Portable Appliance Inspection and Testing or P.A.T. Testing as it is often referred to, is an important part of any Health & Safety Policy. It is an electrical inspection and testing program for all of the electrical equipment in the workplace or public domain.
It is a legal requirement that that any electrical system be constructed, maintained and used in such a way as to prevent danger. As a result a system of inspection and testing is needed in order to determine the need for maintenance.
Portable appliance testing forms part of the regular maintenance of your equipment. P.A.T. is preventative maintenance, it helps to reduce the risk of electric shock, burns or faults which could result in fire or explosion in circumstances where electricity could cause ignition.
This periodic inspection and testing also helps to provide an accurate audit of all electrical equipment on your premises with each item being uniquely labelled and logged with details of appliance, serial no. and location as well as test results
Ireland is presently having legislation compiled to give us P.A.T. Testing standards. Presently EU Laws, HSA and the IEE regulations cover this matter. Many Insurance companies now expect in-service inspection and testing of portable appliances to be carried out.
When an appliance passes the P.A.T. a safety certificate is issued and a label attached to the appliance indicating compliance and other relevant information.
P.A.T. Services will then issue a comprehensive report for each item. This report must be maintained for future reference for a period of five years. P.A.T. Services however maintain a comprehensive database of all tests carried out for our clients for this period free of charge.
Earth Bond
This verifies the integrity of the earth on the appliance. The tester, a Seaward Supernova Plus, can also check IT equipment through an approved test that uses reduced test current which will not damage electronic equipment.
Insulation Test
This verifies that the insulation on the appliance as a whole is sufficient to isolate the live conductors from the earthed parts of the appliance.
Earth Leakage Test
A further insulation test used under operating conditions which is useful if the appliance is causing nuisance tripping of RCD’s
Run Test
Ensures the appliance is not drawing excess current on start up
Polarity Test
Used to verify the polarity of leads etc.
P.A.T. testing ensures that all electrical appliances are in a safe working order and that they are being used in the correct environment. Over time it may highlight deterioration in certain appliances and hence prevent possible hazards in the future.
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