“More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that Hawkesworth Appliance Testing has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example, which hopefully will be followed by other companies within their industry.”
James Ostler MD, National Britannia Group (Safecontractor)
PAT and counterfeit electrical appliances
As well as its vital role in preventing workplace injuries and fires, portable appliance inspection and testing is also one of the main ways in which dangerous counterfeit electrical equipment is identified.
At last year’s ESC Product Safety Conference, BEAMA summarised the problems related to the infiltration of traditional supply chains by counterfeit electrical equipment that had not been subject to normal compliance testing and certification.
- Approx £30 million of counterfeit electrical products entered the UK market in 2010
- Counterfeit electrical products include everything from domestic appliances, to cables and leads, lighting products, power tools and wiring accessories
- 12.9 million counterfeit products have been seized and destroyed in the last 10 years
By carrying out the scheduled testing of all workplace electrical equipment and identifying common faults, PAT programmes have helped to uncover the presence of counterfeit goods that has entered conventional appliance supply chains.