Pat Testing (also known as Portable Appliance Testing) is a way of checking your electrical equipment to see if it is SAFE.

PAT Testing is an important part of your organisation’s Health and Safety regime. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a small business or a large multi-site corporation; if you use electrical equipment in your business, then you have a responsibility to make sure it is safe.

Additionally many insurance companies insist that PAT Testing be carried out every 12 months (or less) in order to satisfy the conditions of their policy, and local council inspectors (Fire Officers, Health and Safety Officers) routinely ask for evidence of PAT Testing when they carry out their inspections.

We employ competent skilled and experienced engineers to test your equipment. We can test efficiently, quickly and with the minimum of disruption to your business.

To comply with UK workplace regulations for electrical safety you must maintain safe electrical equipment at all times; how you do this is up to you but the only recognised process is called inspection and testing of electrical equipment, otherwise known as portable appliance, or PAT testing. 

This means that you need to get your electrical appliances PAT tested as often as is necessary to ensure your equipment maintains the safety standards. This is because the process of PAT testing confirms an appliance is safe or not; and includes remedial repairs by the test engineer to the plug to ensure the appliance is safe. In addition the results of all the tests have to be recorded, from which you will be provided with a document to confirm the status of each appliance, the test results and guidance on how to improve or continue to manage the safety standards. 

How often you need to get equipment tested is a big area for discussion and there is more information on our PAT testing frequency page, but all you need to do is book us to do your inspections, during which we will assess the risks and recommend retest periods for the equipment you have. This could mean all appliances are tested on a particular retest period, or different types of appliances are tested at different times. For example in an office your stationery desk top computers won’t need testing as often as your laptops that are taken home. 

We recommend at this point you contact us to discuss your situation, or to get a quote for us to do your testing. The rest of the information on this page is going into more detail; it is information which may or may not be of interest to you but it is not essential for booking an appointment. 

Electrical equipment that is purchased from a reputable supplier should be of a satisfactory safety standard, but it must be maintained to stay that way, so that it does not deteriorate so far that it puts users at risk. 

It is recognised that PAT Testing is the easiest and best way to check electrical equipment is safe, and the process that is followed to achieve this includes carrying out repairs to ensure the appliance is safe. 

Using a local PAT testing company to do this is a benefit to you as it means if you need urgent help anytime you can call on your engineer to come out, who knows you and your business and will be the best possible help. 

Can I PAT test my own equipment? You can…

PAT Testing is a skill, something that requires training and experience to do well, and at the desired pace. Sometimes companies look at the possibility of training staff to do it in-house, and we totally understand why they consider this, but is it the best course of action? 

As an example, your handyman, admin assistant, lab technician, etc. goes on a course to learn the basics of PAT testing. You buy them a tester and some tools, they test your equipment. Let’s say you have an office with 20 computers, it’s going to take them a few days to test all that. Then when they come to do it again in a year or two, they have forgotten what to do. It’s cost you the best part of a thousand pounds so far, plus the lost work time for that staff member. 

If you used us to do your PAT tests in the first place, it may have cost you £200.00. The job would have been done in a day, and disruption for your business would have been minimal. 

What would have been better? 

You could get that person trained in-house so they can make sure user checks are being done, or that the PAT is being implemented correctly, but being honest, its far easier, and cheaper just to get a contractor in to do the job. 

Don’t waste your time and money PAT testing your own equipment – get us to do it for you. 

If you still want to PAT test your own equipment, get on a PAT testing expert training course, learn about the subject and give it a go.

You’re not going to save money by taking your PAT testing in-house; set up costs alone will be around one thousand pounds, not to mention loss of work time for the person doing the task. Contracting us to do your PAT tests will be better for you. It’s going to save you time and money, and effort.

How much will PAT testing cost you to do it in-house depends on the value of the person doing it to your business. Let’s use the school caretaker as the example. Some schools put their caretaker through a course, buy him the gear then tell him to do the PAT Testing. He hasn’t got time to do it all in a week or two over the holidays like a PAT testing company can, because he has other jobs to do, so he spreads it out over the year. 

But throughout the year he has other jobs to do too, and before you know it the year has gone by, he’s not managed to do more than a hundred items and he’s forgotten everything he learnt on the course. And now the machine needs its annual calibration. 

It generally works out much cheaper overall to get us in to do it! Book a PAT testing appointment today. 

• The cost of a PAT testing course £300.00
• The cost of a basic PAT tester £400.00
• The cost of the kit £150.00
• The cost of software £400.00
• The cost of annual calibration £100.00
• Your employees time – priceless

That’s about a thousand pounds set up costs plus your time, and annual calibration and refresher training because staff will forget. Or just book us to do it. 

