Sam Crudgington

PAT Testing isn’t just a ‘nice to have’. It’s a necessity for keeping your electrical equipment in check, and most importantly, you and those around you safe. As with every requirement, there are lots of misconceptions surrounding PAT Testing. In this blog entry, we’ll aim to bust some of the most common PAT testing myths we have heard from our clients.

Toaster Checks

Lots of businesses will claim that items such as toasters need to be inspected annually. Strictly speaking, this isn’t true. Generally, every 2 years is a good enough time frame to stick to.

PAT Testing the PAT Tester

So often people forget that the PAT testing equipment itself needs maintaining too! If you own testing equipment, it should be calibrated on an annual basis. This also needs to be done by a competent person. This can come at a cost and usually takes around 5 days; frustrating maybe, but you can NOT put a price on safety!

PAT testing myths Total Safe UK South East Essex fire safety solutions fire safety servicesCompetent Testers

Signing up these half a day ‘train the tester’ type courses and ad-hoc buying your own kit really isn’t a suitable way of keeping up with your PAT testing responsibilities. PAT Testing should be carried out by a competent person. That means someone with the right experience, attitude and skills for the job. If you are booking yourself onto a course, we urge you to make sure its an accredited company. Be 110% sure you fit the description of a ‘competent person’.

New Equipment

If you’ve recently purchased some brand-new electrical equipment for your office, it doesn’t actually need PAT testing straight away. Whilst it is always better to be safe than sorry, and if you can get it tested (perhaps at the same time as other items you have that are due for testing), you should; it is not actually a legal requirement. Our advice is to always carry out a visual inspection on any new equipment and if your checks flag any concerns, arrange for the item to be tested before use. PAT Testing myths - Total Safe UK Essex and the South East Essex fire safety services fire safety solutions

At Total Safe, we have a no-nonsense approach to ALL areas of Health & Safety. Whether it is PAT testing or Risk Assessments and everything else in between, our goal is to keep our clients safe 100% of the time.

For more information on these PAT testing myths and our PAT testing services, contact our dedicated team on 01375 265950 or email us at [email protected].