Portable Appliance Testing
Procedure
March 2014
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Index of Contents:
1. What is Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)
2. Portable Appliance Equipment Categories
3. Managing PAT in a University Environment
4. PAT External Service Provider Competence
5. PAT Inspection Types
6. Inspection Frequency
7. Duties of ownership of Portable Electrical Equipment
8. PAT Labelling
9. PAT Records
10. Test Equipment Compliance.
11. Monitoring and Auditing.
Additional Information.
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Purpose and Core Principles.
1. What is Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)
Portable equipment is generally equipment that has a power lead (cable) and plug and which
is normally moved around or can easily be moved from place to place. It also includes some
larger pieces of equipment that can be moved but which is generally stationary in a fixed
location and which has a lead and plug e.g. i-printers, larger items of laboratory equipment
such as fridges and freezers.
2. Portable Appliance Equipment Categories
The list outlined below shows typical electrical equipment that would require some form of
PAT test:
1. All electrical equipment in operation fitted with a 13 Amp plug.
2. All equipment typically fitted with a 13A plug though hard wired due to a host
company requirement.
3. All equipment with a detachable mains lead.
4. Mains leads, kettle bases, chargers and power supplies that connect wholly or in
part to the mains electrical supply.
5. Equipment operating at 110V, 230V and 400V connected to the supply by a plug. I.e.
catering equipment.
The above Categories of equipment can be summarised for ease into the following 4 types:
 Hand held
 Mobile
 Stationary
 Information Technology (IT) Equipment
The categories above help to determine the type of test, the frequency of test and the
likelihood of any damage occurring through use or movement of the equipment.
Some exclusions to the PAT schedule will be any equipment that is permanently
connected to the building electrical supply - ‘hard wired’, or three phase
equipment.
3.
Managing PAT in a University Environment
In order to reduce the likelihood of injury or harm occurring from electrical equipment used
throughout the University, it is important that a vigilant approach is adopted in relation to
the management and condition checking of such equipment.
All staff and students must be encouraged to:



Undertake routine visual checks of portable electrical equipment for any
obvious faults before using the equipment;
Not use faulty electrical equipment and immediately report faults
appropriately
Not use equipment for work that has not been appropriately inspected or
tested.
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Faculty and Service area managers and Safety, Health and Wellbeing Coordinators are
responsible for ensuring that arrangements are in place for the regular inspection and
testing of portable electrical appliances within their areas of control, as outlined in this
Guide. In addition management checks will be undertaken when conducting workplace
inspections of offices and other higher risk areas, and any items identified as requiring a
PAT will be dealt with according to their type and classification.
Portable Electrical Equipment may be inspected by faculties or service areas where there
are trained persons competent to undertake the inspections, but where this provision is
not in place then all testing must be undertaken by the approved service provider. Where
faculties and services do not have trained persons in place, they may set up training
courses to enable the PAT, recording and labelling to be undertaken in house.
Items that fail inspection or test must be clearly labeled to denote that they must not be
used until repaired and retested. Precautions must be taken to prevent use in the
interim. All electrical equipment must be purchased in compliance with current EC safety
standards, and be used for the purpose intended by the manufacturer or designer.
4.
PAT External Service Provider Competence
The University has an appointed competent contractor to undertake the bulk of the PAT
across faculties and service areas where there is not an in house provision. The service
provider will work closely with managers and SHW Coordinators to attend site at prearranged times, thus ensuring continuity with previous schedules of testing and equipment
expiry test dates.
All its engineers will have as a minimum training to City and Guilds 2377-20 or equivalent, in
house specific training and will serve a competency probation period.
5.
PAT Inspection Types
User checks.
The user check is a vital safety precaution, as many faults can be identified by a simple visual
inspection. The user is the person most familiar with the equipment and in the best position
to know if equipment is in a safe condition and working properly. The user check is limited to
an external visual inspection without any dismantling of the equipment, such as removal of
covers or plug tops.
These checks do not need to be recorded. However if faults are identified action must be
taken to prevent further use until repair or disposal. The frequency of these checks would
depend upon the equipment type. A simple user checklist is appended to the rear of this
document.
Formal Visual Inspection.
A formal visual inspection is a more detailed visual inspection by a competent person, and
the equipment is labelled to state this inspection has been completed.
The formal visual inspection can be undertaken as the main test for double insulated
equipment in low risk environments.
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Plug tops are generally a cause of electrical faults due to the incorrect fuse rating fitted or
the conductors not being fitted correctly in the terminals. An example of good practice can
be seen in the image above.
The person carrying out the inspection must be trained and competent and if the equipment
fails, it must be immediately removed from use and labelled as failed/faulty and a repair or
disposal undertaken as appropriate.
In-service inspection and test
An in-service inspection and test is a more detailed examination of the equipment, involving:
 insulation resistance test if applicable, or protective conductor current /touch
preliminary inspection (as for a formal visual inspection)
 earth continuity testing (Class I equipment only)
 current test or substitute / alternative leakage test
 a functional test.
