Electrical Equipment (PAT) Testing

PAT Testing, now internally referred to as Electrical Equipment Testing (customers will probably continue to call it PAT testing for a long time to come) is the easiest and most efficient method for ensuring electrical equipment used at work is safe to continue using, thus preventing or reducing the risk of accident and fire.

By law in the UK, a workplace is required to carry out ‘preventative maintenance’ – ongoing maintenance to prevent risk. The documentation you get following the inspection will provide you with evidence should the worst happens, providing of course that the company you use to test electrical equipment actually includes said information… most do not. This you need to take into account when choosing a PAT tester. If you go for the cheapest bidder you probably won’t get the service you’re expecting. The report you get needs to detail the maintenance carried out, such as ‘broken plug replaced’ or ‘correct fuse fitted’, etc. Even some of the biggest companies in the country do not supply this information as standard.

When we PAT Test we check the structural integrity of each appliance under inspection, to make sure it is as it should be, and if not, if possible, we repair it. Appliances that cannot be repaired will fail our inspection, be taken out of service and we will provide you with guidance on what to do next.

PAT testing is officially referred to as In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (ISITEE), which determines whether equipment is fit for continued use, or whether maintenance or replacement is required.

We’ve been PAT testing in workplaces across the UK since 2009 – we’re experts in our field, so you can be assured you’re in safe hands when you choose to work with us.

Our engineers are highly trained, qualified and competent to inspect and test electrical equipment. We also have passed DBS checks. Staff undergo regular Health and Safety training and hold CSCS cards.

All items are tested in accordance with the latest British Standards, PATTA and IET guidance.

✔ Hand held appliances such as hair driers and blenders

✔ IT equipment, laptop power supplies and computers

✔ White Goods and portable Kitchen appliances

✔ Integrated kitchen appliances and fixed electrical equipment

✔ Extension leads, RCDs, and other adaptors

✔ IT Server racks, and other stationery electrical equipment

✔ Power tools including 110v items and transformers

✔ Industrial machinery including 400v / 3phase

When choosing a company to do your PAT testing, you want one that is going to make the process easy, efficient and with minimal disruption to your business. That’s what we give you. We know there is not a once size fits all approach, and that we have to be flexible to different sectors and workplaces – we have enough experience to manage this easily.

We also don’t bother you with need for repairs etc – we just do them. If a plug needs fixing, changing or rewiring, we just do it. Plugs, fuses and spare parts are often supplied free of charge (in fact we only charge if there’s a lot, or the parts are particularly expensive, and in those cases we quote before doing). We add notes about these repairs to our report, which keeps you compliant with ‘preventative maintenance‘.

If an appliance can’t be repaired by us, we will guide you as to the best course of action. We mark it as failed, which removes any danger from accidental use, remove the fuse as a safety precaution, and advise you of action to take. If you can get it repaired elsewhere, we’ll come back to retest it, often for free.

If during the inspection we spot anything you can do to improve electrical safety in your business, we note it, advise you of it and send you handy information about it.

We also can talk to you about retesting periods – most get PAT done annually, as its seen as the easiest and most cost effective way to maintain safe electrical equipment, comply with the regulations and keep insurers happy. But if you want to explore other options get a fire risk assessment done, and provide it to us so we can ensure we match your retest periods to it.

If we come across appliances that have been hard wired (into the mains) we can conduct a partial inspection and test, and advise you of further action to take when needed.

We are also able to help you with other aspects of electrical safety such as Microwave emissions testing, emergency lighting and EICR’s.

Whether you work from home with a laptop, are a sole trader with a few tools, a big office with hundreds of staff, or have multiple sites to your brand, our team of specialist engineers are here to help.

With our engineers based across the North East region we’re in the unique position of helping you maintain safe electrical equipment.

We also are able to provide you not just with PAT Testing, but with fixed appliance testing, emergency lighting inspections and EICRs.

As a duty holder you need to make sure you are protecting yourself as well as your business – a comprehensive PAT test with a thorough PAT Testing Certificate will do that. Following industry guidance the report must include confirmation the appliance has passed, so a report with ‘Pass’ on it, is sufficient. The report will list the appliance, the test date, the engineer and that it passed. That’s what you need as a minimum requirement.

