What does PAT testing involve?

PAT testing is a crucial part of your maintenance programme if you either run a business or a suite of properties as a landlord. PAT testing is not only helpful to your tenants and employees in knowing that the appliances they use are safe, but it also gives you peace of mind knowing that nobody in your employ, or living in one of your properties is liable to be harmed in an electrical accident. 

Health and Safety issues are very much at the fore of your business strategy when you’re in charge of people – in whichever capacity that might be. It’s your responsibility to make sure you use a risk-based approach to make sure all your employees or tenants are safe.

What types of electrical appliances need looking at?

They could be anything from laptops to desktops, printers, scanners and kettles, microwaves and hobs in a workplace office and kitchen. In a rented property this might be things like a cooker, fridge, freezer, washing machine – anything that belongs to the landlord and has been provided for the tenant’s use. 

What happens when you have PAT testing done?

An electrician will visit your premises or property, and then test each appliance and see if there are any faults. The equipment they use will be able to detect the slightest anomaly and whatever they find will be placed in a report. You will be expected to act on this and carry out any repairs needed, or in some cases replace with new appliances. They will check and test the wiring too if anything is amiss, e.g. frayed wires, loose casings and cracked and damaged plugs.

It’s important to always use qualified and trained electricians who are registered to carry out such work and carry it out in accordance with the latest guidelines. Routine safety checks of all electrical appliances can only be carried out by those qualified to do so. Their report will be worthless to you if they aren’t, it could also mean that your insurance goes up.

We cannot emphasise enough how important PAT testing is.

It’s all about those routine safety checks that can save lives. It’s the minimum that you can do to keep people safe from harm, especially those who come into contact regularly with portable electrical appliances. This is especially true if you have employees who use the same ones regularly as part of their daily work.

It’s sensible to have regular PAT testing carried out annually because it ensures the safety of your staff and tenants. It applies to all organisations whether it’s a small modest office or a large-scale business with several people and rooms. If there an accident, then you could be liable legally and face a fine or worse. It’s important then to do the right thing and make sure all your electrical appliances are up to standard.

VC Electrical - a competent and certified team of electricians to carry out your Portable Appliance Testing.

Here at VC Electrical we can see any issues with your appliances or signs of wear and tear, and report on them accordingly so you can make all relevant repairs or replacements. We can talk to you about what steps you should be taking once we’ve carried out our tests too. We’re here to help so get in touch today.