EMERGENCIES IN THE WORKPLACE IT’S NOT YOUR VAULT Portable appliance testing (PAT Testing) has become a fundamental
requirement for ensuring electrical safety in the workplace. Here, Seaward explains why the process is so important.
Badly maintained or faulty equipment has the potential to cause electric shocks, burns or fire which in turn could cause serious injury or fatalities. Not only could there be a potential risk to life, but malfunctioning equipment could also cost the business in terms of staff down time, employee morale and damage to the company’s external reputation.
Evidence shows that a large number of the dangers, deaths and injuries caused by misused or faulty electrical equipment can be prevented simply through proper electrical checking, inspection and safety testing.
SO, WHAT IS PAT TESTING AND HOW CAN IT
HELP REDUCE RISK? PAT testing is the examination of electrical appliances and equipment to see if maintenance is required and ensure they are safe for continued use. Many electrical safety defects can be found by visual examination, but some types of defect can only be found by carrying out testing.
WHO SHOULD CARRY OUT THE PAT TESTING
AND HOW OFTEN? Any person carrying out electrical safety checks should be competent to do so with equipment that is fit for purpose and within calibration to ensure the validity of the results obtained from the testing process etc.
If you have suitable resource and expertise within the company, you can carry out the PAT testing in house. However, if that’s not the case, it is worth employing a contractor to carry out the testing for you. As with any contractor you employ, it is important to carry out checks on competence, risk assessments, insurances, method statements etc. ahead of commencing work.
The frequency of testing appliances and electrical devices should be derived from a robust risk assessment, taking into account various aspects such as the construction class of the equipment, the environment that it is used in, the users of the equipment, the type of equipment, the inspection and test history and its findings and how often it is used.
As an example, a hand held appliance is more likely to become damaged than those that are stationary, therefore hand held appliances should be tested more frequently, if all the other aspects of use are the same.
WHAT ELSE IS RECOMMENDED? Electrical appliances can leave the factory with design or manufacturing faults and are subject to product recalls. So, the registering of all appliances in the workplace and the regular checking for recalls should be part of any businesses policy for electrical safety.
As well as introducing a regular PAT testing programme within the workplace, it is recommended that the most up to date PAT testing equipment is used.
Using modern PAT testers will ensure that checks are quick, easy and data is stored effectively. The latest PAT testers also include risk assessment and risk- based retest calculator features, allowing users to easily determine a risk-based suggested retest period.
Seaward has long been a global market leader in the field of electrical safety test instrumentation, developing premium quality products including PAT testers, software and accessories for the electrical, bio- medical and solar industries
www.seaward.co.uk
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