Cut price PAT testing could mean corners are cut too!

With the financial crisis having more sequels than Pirates of the Caribbean, it's no wonder that many companies are shopping around in order to find the best price possible for many of the products and services they require. This could be anything from printer paper to insurance to portable appliance testing. The latter being the focal point of this article. As we all know, you get what you pay for and as far as the layman is concerned, PAT testing appears to be little more than putting a green sticker on every electrical appliance in your premises. The problem arises when companies or sole traders are offering PAT testing services at prices which are quite literally too good to be true.

When portable appliance testing is carried out properly, each appliance is visually inspected to ensure that the casing, power cable and plug casing are all undamaged. Once the appliance has been visually inspected, testing the appliance with a PAT tester is then undertaken. This is where any potential faults which cannot be visually identified will be brought to light as the PAT tester will check for polarity, earthing and resistance. If all is well the testing engineer will attach a 'passed' sticker to the appliance which will be signed and dated. Should the appliance fail the test, it should be labelled with a 'failed' sticker and removed from use. This is where it has been reported that some 'cheaper than cheap' testing electricians are not fulfilling their role when providing portable appliance testing services.

Cut price often means cut corners and it has been reported that in some cases, electrical testing jobs are so rushed that it appears the time taken writing out the 'passed' label takes longer than the actual testing. Although the vast majority of trades people are well trained, honest and proud of the services they provide, there are a handful of charlatans out there who will take advantage of the credit crunch by offering prices which are too good to be true yet provide services which fail to deliver. If a faulty electrical appliance is incorrectly deemed as safe for use, it could result in either a serious injury or death of either yourself, one of your employees or one of your customers.

It is essential that if you are tempted by electrical testing services which seem too good to be true, then make sure they are members of organisations such as NAPIT; the National Association of Professional Inspectors & Testers. But don't just take a NAPIT logo on their van or website for granted, double check that they are actually a member by checking on the NAPIT website, or the website of any organisation they claim to be accredited by.