PAT Testing Advice, never done it before

[farquea]

I've been asked to do PAT testing later in the year. I've never done it before so really not too sure what the procedure entails.

 

I've been told to look into appropirate testing for it. is this needed as im sure the caretakers in the school know how to do it, is it not something i could learn from them easily?

 

And i'd like to know what the minimum legal requirements are for doing this so that i give myself as little work as possible!

[thomass]

Really you should attend a training course which will teach you how to do PAT testing

[timzim]

Don't do it! Your brain will stop functioning and you'll go mad No, seriously, this is something you should pay an external company to do as it's seriously boring.

[thomass]

I agree as it's really boring

[bossman]

@farquea:

 

Don't do it if you value your "Sanity" it is soooooooo...............borriinnnnnnnggggggggg

 

But if you must you will need to gain the acreditation by attending a course which your LA should be able to provide or a third party, good luck if you decide to take it on.

[powdarrmonkey]

I've been asked to do PAT testing later in the year. I've never done it before so really not too sure what the procedure entails.

 

I've been told to look into appropirate testing for it. is this needed as im sure the caretakers in the school know how to do it, is it not something i could learn from them easily?

 

And i'd like to know what the minimum legal requirements are for doing this so that i give myself as little work as possible!

 

Go on a course, like the City & Guilds certification. Just making it up is asking to fry small children.

[farquea]

thanks for all the info, one other thing i wasnt sure on, what exactly do you think i would be expected to test, PC's, printers, laptop trolleys, anything with a plug?

[solitaire89]

Just making it up is asking to fry small children.

 

And the problem with that is...???

 

On a serious note...

 

anything with a plug?

 

Yes. And I was taught on my course to take the plug apart to check internally, and when you think about the time scale of that alone, let alone the actual test part it gives you an idea of how long it takes. Sorry!

[Andrew_C]

+1 for the C&G training. I'd been doing it for years before I did the course, but worth having the piece of paper. And +about∞ for the dull-ness!

[Vegas]

Large box of Pro-Plus and lots of Coffee before you start!

[farquea]

thanks for all the help, so how do i go about arranging to be trained up on doing this?

[powdarrmonkey]

1. Ask C&G for a list of study centres;

2. Find a convenient centre and find out how much they want;

3. Persuade SMT to invest in you instead of buying a new desk.

[36Degrees]

Previously we had an external company do this but the school decided it would be more cost effective to employ another site guy because of their workload and make PAT testing part of his job. That meant that with everything considered we had more flexibility with site staff and their combined greater skills set meant that savings elsewhere paid for the extra bod.

[timzim]

1. Ask C&G for a list of study centres;

2. Find a convenient centre and find out how much they want;

3. Persuade SMT to invest in you instead of buying a new desk.

 

4. Arrange with a private clinic for a Frontal Lobotomy so you won't feel the pain of carrying out the PAT tests.

[nslc]

We have to pat test all stuff that is considered IT or AV, as the facilities team wont touch any of it. Its a rubbish job, and one that i hate, especially with all the av kit and wifi access points in ceiling voids. Although we swapped the WiFi over to Power over Ethernet, so that’s a few less to pat test i guess.

 

I know we have used "Pat training services Ltd - 0119 2489966 " to come out and train a few people all at the same time on site and they were good (so i have been informed). I was trained by some cowboy electrician and it was rubbish, so I refused to do it until retrained. Sadly they are getting round to retraining me this month (sending me to the aforementioned company for the day, i hope a meal is thrown in).

Still you cant win them all.

 

Its a good idea to work out what is a good routine of re-testing both for safety and workload reasons - do you really need to test servers that dont move and dont get touched every year? Whilst the laptops and PSU's that get licked by staff and pupils should be checked more often. Also remember the power that the " regular visual inspection " can have in administration and management meetings.

 

Pat testing is great, and its one of the many resons its hard to hold onto good support staff when this sort of thankless task is dropped onto them. *walks away from soapbox and gets back to paperwork before rant takes over*

[e_g_r]

PAT Training Services are good but they will want to sell you a PAT tester.

