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Swapping PAT Tested Cables and Equipment

Samuel Crook

Hello,

Currently working as a Junior Engineer at a company and have been tasked on PAT testing all sorts of electrical equipment. 

In my office it is believed that equipment can only be used if tested together. For example, you cannot use any power lead, even if separately tested, to power a computer unless it has been PAT tested with the computer together.

Is this true, or are we able to combine two separately tested pieces of equipment, and where would this be written in the PAT guidelines (or the 5th Edition IET code of practice)

Thank you

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    You could always take the converse approach and say that there is no requirement stated in the 5th edition CoP document for leadsets and equipment to be tested and kept together (because there isn't).

    Your method sounds highly impractical - how are leads and device combinations managed, tracked and recorded?  Seems a logistical nightmare to me and I can't really see a strong justification for it in electrical engineering or safety terms.  The only possible reason would be ensuring fuse values are correct as Mike hints in his reply, but practically it make little difference as most internal power supplies are protected by their own fuses and do not rely on the plugtop fuse.  The fuse is mostly there to protect the cable and against any significant L-E fault in the appliance.  If the cable is separately tested including verification of the fuse rating for the cable size, then all should be good.

    Jason.

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  • 0

    You could always take the converse approach and say that there is no requirement stated in the 5th edition CoP document for leadsets and equipment to be tested and kept together (because there isn't).

    Your method sounds highly impractical - how are leads and device combinations managed, tracked and recorded?  Seems a logistical nightmare to me and I can't really see a strong justification for it in electrical engineering or safety terms.  The only possible reason would be ensuring fuse values are correct as Mike hints in his reply, but practically it make little difference as most internal power supplies are protected by their own fuses and do not rely on the plugtop fuse.  The fuse is mostly there to protect the cable and against any significant L-E fault in the appliance.  If the cable is separately tested including verification of the fuse rating for the cable size, then all should be good.

    Jason.

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