Portable Appliance Testing in Ireland over the past number of years is starting to be seen as more than best practice in a lot of work places and is now moving towards being the accepted industry standard as a form of preventative maintenance to protect employers, employees and personnel. Under Irish law it is now a requirement that testing is to be carried out on all portable appliances ensuring the welfare and safety of employees and customers with businesses obliged to do so. The onus is now on the employer who is responsible in ensuring Portable Appliance Testing is carried out in their own workplace.
PAT or Portable Appliance Testing is defined as an examination of electrical equipment and appliances to ensure they are fit for purpose and safe to use. Depending on the type of equipment required to be tested a full test will include some or all of the following tests:
- Visual Inspection
- Earth Continuity Test
- Insulation Resistance Test
- Earth Leakage Measurement
- Load Measurement
- Lead Polarity
Most defects will be found by visually checking an appliance although through use of specialist portable appliance testing equipment you will be able to determine internal or underlying issues with an appliance which could eventually lead to accident or injury if not addressed. There are some appliances which depending on their design will have a reduced number of tests carried out with the mandatory tests as laid out by the code of practice being a visual inspection incorporating either or both Earth bond and insulation resistance tests.
Under Irish Legislation essentially any appliance with a plug which can be powered from a generator or mains socket can be classed as a portable appliance which would require to be PAT tested. Effectively anything from power tools being used on-site such as drills and grinders, office and kitchen equipment like PC’s and kettles or some larger appliances like washing and vending machines can be tested. Testing is not limited to commercial business and can also extend to three phase industrial machinery in workshop or manufacturing environments if tested in a safe and controlled manner.
There also has to be a common sense approach as to which appliances are to be tested and also the frequency of testing these appliances with the general consensus being the higher the risk of an appliance breaking down or its safety features becoming less effective the more often it is to be tested. The environment the appliance is being used in will also have a bearing on this and guidance can be given from the IET code of practice or through Powerpoint Engineering Ltd’s one day portable appliance training courses.
Powerpoint Engineering is Ireland’s leading provider of PAT Testers and PAT Training. Our PAT Training Courses are conducted by highly qualified and experienced training instructors with many years of experience in the PAT training field. We run scheduled courses every week or we can provide on-site or remote training depending on your requirement.
We also supply a wide range of portable appliance testers from Seaward, Megger and Fluke. These PAT Testers range from entry level PAT Testers, to Mid-range PAT Testers, to Professional PAT Testers. We have a Portable Appliance Tester for every budget and prices to suit your pocket plus we offer unrivalled product support. All our Portable Appliance Testers can be complimented by a whole range of PAT Testing Accessories, or can be purchased as part of a complete PAT Testing Kit.
Call us on 057 866 2162 or email us for more information. Our technical support staff provide expert advice on PAT Testers, PAT Training and product support.