What is Portable Appliance Testing?
Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is an important part of a company’s or individual’s responsibility to health and safety. This is done using a series of specialised PAT testing procedures on your appliances.
What does the testing consist of?
First of all we do a visual inspection, checking for:
* Damaged flexes
* Damaged plugs and equipment (overheating, burn marks, discolouration)
* Correctly wired plugs
* Correctly rated fuse
Then a series of tests (depending on the class of equipment), they may include
* Earth continuity testing
* Insulation resistance
* Polarity test
* Earth leakage test
Why use M Jones PAT?
We are a specialist company dealing exclusively in Portable Appliance Testing, all our testing is carried out in accordance with The Institute of Electrical Engineers’ (IEE) code of practice and our engineers are City & Guilds qualified.
We pride ourselves on tailoring our service to the clients’ needs, and we believe in being up front about how we do business; our customers don’t get a shock when they get the bill – our prices are all-inclusive and we don’t charge extra for things like replacing fuses and rewiring plugs.
What is classed as a Portable Appliance?
A portable appliance is any equipment which is powered between 40 and 240 volts and which is connected to the electrical mains through a plug, usually 13 amp, but we are also able to test both 110 volt and 240 volt wet weather equipment.
Do I have to get my equipment PAT tested?
The law states that all equipment must be in a safe condition and fit for use. See Regulation 4 (2) of the Electricity At Work Regulations 1989.
With a regular maintenance schedule in place PAT Testing ensures that all equipment is safe and fit for use.
In the Health & Safety At Work Act 1974, all employers have a legal duty to provide safe plant and equipment, and every employer must ensure that equipment must be maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and good repair.
How often do my appliances have to be PAT Tested?
This will be dependent on your company’s risk assessment and maintenance schedule. If your company does not have these documents for PAT testing we can help with this.
Does PAT Testing affect our insurance cover?
Insurance companies assume that when giving insurance cover to a business, the owners of that business are complying with all regulations necessary. An insurance company may reduce, delay or even refuse to pay on a claim for damage if an appliance that has not been tested has caused the damage.
What areas do you cover?
We PAT test across the South East of England, but concentrate mainly on the Sussex area and Brighton and Hove in particular.
How much will my PAT Testing cost?
This will depend on how many items need testing. Please see our pricing guide.
If you have a quote from another company give us a call and we may be able to beat it.
How long will the PAT testing take?
We can do between 10 and 15 electrical tests per hour, this is dependent on access and availability of the items.
Will the PAT Testing be disruptive?
During Portable Appliance Testing we try to minimise any disruption by only disconnecting items as we test them.
We can work outside of business hours or at weekends if this helps.
If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.