However, if the worst happens and you end up involved in an investigation, you need more than that:

• What the electrical test readings were, and that they were within the required parameters
• What repairs were carried out and what parts were supplied
• Why failed appliances failed

With these 3 items on the report, you are much better protected.

When we test an appliance we record the test results and show them on the report (unless you tell us not to), if we carry out a repair we record it on the report – that’s an essential maintenance log of preventative maintenance.

Our PAT Testing Certificate Reports meet the standards required by ISO (including ISO27001 Security), CQC (Medical Inspectors), Ofsted (Schools inspectors), CHAS, Constructionline, HMO landlord license applications, etc.

In order to keep your insurance company happy and protect yourself, if you’re just getting appliances PAT Tested and not taking any other prevention measures, you shouldn’t go longer than 12 months between inspections.

• If you get fire prevention risk assessments or safety risk assessments carried out these could change the frequency from more often to less frequent, depending on the equipment you use.
• How often you get PAT done is your responsibility, but we can guide you on best practices based on your working environment and equipment use.

For more information see our PAT Testing Frequency page.

“Hello, I am Richard. I am going to try to explain to you a bit about what we do and what you get when you choose us to PAT test your electrical equipment. 

I have tried to make it interesting, but there is an opportunity to waffle on and bore you to tears so this is just an overview. If you really want to learn more you can delve into our many blogs, or just book an appointment and we’ll come do the job. After all I’m not interested in what my accountant does as long as he saves me tax, and you probably don’t care what we do, as long as we ensure your equipment is safe and give you a certificate. 

Before I get into the nitty gritty I just want to let you know these things, especially if you are still considering which PAT testing company to use”. 

If there is ever an accident, and an electrical appliance is to blame, even if it has been tested YOU are still held responsible. You have to be able to prove in court (if it comes to that) that you did everything you needed to do to make sure the appliance was safe. If you can provide a PAT Testing Certificate it will help you; but if you can provide a report that lists all the appliances tested, what tests were done, the results obtained (readings not just ‘pass’), and any repairs carried out that will be much more help. If your report includes just a ‘pass’ comment, and no information, you may not be covered, as anyone can make that up. All our reports include all the information you need to provide evidence that you have taken the appropriate action. Many of our competitors supply reports that’s not worth the paper they’re written on – you can spot these companies because they charge low rates per item (usually less than £1).

If we find a faulty appliance that needs repair, in most cases, we do the repair free of charge, automatically. Most other companies charge for this, or don’t do it at all. Simply they fail the item – why would you want an appliance that can easily be repaired, failed so you can’t use it? You can spot these companies because they charge low rates per item (usually less than £1). 

We don’t rush our work – our engineers are encouraged to find faults and fix them; they’re also encouraged to do a thorough job, to tidy messy cables and to make sure your workplace is safer when they leave. We don’t target our engineers ‘per item’, we simply want the job done well so you are happy. Many companies out there, especially the ones who charge low rates, want their engineers to achieve unrealistic targets (approx. 500 items per day – we do about 2-250 items).

We are based in the North East – many companies claim to be based in the region, who aren’t. We are based in Wallsend, and our engineers work from home in North Shields, Newcastle and Blyth. That company with purple labels are in Thirsk, the one with Green paper labels are in Leeds; the one that claims to be based in Newcastle is really in Edinburgh, and so on. There’s a really good company in Newcastle, as well as us, and another good one in Durham, but there’s not loads of us up here.

We’re experts at what we do – we are highly skilled, competent, qualified, experienced PAT Testing engineers. I have done this job since 2009, before that I worked for a bank. I have built up a good business with a great reputation and train my team to work like I do – Kyle, Rob and Jane all have high standards and are very good at what they do. A good PAT tester works with electrical equipment every day.

Our engineers are fully aware of counterfeit goods and we’re always updating our knowledge of them, so if you them, we can spot them. Counterfeit electrical appliances, such as fake Apple chargers, are a major fire risk and have been proven to be the source of many domestic fires.