Last week we carried out our annual Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) on the business park where we are based. Whether you are a landlord, tenant, homeowner, or employer, appliance testing is relevant to us all. Consider all the different types of appliances you use in your everyday life, and that majority of electric shock fatalities are due to faulty appliances.

What is Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)?

PAT involves visual inspections and electronic tests being carried out on electrical appliances to ensure they’re safe for use and conform to Electricity at Work Regulations. PAT applies to all electrical equipment connected by a plug and socket-outlet.

The inspection will involve the following checks:
1) connections inside a plug are correct and secure
2) the fuse inside a plug is of the correct rating
3) no bare wires are visible other than at the terminals inside the plug and appliance
4) There is no sign of internal damage, overheating or entry of liquid, dust or dirt

Who can carry out my PAT testing?

Electrical Safety First recommends that PAT testing is carried out by a PAT competent engineer, or by an electrician that is registered with an industry recognised accreditation like NICEIC. You can find a local, registered electrician HERE.

The competent person carrying out the testing will use a portable appliance test instrument (pictured above) to check the electrical condition of the appliances. Once testing is complete, you should be supplied with a certificate, and asset register. This is your proof that testing has been carried out, and all items are agreed to be safe. If any of your items fail the testing, the engineer should make you aware of this. Furthermore, electrical appliances which have failed testing should be kept out of use until they are repaired/replaced.

Is PAT testing a legal requirement?

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) legislation states that all employers have a legal obligation to maintain all electrical equipment. Furthermore, many insurance companies now request that PAT testing is carried out. If you are a landlord, as part of the Landlord and Tenancy Act 1985, you are required to ensure that all appliances you supply are safe for continued use. As mentioned above, we all use a number of electrical appliances in our everyday life. Therefore its important to make sure they’re safe! We recommend annual portable appliance testing.

If you would like PAT testing carried out on your premises in St Albans, London or Hertfordshire or would like to find out more information, please do not hesitate to contact us HERE.

We talk a lot in our posts about how we help house holders with their electrics, but did you know that Fulcher Edwards are also industrial electrical contractors? We are just as at home working in industrial areas such as factories, warehouses, and car plants as we are working in offices and our clients homes.

Our team of expert and highly experienced industrial electricians in St Albans, London and Hertfordshire, work in a variety of industrial areas. Carrying out electrical maintenance, commissioning, testing of new installation, and ensuring the workplace remains not only electrically and fire safe, but also safe from a Health and Safety aspect.

What do we do?

You’ll normally find one of our industrial electricians busily carrying out testing, repairing or maintenance of machinery. Fully operational machinery is integral to business success and here at Fulcher Edwards we are committed to keeping operational downtime to an absolute minimum. Of course we will talk to you, our client, in full detail about what to expect whilst we carry out electrical work on your behalf, and to this end we are happy to work at a time that suits you. This includes evenings, weekends, and even overnight if required.

Expert advice from Hertfordshires leading electricians

At Fulcher Edwards, we go much further than simply carrying out industrial electrical work. We work with our clients designing and installing electrical installations that not only save money on energy costs and maintenance, but also work to promote employee comfort and essentially Health and Safety. One of the key projects we worked upon was in a printing factory replacing the outdated flickering ‘tube’ lighting. The main requirement during the factory refurbishment project was to find a lighting solution to overcome the outdated florescent tubes. As they were distorting the movement of machinery. The flickering of the lights made dangerous components of the printing press appear as if they were moving, when in fact they were still. (There were no ghosts involved!!)

The new lighting also produced dramatic energy savings and far improved performance.

How to find a good industrial electrician

We often get asked the question what is the difference between a domestic and industrial electrician? The rough answer is quite a bit! It is very important that when you hire an industrial electrician that they have experience working in an industrial environment. Unfortunately we have seen evidence on industrial jobs of domestic electricians attempting industrial work which they have no experience of. For example, we often come across PAT testing stickers on industrial machinery. PAT testing is for small electrical appliances.  PAT testing equipment is not suitable for testing on Industrial machinery.

Industrial electrical work advice

If you have an industrial electrical project coming up, and you’d like some advice, please do contact us HERE. We are always happy to discuss your best and most cost effective options.