Is Portable Appliance Testing Really Necessary?

PAT Testing, or Portable Appliance Testing is the regular safety testing of 'portable' electrical equipment such as computers, microwave ovens, hair dryers, power tools and even bulky fridge freezers. Such equipment, when used in the workplace, school or college and public buildings such as shops, restaurants and bars, need to be safe to use by all, regardless of whether they are employers, employees, students or members of the public. All electrical equipment can deteriorate or develop a fault at any point during its working life which could cause injury or death if an appliance goes unchecked and a fault goes unnoticed.

In order to ensure that all portable electrical appliances are safe to use, regular portable appliance testing should to be carried out by a suitably competent person. PAT testing is designed to find any potential electrical shock risks or fire hazards which may arise in faulty equipment, to highlight any earthing problems and potential overloading issues as well as identifying any other faults or problems. Each tested appliance deemed safe for use will be given a  'passed' label which is signed and dated by the testing PAT engineer. Any equipment found to be faulty should be either repaired or removed so it cannot be used, as defective electrical equipment can cause injury or death. Should an incident arise and it is found that you, as the person responsible for maintaining the appliances failed to have your electrical equipment PAT tested regularly,  may be in breach of the electricity at work legislation. You may also void your insurance cover.

General day to day use can create hazards in many electrical appliances as well as exacerbate existing problems. Portable appliance testing aims to identify any issues which present either an immediate threat, or  a potential threat that could develop into something more serious. Such testing checks that there are no abrasions or cuts in the power cable and that the plug is correctly wired, earthed and the plug casing is intact. PAT testing also checks that the appliance casing is not cracked or damaged and there are no missing parts such as a terminal cover.

By using a PAT tester, a qualified PAT engineer can also identify internal issues such as earth continuity and earth leakage tests as well as many other potential issues. Such tests are essential when providing safe environment for all, however bear in mind that a piece of electrical equipment can develop a fault at any time, regardless of how recently it has been PAT tested. If an appliance has been dropped and damaged, emits a 'burning' odour or develops any other symptom which could affect is electrical safety, then it's essential to remove the item from use and have it checked and tested by a qualified electrician as soon as is practically possible.