Who can carry out PAT testing? Any competent person can carry out PAT testing – all it takes is some knowledge, and basic training to get started. 

You can PAT test without a qualification. Guidance say you have to be competent to test electrical equipment, not that you have to be qualified. How you get competent is a matter for discussion. The Portable Appliance Testing Trade Association say that you should undergo thorough training by a competent person in order to become competent yourself. The current qualifications are flawed because the course is intended to get delegates through an exam, with the course focus more on pass rates than gaining knowledge. Although if you want to work for another company, you will need to get qualified (City and Guilds 2377) to get a job. 

You could sign up to do a practical skills course; you may find this more beneficial, as you will learn how to test appliances, how to use different machines and gain knowledge in why electrical appliance safety measures are important. The PAT Testing expert run a good training course in practical skills, at different venues around the UK. 

To conclude, Can you PAT test yourself? Yes you can, but we don’t know why you would want to. It’s easier, cheaper and far less hassle to use a PAT testing company. 

• Lower costs if you contract it out
• Less hassle if you contract it out
• Less repeating yourself if you contract it out
• Loss of man-power doing it yourself 

Don’t try to PAT Test in-house; contact us about doing it for you. 

Our work can not be done from home, so we are continuing to operate during the Covid-19 Pandemic, albeit on a reduced level. As long as safety measures can be implemented we can still do work for you. 

Note: This is an old post written at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown, and no longer applies. It would make sense to take the post down but Google will penalise us for doing so so we have to leave it here. 

If you can take into account the safety measures being implemented we can still carry out PAT testing for you. 

Our work perhaps is not essential, but it has to be done at some point, and many argue that the best time to do a PAT test is when the office is empty – we always feel that to be the case normally but not everyone can get us in at weekends, and there are not enough weekends for everyone, so now may be a great time. 

If your office is currently empty (or any other business premises), now is the best time to get equipment tested. Even if it isn’t all there, what is there can be tested now, and the rest be done when it returns to work. 

All we need is someone to open up, then leave us to get on with our work. 

We are well, and have no symptoms – if that changes we will notify you in advance. 

We are clean; most people that work like we do, in different places all the time, are generally clean anyway – we carried hand sanitiser long before we’d even heard of Covid-19. 

We also keep our equipment clean; cleaning it after every job to make sure no germs are lingering. 

When we get to your workplace to start, we’ll wash our hands before we touch anything. We carry baby wipes if we need to wipe surfaces before or after, and we regularly wash our hands. We use gloves where possible but as labels need applying this isn’t always possible, though we do our best. 

We will expect to maintain a safe distance from any persons from your workplace, and from each other if there is more than one of us on the job, and where possible we will open your windows to ensure good ventilation in the areas where we are working. We’ll shut them too of course. 

Check out our post on how we can visit your staff in their homes to PAT test their equipment, safely. 

Currently my staff are furloughed so they are not working; it is I doing all the jobs that come in, but this can be changed, so if you need a particularly large site doing we can do so. 

Please note we are not doing work in domestic properties were tenants are currently living, as our own safety measure. 

Update: Most of this no longer applies – we have been fully operational since June 2020. 

A surge protector is an electrical appliance designed to protect electrical equipment from surges in power, or voltage spikes. A surge protectors tries to limit the voltage supplied to the appliance by either blocking or shorting to ground the unwanted voltage. 

Surges in power generally come from:

• Internal tripping  events, such as lights being turned on and off
• A high in-rush of energy could generate a surge around the circuits
• Lightning strikes

A surge protecter doesn’t last forever; it’ll only absorb so many surges before it stops working itself, although it is practically impossible to tell when this will happen; the longer it has been in use the more at risk you are from it not being effective. If you are aware of it absorbing a power surge it is recommended you replace it. 

A surge protector is an appliance made to protect your devices from voltage spikes. It’s designed to keep unwanted voltages away from your electronic devices.

The equipment you plug into your sockets rely on a consistent voltage of electricity. However, the sockets can’t guarantee this steady flow of electricity, so to protect sensitive electrical equipment, such as IT equipment, we use a surge protector. This device ‘defends’ your equipment from voltage spikes by rerouting unsafe energy so that only the normal amount of electricity will pass through your device.

Whether you need a surge protector depends on the equipment you are using. Surge protectors are designed to protect your computer. Laptops and desktop computers are both packed with voltage-sensitive components that a power surge could easily damage. Without a surge protector, a power spike or power surge could shorten the life of your computer, wipe out all of your data, or even completely destroy your system.

When we carry out PAT testing on computers, we look for surge protective devices being used, and test them too. Be aware that all extension blocks are not surge protectors; they need to display the sign that they are, and don’t get caught out by those masquerading to be – we come across many cheap blocks claiming to be surge protectors that aren’t. Usually if an extension block is very cheap, the surge protector may not be as effective. 

