Pat Testing Bridgwater

Role of a PAT Tester
PAT testing is statutory and insurance companies require compliance with latest regulations. Its basic role is to reduce the danger of electric shock and fire by detecting faults and potential safety hazards. Equipment that need PAT (portable appliance testing) checks include computers, monitors, printers and photocopiers in an office, and hand and bench tools in a workshop. PAT standards are contained in the code compiled by the Institution of Electrical Engineers.
What does a PAT tester do?
A PAT tester inspects electrical appliances that plug into wall socket or generator to ensure that they meet health and safety standards. The visual and electrical tests are carried out at regular intervals depending on the type of equipment and its place of use.
Who employs a PAT tester?
UK Health and Safety legislation places a responsibility on organisations to ensure that electrical equipment within their premises is safe to use. A PAT tester will be needed at offices, workshops, hospitals, schools, hotels, shops and other public establishments.
Businesses supplying, hiring, repairing or servicing appliances will also require the services of a PAT tester. Besides specialist jobs for PAT testers, employers often look to hire people who can carry out PAT testing as part of a wider job profile.
Maintenance engineers, service engineers, IT technicians are among those who often double as PAT testers.
Who can become a PAT tester?
According to the code of practice, the person performing the inspections and conducting the testing must possess sufficient technical knowledge or experience to ensure prevention of injury. It also says that Electrical testing must be carried out by someone who is proficient in handling test equipment, and is skilled at interpreting the test results.
He should know how to inspect the equipment and, if needed, be able to disassemble it and check the wiring. There is no ‘official’ qualification. However, some insurance companies and official organisations prefer people with professional training and experience.
You do not need to be a qualified electrician to become a PAT tester, but it is useful to have some basic electrical knowledge. You must also complete the City & Guilds course if you want to pursue PAT testing as an independent career.
What kind of equipment is required?
Several types of equipment are available. They cost between a few hundred pounds to a few thousand pounds. The pass/fail PAT testers are the cheapest and are the most basic devices. They don’t display full results but just show if a device has passed or failed the test.
Then there are pass/fail testers that display results. They do not perform all tests, and do not allow configuration of test parameters.
Manual PAT testers are better than these basic devices. They require better understanding but do not allow downloading of data. Downloadable PAT tester is the top high-end model. It has advanced features such as LCD display, QWERTY keyboard, and internal memory storage. It can be connected to a PC for downloading test data into software packages.