The benefits of working with a local Portable Appliance Tester Working with a PAT tester Just because you don’t have your own in-house Health and Safety specialist, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have access to the best health and safety services. The HSE is awash with useful information but where do you start? It's hard, you need to concentrate on what most affects your business, but not doing something because you didn't look into it, doesn't wash when something goes wrong. I read Health and Safety for dummies when I was starting out - god that was boring! But it taught me some useful information. I can show you what you need to know, in regards to PAT testing. By working with me, a Portable Appliance Tester, you can learn about the importance of maintaining safe electrical equipment; or you can just hand it over and we'll get on with it. You are required by law in the UK to maintain safe electrical equipment – regular inspections and tests help you do this, and provide you with documentary evidence to prove you are taking action; this is called PAT Testing. We have been providing PAT [...]

Plugs without Sleeved Pins Plugs without Sleeved Pins Plugs without sleeves on the pins - these plugs have not been manufactured in the UK for 40 years! This makes the plug very old, and you have to ask yourself, does it still meet British Standards? British Standards today require plugs to have sleeved pins; in the past they didn't. From a PAT test point of view there is no specific requirement to 'fail' this item but from a safety point of view, best practice would recommend it. In 1984 the British Standard BS1363 was amended to include the live and neutral pins must have an insulated sleeve. Almost 40 years later we are still finding these plugs on appliances. Plugs sold in the UK have been covered by statutory regulation since 1987 which requires them, legally, to meet BS1363. Although there is no official requirement to replace the plug, if the plug is on an appliance that is to be hired out, sold, or used in rental accommodation, it is covered by the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 so the plug will need to be replaced to meet [...]

Are your staff returning to the office or working from home? It's nearly 2 years since Mr Johnson (the Prime Minister) announced we were all to lockdown and work from home, and even now some of us are still doing that, whilst others have returned or are planning to return to work. We're not talking parties at the office, we mean proper work, the place people go to do their work. Whichever category you or your business falls into you need to consider this... If your staff have returned to work, or you are planning to return to work - you need to get all their appliances PAT tested asap; because they may have been mistreated at home, or in transit back to work, they may have added something that's not to safe standards, or simply for your insurance. You need to get your PAT testing brought up to date. Remember, something that is damaged may be a fire risk. If you are planning to bring staff back to the office in the future, and we have not kept the equipment in the office up to date, then that needs doing too, ideally before they get back, [...]

DRA's PAT testing labels We use our own professional branded company labels; we have used labels in this format and colour scheme for many years. Every label has its own unique ID number, which matches just one appliance in our database; the appliance it is attached to. Each label is pre-printed with the month and year the test takes place; it doesn't need the retest date on as that has not been a requirement since 2012. Showing the date the test took place is the most important, and the PAT Testing Certificate Report you get shows the a actual date in the month. Our company logo and contact details are on there too. Whilst the engineers name is not shown on the label to reduce wastage, it does reflect on the reports. You'll see our labels all over the North East, as we have tested appliances in literally hundreds of businesses; so if you need your North East PAT testing doing get in touch.

What you need to know about PAT Testing 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 [...]

Why PAT Test? 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.  PAT Testing is one of the most effective methods to minimise the electrical risks of faulty appliances to users; and it allows duty holders to fulfil their Health and Safety obligations to the regulations including: The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, by taking measures to minimise electrical hazards by inspecting and testing electrical equipment The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which places the responsibility of health and safety of persons [...]

Can I PAT test my own equipment? Yes, you can PAT test your own equipment; if you are a competent person with the relevant training, knowledge, equipment and time. It is essential that you or someone in your business is competent in electrical safety if you/they are going to carry out PAT testing. A competent person should: have good knowledge of electricity have experience of electrical work know how to carry out a visual inspection know how to carry out a portable appliance test understand the potential hazards of electricity & precautions to take when carrying out a PAT test be able to assess whether it is safe to do a PAT test If you decide to do your own PAT testing we would strongly recommend taking a PAT testing course as it’s important to perform the PAT tests correctly. Providing you meet all these competencies there is no real reason why you shouldn't do your own PAT testing, however, bare in mind that you need paperwork to confirm your equipment is safe - a specialist PAT Testing company will be able to provide you with a PAT Certificate. Enroll on a PAT testing training course [...]

We are available for bookings during Covid-19 lockdown 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.  Operating during the Covid-19 Pandemic 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 [...]

What are surge protectors for? 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. How does a surge protector work? 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, [...]

Do new electricals need PAT testing? Does new equipment need PAT testing? 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 [...]