have also submitted a tender for their electrical maintenance contract.

Do you want a quote for us to conduct the PAT Testing at your care home? If so please contact us.

2012 has been a great year for us, not just in a PAT Testing sense but in the growth of our business. We started the year as a sole trader under the name DRA Electricals and we’re ending it as a limited company DRA Solutions Limited.

We became limited in July this year.

The growth this year has been huge as we’ve more than doubled our client base, and turnover, and we now have more than 200 satisfied clients, and have conducted more than 50,000 tests. We’ve achieved some great new contracts including among others the Sharrow Bay Hotel, the NECC and Norham High School.

We’re also working closely with 2 regular sub-contractors for larger jobs and have an admin person employed part-time.

We’re building a strong, consistent reputation as a highly recommended company, and under our ethos of providing a sensible and honest PAT Testing service our clients know they’re getting the best possible service at the best possible price, at regular intervals so they’re not wasting money. We are in the minority but if you don’t need PAT Testing every year, and once every 5 years is sufficient, then that is what we will recommend.

What are the rules electrical inspections in rented properties?

Taken from the original article: Residential: What are the rules on gas and electrical inspections
and certificates for residential lettings? Do I need both a gas and
electrical certificate?

Landlords’ Gas and Electrical Safety Certificates:

• As a landlord, or as a letting agent acting on the landlord’s behalf, you have a legal obligation to ensure that your accommodation is completely safe for your tenants.
• Several laws say you must ensure that appliances are working correctly to guard against the dangers of carbon monoxide and electrocutions.
• Your landlord’s insurance policy may be invalid if you do not meet your legal obligations in this regard.

Gas Annual Inspections and Safety Certificates

We have omitted this information as it doesn’t apply here but see the original document (linked above) for this information.

Landlord’s Electrical Certificates

Landlords’ electrical inspections and certificates are also important to ensure the safety of your tenants. They also help you to prove that you have taken the necessary steps to avoid accidents.

Although currently in the UK there is no legal requirement to have an annual electrical inspection and certificate, landlords are strongly advised to do this and their insurers often insist on it.

There are two main types of electrical inspection and certification:

1. The Periodic Inspection Report – Landlords are advised to have a full electrical system inspection carried out every five years to ten years maximum.
2. Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) – It is also a good idea to have an electrician carry out PAT testing on all electrical appliances in the accommodation every year. Portable mains powered electrical appliances should include ALL those appliances supplied with the property.

It is particularly important to check any second-hand appliances you have purchased for your tenants. New ones should already be safe, but keep all purchase receipts so you can prove when and where purchased and the age of all appliances.

Health & Safety Executive – Guide to Landlords Duties
Electrical Safety Council – Landlord’s Guide to Electrical Safety
DRA Electricals – PAT Testing for Landlords

To date, we have over 200 clients, have completed nearly 400 contracts, and have done more than 25,000 PAT Tests, in 2.5 years of trading. A business that started in a recession, is still operating in a recession and is building progressively.

We are the PAT Testers for the NECC – in January 2012 we secured the contract to complete the PAT Testing at the NECC’s 3 branches, with over 1200 PAT Tests between them and each to be done on a Friday in March.

We are proud to be the PAT Testers of choice for the NECC.

In February we completed the PAT Testing contract at the world famous Sharrow Bay hotel in the Lake District. A stunning hotel with views over lake Ullswater and a Michelin Star.

Have you heard of Warwick Equest? They do testing – the test things to see if they are the best at what they are supposed to do, and they chose us to do their PAT Testing.

To think a testing company felt we were the best, gives a lot of excitement, and shows business is progressing in the way I wanted it to.