PAT Testing in the Workplace
Guest Post – for our UK readers
Portable Appliance Testing or PAT is a common practice that can help in safety management within the workplace. This mode of testing is used to determine whether the electrical appliance is safe to use or not. Many people believe that PAT testing is an expensive and technical procedure but it proves to have more benefits in the long run.
Why do you need PAT testing?
In most workplaces, all the in-house electrical devices are usually connected to the main electrical supply. If any of these appliances have an error in them then the entire electrical set up can be affected by it. So to avoid any accidents, most appliances are built with precautionary options. These protections are mainly of two types, class I and class II.
Under class I protection the electrical appliances are connected to the earth pin of the main wires. This ensures that even if the appliance gets overheated due to an internal error, the person using it won’t be affected. And in class II protection the electrical appliance has two layers of insulation to avoid any accidents.
Regulations of PAT testing
The importation and manufacturing of electrical appliances is managed by the European Low Voltage Directive. If a product is associated with this then the compliance needs to be shown using a marking. The CE mark indicates the compliance on any product. The manufacturer of the product is responsible for this and it is governed by the Trading Standards.
How to plan your PAT testing?
The first thing that you need to do before you start your PAT testing is to make a list of all the electrical appliances within your workplace. For each of the items you need to make a list of maintenance checks that have been conducted. Make sure you base these maintenance checks on the basis of the protection provided within the appliance.
Once you have completed the maintenance checks, make sure you tabulate your results and keep them recorded for future references. Also ensure that you label your electrical appliances at the end of the maintenance checks. For detailed information on this, you can buy a PAT testing handbook for your reference.
Implementing PAT testing
The Health and Safety Executive suggests three methods for maintenance tasks, such as visual inspections, user checks and combined inspections. User checks are basically used to encourage you to be more critical of your surroundings. If you think that something is wrong with an appliance then you should report it.
Under visual inspections you need to physically inspect the cables and electrical wires of all the appliances. You also need to visually inspect the plug. After you are done with your inspection you need to record all your observations. In the combined testing method you need to use a PAT tester. There are several types of PAT testers available in the market but the ones with the pass or fail option are the easiest to use. These PAT testers are user-friendly, you just need to plug in your electrical appliance in them and the tester will tell you if the appliance is safe or not.
The PAT testing method is actually very straightforward. You only need to maintain records and frequently check appliances and doing do you avoid hazards within your workplace.
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