Commercial PAT testing is recommended to be carried out every 12 months in order to maintain compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Since faulty appliances can present a significant risk to the health and even life of your staff, visitors and suppliers – in fact to anyone using or visiting your premises – it’s crucial that the testing is carried out by someone deemed to be competent.
The IEE Code of Practice defines the term ‘competent’ as ‘a person possessing sufficient knowledge or experience to be capable of ensuring that injury is prevented’. Technical knowledge and experience in this field generally include the following:
- City & Guilds Level 3 qualifications 23702
- A knowledge of electricity
- Experience in electrical work
- An understanding of the system
- An awareness of possible hazards
- A knowledge of preventative procedures
- The ability to recognise that an appliance is safe
Regulation 16 of the Electricity at Work Act decrees that electrical work – including PAT testing – can only be carried out by an individual who has the technical knowledge or experience needed to be able to prevent danger or is being supervised by someone who has. Ideally, a level of competency will have been achieved through a combination of knowledge gained through a relevant qualification and acquired on the job.
Mark Smith, owner of MS Electrical, believes that businesses should recognise the importance of electrical safety testing and always engage a professional to undertake it. ‘We’ve been carrying out PAT testing for clients in Cambridge since 2007,’ comments Mark. ‘In that time, we’ve come across several clients who were doing their own PAT testing or had used an inexperienced provider but had subsequently decided to invest in a specialist service. In some cases, when we started work we spotted some telltale signs of a lack of competence. These included instances where plastic security tags had not been removed from some of the plugs, while cardboard covers were still in place on others. Although simple to avoid, these two errors indicated that the plugs hadn’t been taken apart and checked, so could still represent a risk of injury and fire.
‘Whatever the size of the business, we’d recommend that commercial PAT testing is always carried out by specialists such as ourselves. As well as ensuring that every appliance on your premises is safe, we’ll also create a digital report which logs every item and highlights any that need replacing, and we’ll also send a reminder each year in advance of when your PAT testing renewal is due. This provides peace of mind all round and helps you remain fully compliant in this area.’
MS Electrical Services offers PAT testing in Cambridge, so please contact us to book an appointment.