megahertz

You raise a good point - most Pass/Fail devices are exactly like that - they only give you a Yes or No, with no room for judgement. What makes the BattPAT unique is that it has a 'long lead' button, which sets the pass value for the earth bond higher - to take account of extensions etc which have slightly higher earth bond resistances. I was very cynical when I first saw the BattPAT - at the time I had 15 engineers going around the country testing in all sorts of different workplaces and they all had 'Proper' full sized PAT testers. The BattPAT looked like a toy in comparison. However, once I used it - I changed my mind! I agree that if you are routinely testing 110V equipment, or testing in factories or workshops, then you need a full size PAT tester which will deliver a high current earth bond test and give an accurate result. But, in the vast majority of schools and colleges I've been to, most of the equipment can be checked much easier and quicker with a battery powered hand-held device. It's like I said earlier - PAT testing is not about fancy bar codes or complicated databases - it should be simply about checking your equipment to see if it's safe. A simple but effective system based on common sense is surely the best way to go. After all, we've all got other things to do besides PAT testing! PAT Testing Courses

You CAN spend hundreds of pounds on a PAT testing machine, but you really don't need to. For PAT Testing in a school, for example, you can test everything with a simple pass/fail device such as the BattPAT which is currently available for about £200 + VAT! PAT Testing Labels can cost from about £5.00 for a roll of 500, so it's not too bad! I know many people think that you have to do countless 'tests' on each piece of equipment, but that is just not the case. On our PAT Testing course we spend a lot of time talking about the importance of common sense, and the need to do thorough visual inspections. If done correctly, the visual inspection will identify the vast majority of faults, and you don't need a PAT testing at all to do that! In my previous role as head of a large PAT testing company I oversaw the testing of 300,000 items per year, and based on that experience, we now recommend people 'keep it simple.'

PAT Testing Expert do courses in Liverpool and Manchester - there is also a course in Leeds or Gateshead if you fancy crossing the pennines. Courses are based on common sense, and taught by a guy with 20 years experience in the PAT Testing Industry. Next Liverpool course 27th January! PAT Testing Liverpool Training Course

Hi there, Tim James here - I spent many happy years as a school science technician, but now run a company called PAT Testing Expert - providing support and guidance to people doing PAT testing! Please feel free to contact me for any advice about the subject! Tim