Browen Electrical Services: Portable Appliance Testing

Portable Appliance Testing - or PAT - is the commonly known term for the In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (ISITEE).

This covers electrical items that do not form part of the electrical installation. This means any item of electrical equipment that connects to the electrical installation by use of a plug, and those wired into a Fused Connection Unit, such as hand dryers, wall heaters, and some kitchen appliances.

There is a common misconception regarding the frequency of when the equipment is tested. Ask most people in the work place and they will say that PAT is an annual test and in their experience all the items at their place of work are tested once a year.

In reality, it depends on the age of the item, the location where it will be used and who will be using it. If we take a kettle used in a hotel as an example, in the reception it is only used by staff, but in a hotel room it will be used by members of the public. A kettle is a portable appliance and is Class I. From the table below, we can see that, the kettle used by staff needs a weekly visual check, that is not recorded, a 12 month visual check that is recorded and full inspection and testing every two years. Compare this to the kettle in the hotel room, this requires a visual check before use, a weekly check that is recorded and full inspection and testing every six months. Neither example fits with common misconception that PAT is an annual test!

The table below gives an outline of the differing timescales dependent of the type of premises.

Equipment Environment	Type of Equipment	User Check	Class I		Class II
		Not recorded unless a fault is found	Formal visual inspection Recorded	Combined inspection and testing Recorded	Formal visual inspection Recorded	Combined inspection and testing Recorded
Equipment used by the public	S	weekly	monthly	12 months	12 months	24 months
	IT	weekly	monthly	12 months	12 months	24 months
	M	weekly	weekly	6 months	6 months	12 months
	P	before use	weekly	6 months	6 months	12 months
	H	before use	weekly	6 months	6 months	12 months
	F	weekly	12 months	36 months	12 months	36 months
Hotels staff only	S	weekly	24 months	60 months	24 months	none
	IT	weekly	24 months	60 months	24 months	none
	M	weekly	12 months	24 months	24 months	none
	P	weekly	12 months	24 months	24 months	none
	H	before use	12 months	24 months	12 months	none
	F	weekly	24 months	48 months	24 months	none
Key:	S - Stationary	IT - IT Equipment	M - Mobile	P - Portable	H - Hand held	F - Fixed
Information from IET Code of Practice of In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment 4th Edition

Our bespoke service will ensure that all of the electrical items in your premises, are inspected and tested in accordance with the Code of Practice for the In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment. We will also provide a demonstration of the required checks that should be undertaken before using an electrical item. We will also provide laminated copies of the user checks for your future reference.

We are able to offer a complete package to assist you in managing your electrical risk as we also provide an Inspection and Testing service for the main electrical installation and can conduct Electrical Installation Condition Reports.