What happens if an appliance fails a PAT test? 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 [...]

Electrical Socket Testing & Replacement We all hope that sockets have been installed by a sparky that knows what he is doing, so the chances of a wiring fault are low, so is there a need for you to be charged £39.99 to have a socket tester plugged in to every socket? Probably not. However, there is a good chance that a socket has been broken or damaged, and thus will need repair or replacement, and that is where your PAT tester comes in. Sockets do get broken, we see it a lot, and if we find a broken socket we'll tell you. We can even fix it for you; providing you're happy for the power to be turned off to do the job, so we may need to arrange to do it out of hours. Internal damage to the socket connectors is often caused by your users, either from using appliances with plastic pins that are not suitable for use, or metal pins with the incorrect dimension for a British socket. For example plastic 'socket protectors' or 'socket protective covers'; wrongly used in educational establishments are not made to any British Standard and the [...]

  In order to perform a Portable Appliance Test an appliance needs to be shut down and unplugged; this includes server systems. If you don't shut down the server the PAT engineer can't carry out the appropriate tests, so there is no way of knowing if the server is safe. PAT engineers who put labels on servers and record the appliances without testing anything are doing just that - that's not a safety check; it's simply an audit or asset register. If the server is not turned off all the engineer does is a very basic visual inspection, which doesn’t check the plugs and connections, nor is he able to unplug the appliance to test the earth and insulation. It could be that a fire-risk fault still remains. By not turning off the server you have taken responsibility for the safety of it, so if anything happens it is you that is responsible. It is not recommended that this process be allowed to continue. Best Thing To do We strongly advise that you arrange for your IT department to shut down the servers so we can test them correctly. We do not recommend that servers be left running indefinitely without [...]

How will the PAT Test affect you? How will the PAT Test affect you? Hopefully not too much; if we work together we should be able to manage the process so there is as little disruption as possible to you and your team. One good way to do that is for you to have a ‘route plan’ in mind; plan a route around your site that is best suited to it, so we’re disturbing staff as little as possible. This is especially good for doctor’s surgeries that are open or factories with dangerous equipment in use. When we carry out the tests the appliance will need turning off – it needs unplugging to be tested so can’t be in use. If it’s a computer, the user will need to save all work and shut it down; if there is a bank of desks all running off multi-use extension leads the whole bank will need to shut down. It’ll also be easier for all of us if the user could leave their work area whilst we do ours. It takes around ten minutes to test a computer, so it’s enough time for a quick coffee break, or for [...]

Check out the Latest Product Recalls This is where you can check out the latest product recalls, using this excellent tool created by our clever friends over at Electrical Safety First.  If you follow the news you will be aware of the importance of making sure your electrical appliances are registered such as the Whirlpool washing machines mass recall. If you have registered your appliances, if there are ever any safety notices placed on them, you can be informed. In the past when we bought electrical goods they had a postcard inside to complete, which registered the appliance to you so the manufacturer would contact you if there were any issues. But over time, as our lives have got busier we have got complacent and stopped filling the in.  Now, to make our lives a bit easier, in this technological world an online register has been created.  When the risk is the appliance may catch fire, you should want to be informed. We have a landlord who suffered this problem; she had not registered her products and was not aware, until it was too late that she had a dishwasher that was a fire risk in her [...]

To make sure they are safe - dangerous appliances can give users electric shocks and start fires. PAT testing reduces the chances of that happening There are valid arguments for why you should get portable appliances tested, and there are arguments against getting appliances tested; usually created by people that don't understand why it is done.  Electrical appliances are made to perform a function; an electric heater is designed to warm a room, a television is intended to be watched, a drill is built to drill holes in walls - these are all valid reasons for an electrical appliance to be made and they are what you, the consumer, sees the appliance as being.  From the other side, whilst I still watch the television, use the drill to make holes and heat a room with a heater I am also aware of what can go wrong if I don't maintain each of these appliances.  Electricity is very dangerous, but we are protected from it by the safety elements built into the appliances we use, so that when the power travels through the appliance we do not get a shock if we touch it, but what happens if that safety [...]

What is portable appliance testing? Portable Appliance Testing is also called PAT testing, so the question "What is PAT testing?" carries the same answer. There is actually a lot more content on that page so we recommend you go there if you really want to know the answer. If you simply want to get some portable appliance testing carried out, contact us - our details are below.  Portable appliance testing is a routine procedure including an inspection and possibly a series of tests conducted on electrical appliances to make sure they are safe to be used.  The purpose of the PA test is to prevent or reduce the chance of electrical accidents in the workplace. A full appliance test, sometimes referred to as 'inspection and testing' should include both a visual inspection by a competent person and one or more tests using specialist testing equipment. These tests could include tests for earth continuity, lead polarity and insulation resistance - basically, checking that the internal safety features of the appliance are working correctly.  Some appliances need the earth and insulation testing, others just the insulation, and leads require a polarity test.  At the end of a test, providing the [...]

Get a PAT Test Certificate - everything you need  A PAT testing Certificate is an important document to keep in your company's Health and Safety file; in fact it could be essential. If there is an accident at your workplace, caused by a faulty electrical appliance, the investigators are going to want to see evidence that you have done everything you can to ensure that the appliance was safe. A recent PAT test report, which shows that appliance was safe within a reasonable amount of time leading up to the accident, could be a valuable document, as it could just be your 'get out of jail free' card. A PAT record is going to show that you did get the appliance checked to make sure that it was safe, and the check did show that the appliance was safe. Having that document is going to give you evidence that you have done what was expected of you, to ensure the equipment was safe to use. You can give yourself this peace of mind, by getting us, DRA PAT testing, in to inspect and test your electrical equipment to make sure it is safe to use, and to [...]

Making sure your equipment continues to be safe shouldn't be too difficult, and in most cases you will pass PAT testing if you equipment is maintained; you see, as long as your equipment is as safe on the day of the test as it was the day it was made, the appliance is going to pass. Appliance testing ultimately is about confirming what we already know; confirming the appliance we are using is safe to be used - the fact we have not had an electric shock would suggest it is safe to be used, but a PAT test will make sure everything is correct and there are no issues we've not yet considered that may lead to an issue in the future.  To make sure you're equipment will pass pat testing: Keep it clean Maintain it Get any repairs done by a competent person Don't trail leads in areas they may get damaged That's 4 good starting points.  This is not to suggest that if you do all this you don't need to get appliances tested; you still should do that, because you may not have the knowledge and skills the engineer has and thus you may miss a [...]

What is "PAT" - What does "PAT" stand for? 'PAT' is an acronym abbreviation shorthand or slang term that stands for 'Portable Appliance Testing' PAT is a process of inspecting and testing portable electrical appliances; a portable appliance is any electrical appliance that is powered from a plug and socket outlet.  The PAT process involves visually inspecting an appliance, and carrying out a sequence of PAT tests using a test machine. You can find more information about this on our PAT testing information page.  This makes the word portable misleading, as it has nothing to do with whether you can move the appliance. In fact a portable appliance can be fixed to the wall (providing it has a plug - not those directly wired into the mains), stationery equipment such as fridges and washing machines, IT equipment like computers and printers, movable equipment like televisions and microwave ovens, portable equipment such as toasters and kettles, detachable leads, extension cables and hand-held appliances.