The in-service inspection and test must be carried out by a trained and competent person as
nominated by the University (Externally or internally provided).
The table below gives further detail relating to classification of equipment and testing:
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6. Inspection Frequency
Inspection and testing of electrical equipment is a means of assessing if the appliance is safe
or if maintenance or repair is required. The frequency of inspection and testing will depend
upon the likelihood of faults developing and the consequences of lack of maintenance.
Factors which influence this include:
•
The environment (e.g. wet or harsh conditions increase the risk);
•
The users (e.g. use by multiple users or the public, or use limited to one person);
•
The equipment construction (Class I or Class II);
•
The type of equipment e.g. portable, hand held or stationary.
The University appointed service provider has agreed with the University the following
inspection frequency:
Class 1 equipment – 12 monthly
Class 2 & IT equipment – 36 monthly
Typical IT equipment includes: PC’s, Monitors, Printers, Photo Copiers, Fax Machines &
leads.
7. Duties and Ownership of Portable Electrical Equipment.
Equipment manufacturers and suppliers are legally required to ensure that new or second
hand equipment supplied by them is safe for use at work. No formal inspection or test is
required before putting the equipment into first use. New portable electrical equipment
should be checked by the user before use for obvious signs of damage to the plug, cable
or external casing. This can be undertaken on their behalf by someone who has the
appropriate level of Competency.
New equipment should be inspected once it has been installed for 12 months and labelled
as appropriate to bring the test frequency into the scheduled dates. Always consult the
manufacturer’s instructions for further guidance.
Personal staff owned equipment.
The University actively discourages staff from bringing personal equipment into the
University. Communication by Safety Health and Wellbeing Coordinators to relevant
Faculty and Service areas is undertaken at appropriate intervals in line with the University
management of portable electrical equipment and safety Health and Wellbeing internal
audit procedures. In the event that staff do bring in personal equipment an appropriate
PAT test will be undertaken dependent upon the equipment type, age and use before
being put into service.
Student Owned Equipment.
Any equipment used by students that is in an unsafe condition must not be used by
students.
The University will not inspect student electrical equipment as a matter of course, but take
appropriate action if it was reported that hazardous equipment was being used, and
would implement management controls to reduce any further risks to acceptable levels.
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Hired/Leased equipment.
Any equipment hired or leased should be free from defects and fit for its intended use.it is
the duty of the hirer or leasing agent to ensure appropriate management controls are in
place to ensure that any equipment used on University premises is checked and inspected.
Contractors working on behalf of the University must also have equipment on site that
conforms to appropriate Legislation and University local procedures, and must carry out
checks and inspections as appropriate to ensure electrical equipment is free from defect and
fit for purpose.
8. PAT Labelling.
Leads & equipment will be labelled and recorded individually.
Each item will be fitted with a self-adhesive unique reference number with barcode. All
items passing the inspection & test will display a Pass label with next test date.
As a minimum the label will contain the test date, test engineers name and any other
appropriate information required.
Any label showing a Fail means the equipment must be taken out of serviced, labelled as
such and either repaired by a competent person or disposed of.
9. PAT Records.
All equipment will have the location/equipment name/unique reference number/
engineer name and date recorded forming a contemporaneous record. These items will
be displayed within the final report inventory.
All items passing the inspection & test will be recorded on a pass certificate. All failed
items will be detailed on an immediate report issued to the University & further detailed
on a failed item report.
The SHW Coordinator will contact the service provider in good time to arrange a site visit
so that identified items can be tested before the label expiry date.
Reports will be processed & posted to the service provider’s website within 5 workings
days of the last date of inspection.
Further details can be provided at: sales@electrotest.uk.com
10. Service Provider/user Repairs.
Minor repairs will be undertaken by the service provider on the scheduled visit, and these
will be limited to;
 Fuse replacement
 Rewire of plug
 Replacement of plug.
No repairs must be undertaken by the user and any defects should be reported to the
relevant manager to be actioned appropriately.
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11. Test Equipment Compliance.
All service provider engineers will be equipped with suitable test equipment to undertake
the necessary tests as required. Equipment will calibrated annually by a company
traceable to UKAS.
The Seaward range of testers are recommended for use, the “Europa plus” is suitable for
most applications.
These testers can be used to carry out the required tests in automatic or manual mode. A
built in memory bank contains the required records which can be fed into a computer
system. Bar codes can be used to input certain data if fitted.
12. Monitoring and Auditing.
Monitoring and Auditing of all PAT across University areas is undertaken both local to
faculty and service areas, and also through the central SHW team via the annual audit
process.
Local monitoring is undertaken by the relevant area SHW Coordinator to ensure
compliance and an appropriate management process is in place.
Local premise inspections are undertaken by relevant managers/SHW Coordinators and
electrical safety and PAT
Additional Information:
HSE frequently asked questions
http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/faq-portable-appliance-testing.htm
Maintaining Portable Electric Equipment in Low Risk Environments
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg236.htm
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