What happens if an appliance fails a PAT test? It depends on the circumstances. In most cases we will be able to repair the appliance, test it and record it as a pass.

For example; PAT testing is a safety inspection carried out to confirm whether there is a need for danger preventing maintenance to be carried out, so it is important that you see when an appliance has become so dangerous that it fails an initial inspection by the engineer.

If the appliance fails the initial inspection, the engineer will assess if they are capable of repairing it. If they are, then that is what they will do. In most cases the repairs are carried out free of charge. Such repairs include:

• Rewiring the plug
• Replacing missing or damaged parts of the plug
• Replacing fuses that are incorrect
• Replacing plugs that are damaged beyond repair
• Repairing damaged cable, by cutting the cable back to a safe location and reattaching the plug

All these repairs will be done automatically by the engineer.

If the cable is beyond repair and needs replacing, or if the plug that needs replacing is over 13a (e.g. a 110v 16amp plug) then the engineer will advise of what needs to be done. We may quote to do the repair for you, either at the time or for another date. In this situation if the appliance can’t be repaired whilst the engineer is there, it will be marked as a fail until it can be repaired.

If the repair is beyond scope of our engineer he will advise you of what action to take. In this situation the appliance will be marked as a fail. If you do get it repaired you will need to make sure it is tested and the report updated, before the appliance goes back into service.

Don’t be overly concerned about failures; finding dangerous appliances is what PAT is for. The importance is we have found the fault and can now make it safe.