ELECTRICAL SAFETY
TEST YOUR BUSINESS
Portable appliance use is widespread across all industries, from a small-scale office to a large construction site. There is a clear business need for expertise in how often and how much Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is necessary says John Southall, Director at Southalls.
It is no small problem; the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimate in 2012 put the nationwide cost from unnecessary testing at around £30million every year. Clearly, professional advice on the issue has not been sought by enough companies.
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical equipment to be maintained in a safe condition. The HSE advises businesses to achieve this through a risk-based approach of periodic portable appliance testing. The HSE recommends that
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the inspection frequency depends upon the type of equipment and the environment it’s used in.
What needs to be done, by whom or how frequently is not specified in the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. The rule that must be obeyed is simply that electrical equipment must be in a safe condition for its use in the workplace. The HSE’s guidance for maintaining portable electrical appliances can be found in its publication, HSG107 (Third edition), which was published in 2013 and can be downloaded.
A more obvious factor that can be overlooked is simply, does the item actually need PAT? A simple visual inspection, spotting loose cables or checking the plug for signs of disrepair may be all that is required in some circumstances. This activity, especially the visual inspection, could be carried as part of a member of staff’s duties. It does not necessarily require expertise. And visual inspection is also one part of what the HSE calls a straightforward, inexpensive system for a PAT maintenance plan. Such a plan
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