My Day PAT Test Training
Alex’s Story
Portable appliance testing (PAT) is an extremely important part of any health & safety policy. The Health & Safety Executive states that 25% of all portable electrical accidents involve portable appliances. This indicates the value of PAT testing in any organisation, especially those that are directly dealing with the general public. Although PAT testing isn’t a legal requirement the electricity at work regulations 1989 require that any electrical equipment that has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition. Personally I think that regular PAT testing is the most efficient way to meet the regulations.
The training was an intensive, but interesting, all day event held at the Britannia Country House Hotel conducted by PAT Training Services Limited.
The day involved firstly determining what class a device belongs to by either looking for a label on the device or by looking at the features of the device.
Next we were taught how to do a visual check on a piece of electronic equipment. This involves carefully looking for any damaged casing or cables as well as burn marks or broken pins on the plug. During a visual check we also look at the fuse to make sure it is the correct size for the device.
We then had a timed assessment where the instructor handed out a variety of different cables and we had to note down any issues that we found. The next part of this assessment was to decide if the cable passed or failed the visual inspection which I succeeded on.
Luckily after the assessment it was time for a well needed lunch which was provided by the hotel and was delicious!
After lunch the tutor then showed us how to use a portable appliance tester and then gave us our next task which involved performing the electrical safety test with a variety of devices. Most of the devices we were testing where general electrical items such as hair dryers, toasters and kettles. After carrying out the test on the device we had to document our findings and also stick a PASS or FAIL sticker on the tested devices.
Overall the day was a great success and has definitely prepared me for carrying out PAT testing in the future and I am very much looking forward to getting started.
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