Portable Appliance Testing

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Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is the inspection & testing of in-service electrical equipment to ensure compliance with the Electricity at Work Regulations. Many of you will be familiar with the ‘checked for electrical safety’ stickers applied to equipment used in the workplace where testing is often carried out annually. We offer this service both for commercial and domestic customers.

A PAT test is a routine inspection of some types of electrical appliance to check they are safe to use. Its purpose is to prevent electrical accidents in the workplace.

A full PAT test should include both a visual inspection and a more in-depth check using specialist PAT testing equipment.  This test includes earth continuity, lead polarity, and insulation resistance checks.

While PAT testing its self is not a compulsory requirement, the law does require an employer to ensure that their electrical equipment is maintained in order to prevent danger. It does not say how this should be done or how often. PAT testing is the most recognised industry method of ensuring safety.

Because of this, the word ‘portable’ is a bit misleading. There are actually 7 categories of appliance which should be considered for PAT testing or, at least, visual inspections:

–   Fixed appliances
–   Stationary appliances
–   IT appliances
–   Moveable appliances
–   Portable appliances
–   Cables and chargers
–   Hand Held appliances

Not all electrical items need to be PAT tested.  We explain more in the section ‘Which items should be PAT tested?’ further down this page.

There are 2 main factors that determine whether or not an item should be PAT tested:

–   The electrical ‘class’ of the item
–   The ‘category’ of the item

Electrical appliances are mainly categorised as Class 1, 2 or 3, with Class 1 being the most dangerous and Class 3 the least dangerous.

The class of an appliance helps determine whether it needs to be PAT tested and to what degree.  Class 1 appliances need a full PAT test, Class 2 appliances need a PAT insulation test, and Class 3 appliances don’t need to be PAT tested at all.

Class 1 appliances
This type of electrical equipment has only basic insulation and relies on an earth for protection.

Class 2 appliances
This type of electrical equipment has extra insulation and so doesn’t rely on an earth for protection, which makes it safer.

Class 3 appliances
Class 3 appliances are low voltage items and are the safest class of electrical appliance. Their charging leads may need to be PAT tested.

If you would like more information on PAT testing or would like to appoint us to undertake your PAT testing please get in touch.