Portable appliance testing (PAT) is the term used to describe a process of inspecting and testing electrical appliances to ensure they are safe to use. Electrical appliance testing will find most electrical safety defects, in fact most will be found during a visual inspection by a competent PAT engineer but other defects will only be found by “PAT” testing.
It is essential to understand that visual examination is an essential part of the process because some types of electrical safety defect can’t be detected by testing alone; in fact some appliances don’t even need testing (or can’t be).
Formal visual inspection and testing by a competent person may be required at appropriate intervals, depending upon the type of equipment and the environment in which it is used