 

PAT testing is a summer job if you've got no new kit or other stuff to do. If you can do it with someone else to releive the bordom.

[gavins38]

And the problem with that is...???

 

On a serious note...

 

 

 

Yes. And I was taught on my course to take the plug apart to check internally, and when you think about the time scale of that alone, let alone the actual test part it gives you an idea of how long it takes. Sorry!

 

Oh for the small pleasures of sealed plugs! I've PAT tested 2 schools for every little electrical item possible and each one took me a good week of solid working! Sometimes the cost savings of getting it done 'in-house' is outweighed by the actual amount of time that person loses from their regular work!!!

 

And I agree with everyone else who's said that PAT testing kills brain cells. They should be a warning label on the box.

[solitaire89]

Right - bone to pick with you lot, cause it's obvious that the SMT here have been reading this forum. having worked so hard to convince them that it/science tech's don't do PAT testing in any other school, and now having a third party in to do the testing, we're due for inspection, and some things have slipped the net. And they've decided to get me to do the backlog in half term. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! It's worse than being on death row - the "anticiation" of such a half term Tell me, do keyboards (of thee music department variety, obviously) have sealed plugs by any miracle? Edited February 2, 2010 by solitaire89
stating the bleeding obvious, before someone gets there first ;)

[mb2k01]

Although I've managed to delegate this to others up to now, I do know that it is a legal requirement for the school to ensure PAT testing is done by a qualified engineer. Anyone without an appropriate qualification (i.e. simply being shown what to do) may do an adequate job, but faces a whole load of hassle and legal issues if anything is ever challenged.

 

Ensure that they pay for your training/certification. Better still, delegate or refuse! (I agree with others - it's the most repetative boring job in the world. Only worth your while if you get to charge + bank something similar to the private companies!)

[powdarrmonkey]

Right - bone to pick with you lot, cause it's obvious that the SMT here have been reading this forum. having worked so hard to convince them that it/science tech's don't do PAT testing in any other school, and now having a third party in to do the testing, we're due for inspection, and some things have slipped the net. And they've decided to get me to do the backlog in half term. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! It's worse than being on death row - the "anticiation" of such a half term

 

I never said we did; we have Elecheck come and do them.

 

Tell me, do keyboards (of thee music department variety, obviously) have sealed plugs by any miracle?

 

If they are those tiddly Yamaha type ones you'll probably find they are a sealed class II external power supply, in which case you're testing the supply not the keyboard. Although, in the nicest possible way, if you're having to ask you probably shouldn't be doing the tests.

[powdarrmonkey]

Although I've managed to delegate this to others up to now, I do know that it is a legal requirement for the school to ensure PAT testing is done by a qualified engineer.

 

I repeat: portable appliance testing is not a legal requirement. The requirement is to ensure a safe working environment, how you do that is up to you.

 

 

(bugbear alert: 'PAT testing' is like saying 'PIN number', it's a redundant acronym. The testing big is already in it.)

 

(of course if I was going to be precise, I would say it's a pleonasm.)

[Guest richard_s]

I would rather kiss the boss of RM than ever do PAT testing again :eek:

[solitaire89]

If they are those tiddly Yamaha type ones you'll probably find they are a sealed class II external power supply

 

Sadly the last time I checked the old keyboards (which have now gone), they weren't tiddly ones, and didn't have a nice external supply... hence the question. I may be blonde, but I am capable of carrying out a PAT

[solitaire89]

we have Elecheck come and do them.

 

What are their prices like?

[mb2k01]

I repeat: portable appliance testing is not a legal requirement. The requirement is to ensure a safe working environment, how you do that is up to you.

 

While you are technically correct in saying that having a "PAT Test" isn't a legal requirement, what IS a legal requirement is the regular testing of all electronic equipment to ensure that it is safe for use etc. If a company doesn't ensure this then it is in line for fines and liability for claims when issues occur.

 

When people refer to a PAT test they generally refer to a qualified electrician or specific "PAT tester" coming on site to do the testing for them, in effect taking the liability away from them.

If a company employed a person to do this testing who wasn't appropriately qualified then the liability would still be with them.