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If you manage an office's PAT testing you can benefit from a loop hole in the regulations.  Rather than getting all your equipment pat tested every year like you do now you can change it to every 2 or even 3 years instead.  But how can you do this and stay compliant, I hear you ask?  Well let me tell you this... there is nothing anywhere that says you need to get portable appliances tested every year, but everyone does, because that is what is normal, and in some respects, good practice. Annual testing usually means that we keep [...]

Don't leave washing machines, tumble driers and dishwashers running when you're out or asleep Don't leave portable heaters switched on and unattended Don't overload sockets with too many plugs Register your electrical products and check for recalls Always follow the manufacturers guidance when using appliances Don't buy fake electrical goods or cheap imports Don't use damaged electrical appliances

Electrical safety tests on electrical appliances in City of Glasgow College student flats were not carried out due to an oversight, leading to safety concerns.  The error, involved 40 properties, housing hundreds of students, in riverside accommodation on Thistle Street.  Glasgow City Council found that portable appliance test (PAT) certificates were unavailable for the past 2 years.  “It was however noted that historical PAT certification was unavailable. The applicant has been reminded of the need to fully comply with the conditions attached to their licenses and has provided a commitment to ensure this is done in future.” In rented properties [...]

Realistically speaking a PAT certificate expires as soon as the test is over and someone starts using the appliance again, because the results obtained can't predict the future, but in reality most people consider a PAT testing certificate to last around one year. However, how long the time period should be until the appliances are tested again very much depends on a risk assessment. If you have electrical appliances in use at work you should carry out regular risk assessments to determine what is required to ensure they maintain safe standards; this could be annual PAT tests.  Usually a PAT [...]

A British safety standard from 1947 that requires the top hole of the 3-hole socket to have a "shutter" on the inside means that the live and neutral holes can't be accessed until the shutters are opened. That happens when the earth pin of the plug is inserted into the top hole, thus opening the shutter. Only by inserting a plug, with a top pin, can the shutter be opened, which in turn activates the live part of the socket... making the socket safe - so there is no need to cover it; even little children’s fingers won’t open the [...]

Grenfell was a shocking incident (some info), and what it showed us was that electrical appliances do catch fire, they can cause major issues and they should be maintained better. It’s led to all kinds of campaigns and awareness raising such as the need for registering appliances and checking appliances against recall notices - how many appliances are still in rented properties that the landlord doesn’t know have recall notices on them? Potentially hundreds or thousands, and one day they may catch fire, and that may be your fridge in the flat you own with the tenant who trusted [...]