Legal Requirements, Government Guidelines and Further Information

A Brief History of Portable Appliance Testing

Portable Appliance Testing is now officially called Electrical Equipment Testing (EET) and Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (ITEE) although PAT is still universally used. 

This has been a phrase that has been used since 1989 when the Electricity At Work Act was introduced and came into force on in April 1990. The idea of testing equipment for safety goes back to the 1960s in Government buildings but wasn't formally recognised until the Health and Safety at Work ACT 1974 (HASAW) came into force. After 30 years of using PAT Testing it will be a while before the new terms are fully taken on board, so at the moment any one of the phrases can be used. We will use the term PAT in this website as it is the most recognised anacronym. 

FAQ

Q. Is PAT Testing a legal requirement?

A. It is not a 'legal' requirement, but the actual answer is a bit more complicated than yes or no.

Although PAT Testing is not specifically mentioned in any legal documents, there are sections of the H&S at Work Act 1974 states that 'employers must ensure—so far as is reasonably practicable—the health, safety, and welfare of all employees and visitors'. This requires any work equipment to be maintained to a safe standard. The Electricity at Work act 1989 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 take this further and require all electrical equipment to be tested regularly for correct function and safety.

The H&S guidelines do actually mention PAT Testing as one way of ensuring all equipment is mainained in line with the Acts and Regulations. So, no, it is not a legal requirement but by not maintaining it, if something happens that injures or kills an employee or member of the public without a test record you can be prosecuted under the acts and regulations. 

Q. Do you need to use a registered company to carry out PAT Testing or can I do it myself in-house?

There is no legal requirement to use a company such as Rocco PAT Testing to test and inspect your equipment. The only stipulation is that the person carrying out the testing should be deemed as 'electrically competent'. To call somebody else competent, you should be qualified or have enough knowledge to be able to make tht decision. The person could also be qualified using an online course which would satisfy the 'competent' part, and there are courses that cost as low as £30 that are in-depth enough to cover you legally and give you a very good understanding of the how and why of safety inspection and testing of appliances. 

Q. So if it is not a legal requirement and I can test the equipment myself, why use a professional company?

A. The main reason most businesses or sole traders use a dedicated PAT Testing company is because it is easier. Most testing companies use electricians or electrically trained engineers who have either been working in the industry for years or are fully qualified in a suitable trade. Our director has been working in electrical engineering since his apprenticeship that ended in 1989. He is a City&Guilds and NVQ qualified electrician who has years of experience in both appliance, domestic dwelling, commercial premises and machine testing and his years of knowledge are there to help and assist the other engineers.