PAT Testing

Brimmo:

Farmboy:

PAT testing is a bit misleading actually. As evidenced by the current vs 4 code of practice, it's now called in service inspection and testing, which recognises that more than just portable appliances now need testing / inspecting, such as various fixed appliances also.


That said, however, you may find that the course is tailored for anyone, ordinary people and electricians alike,  so will cover training for just portable appliances, without covering fixed appliances which will require safe isolation procedure to be undertaken, which ordinary people won't do, so they'll only be able to test plug in appliances; which means you could only be doing part of the testing job on a site.

 

Now this is very interesting - always thought PAT was very inconsistent with mostly visual inspections carried out by a 'competent' person... Considering the IET CoP for  in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment was updated in 2012 (4th Ed) I haven't heard anyone else mention iSiT (what I am going to call it from now on!) - I guess that this is because in reality, the competences required are higher, and therefore going to take more time and cost more? 

In my opinion, to do PAT / iSiT properly, every site would need a complete risk assessment for every type of item / general location / use, and in a school there are hundreds, if not thousands of electrical items... The HSE though, through its own case study seems to think it should be made easier...:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/faq-portable-appliance-testing.htm 

 

Brimmo:

Farmboy:

PAT testing is a bit misleading actually. As evidenced by the current vs 4 code of practice, it's now called in service inspection and testing, which recognises that more than just portable appliances now need testing / inspecting, such as various fixed appliances also.


That said, however, you may find that the course is tailored for anyone, ordinary people and electricians alike,  so will cover training for just portable appliances, without covering fixed appliances which will require safe isolation procedure to be undertaken, which ordinary people won't do, so they'll only be able to test plug in appliances; which means you could only be doing part of the testing job on a site.

 

Now this is very interesting - always thought PAT was very inconsistent with mostly visual inspections carried out by a 'competent' person... Considering the IET CoP for  in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment was updated in 2012 (4th Ed) I haven't heard anyone else mention iSiT (what I am going to call it from now on!) - I guess that this is because in reality, the competences required are higher, and therefore going to take more time and cost more? 

In my opinion, to do PAT / iSiT properly, every site would need a complete risk assessment for every type of item / general location / use, and in a school there are hundreds, if not thousands of electrical items... The HSE though, through its own case study seems to think it should be made easier...:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/faq-portable-appliance-testing.htm