What is PAT Testing
PAT testing or Portable Appliance Testing, is a specialised process of testing all portable, electrical appliances to ensure they are safe. Typically it is a routine procedure for people who work with electrical appliances, or have them in a working environment. UK Health and Safety regulations state that all appliances should be deemed as safe. Obviously the safety of these appliances will vary over time which is why appliances should be PAT tested at regular intervals, these intervals with vary dependant on appliance and environment in which they are stored.
If you look around your work environment you will see evidence of PAT testing in the form of safety labels attached to portable appliances such as IT equipment.
Testing frequencies can cause concern with many companies testing for testings sake. British law states that all appliances need to be ‘safe’ (as far as is reasonably possible). This statement is very generic, so further advice can be sought from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) who recommend PAT testing from 3 months for construction equipment and up to 2 years for office IT equipment for example.
Portable Appliance Testing has been abbreviated to PAT, or PAT Testing but if we want to be pedantic the correct term for the process is ‘In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment’!