Portable Appliance Testing – All You Need To Know About
Portable appliance testing or in short referred to as PAT is a method for testing portable appliances and other types of electrical equipment. The purpose of this procedure is examining the operation of the devices and checking the electrical equipment for potential issues that might be a further cause of defects and even total breakdown. Although in many cases, common defects can be spotted by visual examination, there are safety issues in the operation of the electrical appliances that cannot be diagnosed in this way. Simply put, for a throughout examination professional portable appliance testing using special testing equipment is a must. And to make sure that the electrical equipment involved in the operations at your work site, what you need to do is to buy a reliable PAT testing equipment for sale.
Running a business bears responsibility for the health and the safety of your employees. PAT testing is probably the most reliable method to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries caused by improper work or defects of the electrical appliances. Also, there are safety regulations that require testing of each of the devices on a regular basis (usually once in a year).
As an employer, you need to take the responsibility for your and your employees’ safety. If you are not quite familiar with this type of equipment testing, before you start your quest for the most suitable PAT testing equipment for sale on the Australian market, read on, here are the most common questions answered for you to learn everything you need to know about portable appliance testing.
In general, the frequency of testing and inspecting the devices for defects depends on the type of the appliance and the circumstances under which it’s used. For example, an electrical device involved in the operations at an industrial manufacturing plant should be tested more frequently than a light bulb in the same facility. However, the most accurate answer to this question can be found in the manufacturer’s manual, in the section for safety precautions.
Keeping records for the inspection of the devices is not required by any safety regulation, but it is highly recommended. In fact, keeping records for the date of inspection and the results of the performed testing can be of great help for you in maintaining and monitoring the work of the electrical appliances. In other words, keeping records will enable you to create a maintenance scheme.