Portable appliance testing
carried out by Spartan Contracts
Pat testing or portable appliance testing is an important part of any health & safety policy.
The Electricity at Work Regulations place a legal responsibility on employers, employees and self-employed persons to comply with the provisions of the regulations and take reasonable steps to ensure that no danger results from the use of such equipment. This in effect requires the implementation of a systematic and regular program of maintenance, inspection and testing.
Frequency of testing
Regular testing is an essential part of preventative maintenance. How frequently it needs to be carried out depends on:-
- The appliances concerned
- How intensively they are used
- The environment in which they used
An annual test should be adequate for most office equipment.
Appliances which are used in a more hostile environment, or which are constantly being moved around will need more frequent testing to ensure safety. We can advise you on a recommended testing programme for individual appliances.
Spartan Contracts are qualified PAT testers and will carry out an inventory of the portable appliances at each of your sites and update the inventory regularly.
Testing
Spartan Contracts' inspection personnel are fully trained and experienced in the various tests required to ensure safe operation of appliances.
Portable appliance testing includes a thorough visual check of the appliance and a series of tests on professional PAT testing equipment.
Spartan's PAT testers carry the latest microprocessor-controlled test equipment which provides supremely accurate readings and is also capable of downloading the results to your computer system.
If an appliance fails any of the tests, we provide a report and an estimate for rectifying the fault.
Please note: Microwave Ovens are covered by a specific standard - BS EN 60335-2-90 (2002) - Specification for safety of household and similar electrical appliances. Particular requirements for commercial microwave ovens.
This standard specifies tests focusing mainly on leakage, to ensure safe operation. Spartan Contracts is equipped and experienced to carry out these vital safety tests.
Bar coding
We affix a unique bar code to each appliance on our first test visit. This enables us to track test results over the long term, making sure that tests are carried out at the appropriate intervals. We can produce bar codes to your own specifications for a corporate monitoring system.
Monitoring requirements
Records of maintenance, including test results, throughout the working life of an appliance, are provided in a prepared format which can be accessed on any computer system. Training in the basic skills needed to access the computer data is given on-site: both the training and subsequent telephone helpline support are included in our prices.
A sensible pricing policy
We can either provide an itemised quote based on the site inventories or, for larger contracts, a standard unit price. In either case, our prices are inclusive of all our administration and travelling costs, as well as bar-coding the appliances for test record purposes.
