DRA PAT Testing – Experts in electrical equipment testing

DRA PAT testing provide a professional, reliable and cost effective electrical equipment testing service to businesses and organisations in the North East of England, to help comply with Health and Safety at Work regulations. We cover all areas including Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Co. Durham. 

We specialise in Portable Appliance Testing (PAT Testing), and to enhance that service also provide thermal image surveys for active server systems, testing of fixed appliances, Microwave oven testing and  Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICR).

A PAT test is the best and easiest way to ensure electrical appliances are safe so that you comply with electricity at work regulations

We cover all industries and specialise in pat testing office – based businesses and rental properties for landlords. 

In the UK you are required by law to ensure that electrical appliances for use in a workplace, or for use by a business is fit for purpose and safe for use, and continues to be safe throughout its working life. To do that you need to implement an appropriate ‘preventative maintenance’ regime, which is regularly checked to ensure equipment is safe. 

Inspection and testing of electrical equipment is the most common and consistent method for checking electrical equipment to make sure it is safe; that the required safety measures for the appliance are functioning correctly and that the appliance has not become damaged in any way; any damage that has occurred should be repaired either by the inspecting engineer or another competent person. 

In the UK we have come to know this inspection and testing process by its more common term; PAT testing. Following ‘PAT’ you are provided with a PAT test certificate which should include an itemised list to confirm that each appliance is safe for continued use. That list should itemise each appliance with a unique number, which will be on the label attached to the appliance by the engineer, preferably in a discreet location. Although putting labels on is not a legal requirement it has become an acceptable method of best practice for identifying appliances against the report. 

Around 33% of accidental fires in the UK are down to electrical issues

Over 1000 workplace accidents are reported each year that involve electric shock or burns

Contrary to popular belief electrical equipment doesn’t always need testing annually, however, there is also no simple answer to this question. How often should appliances be tested is a question that is asked time and again, but without regular risk assessments it is difficult to answer. In some environments equipment should be tested every year, or more frequently, such as tools on a building site which need checking every 3 months. However, a server in an office which never moves and is rarely touched may only need checking once every five years. Computers on a desk in said office, probably never move so an inspection every couple of years will be enough, but appliances with more frequent use like the printers, kettles, microwaves etc. will need checking more often. 

The best way to determine how often electrical appliances need a PA test is to conduct a risk assessment; that needs to be done by someone who under standards the risks, so should be a fire officer, or us. 

Portable Appliance Testing is a peace of mind service; it is essential for compliance with UK workplace regulations, as it confirms electrical appliances are safe for continued use, which you are required to ensure, but it also confirms that electrical equipment is safe. The benefit of pat testing is that when an appliance is found to be defective it will be repaired or flagged for repair, which in turn makes it safe too, reducing the risk of a later fire or electrical accident. 

When on site we’ll discuss with you any issues, or areas of concern that we can help to fix, and consider the pat testing frequency (retest period). 

When all the work is complete, back at our office, we download the results and convert them into a PAT Testing Certificate Report which we send to you as a pdf for your approval. We will then send the invoice for payment. 

Every PAT testing company needs to be able to test most if not all electrical appliance types, and we are no exception. Having traded over 10 years we have tested almost every appliance type, including those running on 415volt three-phase, 230 volt, 110 volt and below. 

But where are real PAT testing experts, the area in which we excel is that of IT equipment. PAT testing IT equipment, or equipment in offices need to be handled carefully as they contain sensitive working parts that you don’t want to damage. To prevent that we use industry leading Seaward Apollo and Primetest machines that are designed for testing such equipment. 

IT/office equipment covers a wide area, and every business will have these type of appliances, so no matter what industry you operate in, wherever you are in the North East (and the UK) we can help with your appliance testing needs. 

We are based in Newcastle upon Tyne and cover all of the North East of England, wherever you are, including Durham, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Washington, Blyth, etc. 

We can test all types of electrical equipment including 110v and 415v appliances, in all environments, however we specialise in PAT testing office equipment (normal equipment found in every workplace).

“DRA PAT Testing have helped UK businesses to maintain safe electrical appliances for over 10 years”