In fact, you should use a surge protector with any high-end electronic device. You should always use a surge protector with gaming consoles, for example. By doing so, you’ll extend the life of the device and prevent possible damage.

Remember, a sensitive electrical appliance plugged into an electric socket is at risk of serious damage if there is a voltage spike, so protect it with a surge protector. 

Does new electrical equipment need PAT Testing?

Do new electricals need PAT testing? If you are sure they came from a reputable supplier than they shouldn’t need PAT testing. New equipment should be safe when manufactured, and are tested before leaving the factory, so there should be no need for you to have to PAT test them before using them.

Assuming the new equipment has been bought from a bonafide retailer from the European Economic area.  Be more aware if you buy new equipment from ‘cheap’ online sites, especially if the appliances are imported from non-European countries. 

However, some company policies do require new equipment to be tested before being put into service, so really it depends on your own policy. Perhaps consider a risk assessment to decide. 

It should be sufficient to do a user check to make sure no damage has occurred in transit. 

If you have an appliance register it may also be a good idea to record this new equipment on that register. A good PAT company should have provided you with an excel document that you can use for recording your assets on. If not, ask them for it. We actually don’t provide it as standard because not everyone wants it, but it is easily available if you do – just ask. 

If you’re unsure of the safety of the appliance, don’t know how well maintained it has been since being made, or if you’ve bought it from abroad or not directly from the manufacturer/licensed supplier then you may want to consider PAT Testing the appliance before use. 

If the appliance has been bought off the internet, or there is any doubt in your mind about where the new equipment has come from it should undergo formal PAT Testing. 

Do you want your new electrical good PAT testing before using them? If you still want your equipment testing…

The HSE says “new equipment should be supplied in a safe condition and not require a formal portable appliance inspection or test. However a simple visual check is recommended to verify the item is not damaged“. 

This however does depend on your discretion; for extra safety it is recommended that you do PAT test the appliance, giving you peace of mind, particularly if the appliance is something that could be hazardous or dangerous like a power saw. 

You also need to consider what is meant by ‘new’. New should mean something that is brand new, recently shipped from the manufacturer, and not be something that has been bought from a charity shop, or brought into the business by a member of staff. 

Testing new appliances, that are new to the organisation mean the appliance can be added to your existing asset register. 

How long does a PAT Test Certificate last? The confirmation that your appliance is safe lasts as long as it takes to put the label on, plug it back in and wait until it gets damaged; how long the certificate lasts, kind of depends on that too. Some say the certificate is only as good as the moment the test is done, so that would be pretty pointless. 

A certificate lasts until the appliance is no longer safe, or until a period of time defined by risk assessment has passed. 

Let’s say your risk assessment says that your computer is medium risk and could get damaged if it was moved, and should be tested every year, so in theory if it is tested then its certificate will last a year. However, if the computer is moved within that time frame to a new location, its risk assessment has to be done again, and so does its PAT test. Because it may have got damaged in transit, so who is to say it is still safe? It needs a new PAT Test to check it is safe. 

That’s how long a PAT Test Certificate lasts. 

How long does the PAT test last? Well this question can have different meanings. Do you mean.. 

How long does the PAT test last until it needs doing again? Or does it mean How long does the PAT test last, as in how long it takes to carry out the procedure. If its the first option refer to the answer above for how long does a PAT test Certificate last. 

If it’s the latter, then it depends on the length of your piece of string! Most appliances can have an inspection and test within a few minutes, some will take less time and others a bit more, but ultimately it takes as long as it takes. 

Better that the engineer takes his time, does a thorough job, does any repairs necessary too than rushes and makes a mistake. 

This is a bit clearer than the last question, but the answer is about the same, but we’ll answer it in a different way. This is a good question but not easy to answer as everyone is different; someone experienced may do it in a couple of minutes; someone new to the industry may take 10 minutes. 

We say on average it takes one to two minutes to do a PAT test; around 20 to 30 items in an hour is a good working rate. Good enough to do a good job, spot any faults and repair them. 

So based on that, it’ll take about 3.5 hours to do 100 items; although in some environments we could do a lot more. We estimate to test approximately 200 items in a normal working day. 

Electrical safety is not something that should be rushed; an inspection and test is important, and so it is important it is done right. Too many PAT testing companies are only interested in numbers – quantity over quality. Some bigger firms expect their engineers to test 500 items in a day, which is ridiculous and a good way to miss faults leading to accidents later. 

If I had to give you the answer to this question, I would say “better safe than sorry, get it tested”, but ultimately the final decision is yours. 

