pat testing - an issue that affects us all
August 7th, 2008 by bluehorseb———-
After I worked in the facilities department for a national company, I was aware of the UK Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 which requires that “every employer shall ensure that work equipment is so constructed or adopted as to be suitable for the purpose for which it is used or provided”.
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1998 states, “As may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent so far as reasonably practicable, such danger.”
This states that employers (and the self-employed) have a obligation of care to ensure that all electrical work equipment is safe, suitable for the use and properly kept in excellent order. PAT testing (Portable Appliance Testing) is the finest route you can achieve this responsibility.
One of the first things Fire Officers and Health & Safety Inspectors normally request to see on any check up visit is Portable Appliance Testing records. There are a number of additional reasons why appliances could be checked on a regular basis with the most important ones being:
To comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations
To comply with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
To minimise the hazard of fire and injury caused by electrical appliances (Every year about 1000 mishaps at work involving electric shock or burns are conveyed to the Health and Safety Executive. About 30 of these are fatal).
To satisfy your Insurance Company
To comply with all Health & Safety requirements and ISO standards
To comply with Quality Assurances
To meet your Fire Risk Assessment compliance
The suggestions above are guidelines that are reasonable for any owner to stick to, as litigation consultants become more a part of work life. It took a couple of days for the PAT testing business to come round and check all of the laptops, Printers, Faxes and Photocopiers and this was in a firm of 500 employees.
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