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Can You Afford Not To Carry Out The Tests?

There is a legal duty for all employers to make sure that all equipment provided for staff in the course of their employment is safe and will not cause harm.

Portable Appliance Testing or PAT Testing is vital to your Health & Safety Policy. Under The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) you, as an employer, have a responsibility to maintain, in safe working order, all electrical equipment used in your business.

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 requires electrical appliances and systems to be maintained to prevent risk of accident. The Health and Safety Executive Memorandum of Guidance HS(R)25 recommends that such maintenance be based on a regime of regular inspection and testing by a competent person.

Who is responsible?

Everyone at work has there responsibilities including, in certain circumstances, trainees. However, because of all the embracing responsibilities of all persons this does not minimise the duties of particular persons. Regulation 3 of the Electricity at Work Regulations recognises a responsibility (control) that employers and many employees have for electrical systems.

“It shall be the duty of every employer and self employed person to comply with the provisions of these Regulations in so as they relate to matters which are within his control.”

It shall be the duty of every employee while at work:

(a) to co-operate with his employer so far is a necessary to enable any duty placed on that employer by the provisions of these Regulations to be complied with, and

(b) to comply with provisions of these Regulations in so far as they relate to matters which are within his control”.

The Provision Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 requires every employer to ensure that equipment is suitable for the use for which it is provided (reg 4 (1)) and only used for work for which it is suitable (reg 4 (3)). They require every employer to ensure equipment is maintained in good order (reg 5 ) and inspected as necessary to ensure it is maintained in a safe condition (reg 6).

Regulation 4 (2) of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 states:

“As may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, such danger”.

Regulation 5 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 states:

“Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair”.

Frequency of Inspection

The Frequency of Inspection of all Electrical Appliances in the work place is dependant on the following factors:

(a) Type of Equipment

(b) Class of Equipment

(d) Usage of Equipment

(e) Environment

Earth Check will advise and implement an agreed programme of works and testing frequencies in conjunction with the IEE guidelines and your own company Health and Safety Policy.

For further information please click here to download our free ebook.