When it comes to health and safety compliance, businesses naturally want to do their best to ensure the safety of their staff and comply with H&S guidance. There is however some confusion over whether PAT Testing is required or only recommended for businesses. What is the situation for London businesses with regards to PAT Testing? Do they need to have it done or not?
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require that any electrical equipment that has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition. However, the Regulations do not specify what needs to be done, by whom or how frequently (ie they don’t make inspection or testing of electrical appliances a legal requirement, nor do they make it a legal requirement to undertake this annually).
In practical terms though, how can a business comply with this regulation? A regular schedule of PAT Testing would fulfil this requirement. And unless your business has an on site electrician to regularly check and maintain all electrical appliances, PAT Testing would seem to be the sensible option.
The frequency of inspection and testing depends upon the type of equipment and the environment it is used in. For example, a power tool used on a construction site should be examined more frequently than a lamp in a hotel bedroom. We generally recommend that for most businesses which consist of office environments with maybe a staff kitchen and lab equipment, annual PAT Testing will suffice.
We work with a lot of local businesses to care for their PAT Testing needs, from tech and Pharma companies to Hotels and Restaurants. We also care for PAT Testing for Landlords in London who require it for their rental properties.
If you need PAT Testing in London, feel free to contact us for a competitive quote.