Most people say that you don’t need to get new equipment PAT tested but it is up to your company policy

If you are confident that the new equipment you have is safe to use then go ahead and do so; It is generally accepted that new equipment is safe to use as it should have been tested by the manufacturer, but it is possible it got damaged in transit, or that it is not a genuine UK standard appliance – there are plenty of them on the market.

Assuming the appliance is genuine, complete the manufacturers warranty card included or register it online so you are notified of any issues that arise.

However, if there is a chance this new equipment has not been bought from a reputable supplier, or has been bought on a market stall for example then we strongly recommend you get it tested before using it. 

When we next come to test the rest of the equipment we will test the newer kit too. However if more than a year is to pass before our next visit it may be worth getting us in to check the newer kit when it’s a year old.

Whatever decision you make ensure it is an informed one and you are completely sure; as if there is an accident you may be held accountable.

If we fail an appliance we will advise you what to do; either repair it or dispose of it. 

PAT Testing is as much about finding faulty appliances and fixing them as it is about confirming appliances are safe.

If an appliance fails it may be repairable; if we can repair it we will do, but if not we’ll recommend further action. Usually that is one of two options:

• Get it repaired by a specialist
• Dispose of it by appropriate means

When an appliance fails a PAT test we look at the options available for that appliance or customer. If the appliance can be repaired or if it is so dangerous it is beyond repair and needs to be disposed of.

Sometimes the appliance can’t be repaired by us, but could be repaired by a specialist engineer so we recommend you contact an alternate expert, such as the engineer from the company that manufactured the product. For example, if a cooker failed, there may be an internal issue that could be fixed by a domestic appliance engineer.

If the fault is small, like a damaged cable we may be able to cut it back to a safer spot and then reattach the existing plug, or if the plug was sealed, replace it with a new plug. We do this automatically; you won’t see it in the detailed report as we don’t see the point – we have done it in the past but it causes so much confusion we stopped doing it. But we do mention it to you (and we put it in the notes that are supplied with the PAT certificate) so you are aware it has been done, showing the value of the PAT test.

Finding a fault and repairing it gives value to portable appliance testing.

It is common practice to fail faulty electrical equipment, remove it from service and or quarantine it until professional repairs have been carried out.

If an appliance does fail and will be repaired by others, it should be tested either by them or us before going back in to service. If we test it we can remove the failed item from the report, and add the passed appliance.

It is also possible that an appliance fails the PAT Test without actually being faulty, and we are often surprised how few PAT engineers even do this, often stating that they would be scared to do so, even though putting safety first is meant to be the way forward.

There are several reasons why appliances may fail PAT testing, including:

• Incorrect use of the appliance
• Age of the appliance
• Equipment calibration has lapsed
• Incorrect appliance for the task
• Incompetence of the engineer doing the test
• Incorrect readings from the PAT tester
• Incorrect PAT tester for the job
• Incorrect choice of tests
• And you must remember that it is also possible that an appliance that is dangerous and should fail; will get missed by an engineer in a hurry because he is on a ridiculous piece-rate price per item from a cheap pat testing company; putting the lives of your users and your business at risk.

If you choose a competent, reliable PAT testing service provider it will help to reduce the chance of mistakes and address most of the above quickly!

PAT Testing service providers with the right knowledge and experience, such as ourselves, are competent to test electrical appliances in the correct manner; doing the right tests, the right inspections, the right risk assessments, using the correct testers, interpreting the results correctly and being able to certify them for continued use… safely. 

As experienced PAT testers we are fully aware of the right classifications of equipment, and we know what to look for, and what may fail, and we also know the anomalies that may need alternate tests to certify them. 

Inexperienced testers often fail photocopiers, printers and heaters because the results they get were not what they were taught in their classes, but they don’t know what to eliminate and what to take into account. 

For example, appliances with built-in devices that limit voltage such as surge protectors will probably fail the Insulation Resistance Test. and this should be taken into account. 

Appliances with long extension cords such as cable reels, tend to fail the earth continuity test if the correct test limits are not put in place. Using the right PAT tester for the appliance can fix the issue, but there is no substitute for knowledge and experience; the discretion and competence of the person carrying out the test will make a significant difference so the correct results are achieved. 

Items that actually fail tests are usually removed from service with immediate effect, and supervisors, contractors and users suitably notified.

If an appliance fails the test we will recommend it be removed from service; we label it with a red fail label and record it in the report.

Appliances that have failed testing should be easily identifiable – we attach prominent red labels stating “Fail do not use”, which makes it obvious that the appliance should not be used. 

Irrespective of whether the PAT Testing has been done in house or by a hired competent PAT Testing service provider, identifying each piece of equipment and labelling them clearly will go a long way to prevent any serious mishaps when handling portable appliances at the workplace.