Pat Testing in the UK

In the United Kingdom, Portable Appliance Testing is a process by which electrical appliances are routinely checked to see if they are safe.

When people work with electrical appliances, Health and safety regulations say the appliance must be safe.

Carried out at regular intervals

Testing should be carried out at regular intervals to ensure continual safety; the interval between tests depending on both the type of appliance and the environment it is used in.

Pat Testing Evidence

Many people will have seen evidence of portable appliance testing in the little labels stuck to power cables around their offices.

Many people assume (incorrectly) that all appliances have to be tested every year, but this is not the case.

All that (British) law requires is that the appliances are safe (as far as is reasonably practicable).

However, guidance from the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) suggest intervals for inspection and testing, ranging from 3 months (for construction equipment) to 4 years (computers in offices).

Meaning of "Pat Testing"

Portable Appliance Testing is abbreviated to 'PAT'. The phrase 'PAT Testing' is in fact a tautology in the same way that some people say 'LCD Display'.

However, the phrase is commonly used in the industry even though most people realise it is incorrect.

The correct term for the whole process is 'In-service Inspection & Testing of Electrical Equipment'.

Which products do we have to PAT Test?

Anything that can be moved has to be maintained. The reason for this is that most of the damage occurs to the power cord or the plug and the chances of this happening are higher if the appliance can be moved.

So not only small portable appliances have to be tested, equipment such as fridge freezers and washing machines need to be Pat Tested.

Handheld items such as drills and hair dryers can suffer damage more easily. For this reason they are maintained more frequently than stationary items such as fridge freezers.