PAT Testing in Kent

Are you looking for a PAT Test in Kent?

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require that any electrical equipment that has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition.

The most basic way to ensure this is by visually checking every piece of electrical equipment before use. This equipment also needs to be regularly tested in more depth by a competent engineer to confirm that is safe to remain in use . This kind of test is called Portable Appliance Test, widely known as PAT test.

Although there is no law dictating a PAT test or how often your electrical equipment should be tested, the IET recommends a frequency of testing depending the type of premises you own or are operating from. In some cases, your building or landlord’s insurance may become invalid if your equipment it’s not PAT Tested.

Our Guarantee

Open every plug top
Check every fuse
Tighten every plug top terminal
Tighten every clamp
Check every cord
Test earth continuity
Test Insulation & Leakage
Record all testing results and email them within one working day from payment

How is it done?

The process we follow is as follows:

Step 1 Visual Inspection Your equipment will be visually checked for any defects such as overheating marks and breakages.
Step 2 We will open the plug top to ensure the right size of fuse is installed and that the terminations are tight enough.
Step 3 We will do a series of electrical tests to confirm continuity of earthing and the integrity of the wiring.
Step 4 The equipment will be labelled based on the result of the test. If it passes a green label will be used, and a red label if it fails.
Step 5 All results will be recorded and a certificate will be emailed to you within one working day after payment is received. A printed copy can be made available for an additional cost of £3 for the first 2 pages and 20p for every additional page.

Cost

There are a lot of companies out there offering PAT test for low as 50p per piece of equipment. From experience, we know that for this price it’s impossible for a company to be profitable and follow the correct testing procedure.

We charge £80+VAT, as our standard minimum fee to properly test up to 25 items. For anything with more items please get in touch for a quote

All plugs must be readily accessible for our engineer to test and inspect. If any piece of equipment doesn’t have its plug readily accessible it won’t be tested. If this cannot be made available before our engineer finishes testing the rest of your equipment, an additional visit will need to be booked on the additional cost of £80+VAT.

At residential rented places, (e.g. HMOs) our standard practice is to only test equipment that is located in the communal areas ready to be tested. Our engineers are instructed to not test any items inside the bedrooms unless we are instructed otherwise.

There will be an £80+VAT charge if there is no access to the property on the day of the testing or the appointment is canceled or reschedule less than 2 working days before the appointment. This charge does not include any subsequent testing.

Out of hours testing

Our working hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
Outside of these hours we can still test your equipment. The following pricing structure will apply:

Monday to Friday from 5pm to 10pm. Saturday from 9am to 3pm
£120+VAT as our standard minimum fee for up to 25 items.

Monday to Friday from 10pm to 7am. From Saturday 3pm to Monday 7am
£200+VAT as our standard minimum fee for up to 20 items.

Frequently asked questions

What sort of equipment needs to be PAT tested?

Ultimately, if it has a plug it needs to be tested, this includes extension leads

How often should I get my equipment PAT tested?

There is no set time for doing this. The IET recommends a ‘no more than’ period depending the type of the premises. See the table below for some examples.
It should be noted that if there is a case of a dispute, the IETs recommendations will be taken very seriously by a court.
Very often local authorities will also have their own rules on how often this should happen, e.g. no more than 12 months in HMOs.

Will it affect my insurance policy if I don’t have a PAT test?

It’s very possible. You will have to check this with your insurance company.

Is PAT testing a legal requirement?

The legislation of specific relevance to electrical maintenance is the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 puts the duty of care upon both the employer and the employee to ensure the safety of all persons using the work premises. This includes the self employed.
The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 states:
"Every employer shall make suitable and sufficient assessment of:
(a) the risks to the health and safety of his employees to which they are exposed whilst at work, and
(b) the risks to ensure the health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him or his undertaking."
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 states:
"Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair."
The PUWER 1998 covers most risks that can result from using work equipment. With respect to risks from electricity, compliance with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 is likely to achieve compliance with the PUWER 1998.
PUWER 1998 only applies to work equipment used by workers at work. This includes all work equipment (fixed, transportable or portable) connected to a source of electrical energy. PUWER does not apply to fixed installations in a building. The electrical safety of these installations is dealt with only by the Electricity at Work Regulations.
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 states:
"All systems shall at all times be of such construction as to prevent, so far as reasonably practicable, such danger."
"As may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent, so far as reasonably practicable, such danger."
"'System' means an electrical system in which all the electrical equipment is, or may be, electrically connected to a common source of electrical energy and includes such source and such equipment"
"'Electrical Equipment' includes anything used, intended to be used or installed for use, to generate, provide, transmit, transform, rectify, convert, conduct, distribute, control, store, measure or use electrical energy."
Scope of the legislation
It is clear that the combination of the HSW Act 1974, the PUWER 1998 and the EAW Regulations 1989 apply to all electrical equipment used in, or associated with, places of work. The scope extends from distribution systems down to the smallest piece of electrical equipment.
It is clear that there is a requirement to inspect and test all types of electrical equipment in all work situations.

Can the PAT Test take place out of hours?

Yes, if the test cannot take place during our normal working hours (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) we can arrange an out of hours inspection with additional charges.

Are you looking for a PAT Test in Kent?

Our Guarantee

How is it done?

Cost

Out of hours testing

Always know what you are paying for!

Call me today on 01634 917122 for a free, no obligation, quotation for your project. Your call matters to me, and I WILL respond.