Portable Appliance Testing Who Does it where u r? Survay

[GrumbleDook]

Dredging back through my notes from the course ...

 

All new equipment passes electrical safety checks in the UK or for resale in the UK. This means that a visual inspection on installation is all that is required and an appliance test in the third year.

 

The reason most LAs and schools test sooner is due to power cables being reused between appliances (are you *sure* that the power lead on computer x is the one purchased with it?) and physical damage to casings, partly due to some equipment being moved a lot, partly due to the environment they are in (lots of users banging them to get them to work faster / better) and partly for H&S protection.

 

Majority of equipment will suffice with a visual inspection and a test across the power lead, no circuited electrical equipment (TVs, VCRs, computers, monitors) should be flash tested anymore. Failure of power packs / adaptors should be reported to the manufacturer if within the 3 year period as this may be a fault.

 

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I think that covers most things.

 

We have a company come in and do it here ... I don't like the way it is done by them as they have failed things on visual checks that are perfectly safe (cracked plastic facia on a computer allowing you to touch the metal case ... the same case you can touch 3 inches further back!) and they have passes some very dodgy leads.

 

We have looked at it being done in house and it probably will be next year ... our asset register can now log PAT dates and results ... done by a combination of us, the site supervisors and the science techs ...