July 2012

Production of testers that can operate in difficult and hazardous areas is a very difficult and time consuming process; the highest levels of protection must be added so that none of the working parts can be affected and more importantly, the test instruments cannot effect the environment. Continue reading →

This month will see the Electrical Times honouring contractors, apprentices, manufacturers and wholesalers from around the UK for their hard work over the past year at the Electrical Industry Awards. Continue reading →

With everyone still feeling the pinch of the recession, winning those important PAT testing jobs is more important than ever. It can be very difficult to work out how much you should quote for each individual job and with prices per test said to be ranging from 60p to £3.00 per test how low can you afford to go? Continue reading →

Got some free time on July 25th and want to learn more about the extended wiring regulations for earth and bonding? Continue reading →

With a recent survey in Nottingham showing that just fewer than 50% of families don’t have the right protection against electrical shocks, you have to wonder how widespread the problem is in the UK. The Electrical Safety Council (ESC) recently carried out the survey around the Nottingham area and found that 48% of families surveyed do not have a residual current device (RCD) installed in their fuse boxes. Continue reading →

The summer holidays are nearly upon us, the kids are soon to be free for six weeks to play in the lovely(!) British weather and – most importantly – the schools are ready for testing. Since the hustle and bustle of school kids, teachers, cleaners, dinner ladies and everyone else is pretty much gone during the summer, most schools, colleges and universities choose the six week period between terms to conduct their portable appliance testing. While generally it's possible to work around work environments when PAT testing, schools are much more complex because of the learning environment and the disruption testing would cause. Continue reading →

When performing portable appliance testing, you may think you’ve caught everything.  You’ve tested the computers, you’ve thoroughly checked over your kettle and you’ve delved into the quality of your laptop chargers. You probably think you’ve tested everything and are safe for the next year, but what most people don’t remember is that any new items coming into the organisation are also technically subject to a check over. While there isn’t any legal obligation to do so and – technically – anything that comes from a manufacturer should work fine straight out of the box, there’s always the risk that the new portable appliance will have some kind of error. Whether it’s a power lead with reversed polarity or something vitally important like loose wiring, these kinds of problems can and will be a problem with any possible piece of new equipment. Continue reading →

Please note this blog was originally published in July 2012. It was updated on the 30th April 2021. Through its technological advances, the modern world has brought us a lot of new materials, substances, and other goods to make our lives easier, better, and a lot more comfortable. Electricity is one of the most common and most relied upon of the modern inventions; it is, however, still one of the most dangerous if it is misused or its applications of use are underestimated. Continue reading →

Fixed wire testing may only have to be legally completed every five years, but this is an approach that is no longer recommended by the IET. Five yearly fixed-wire testing is a legal procedure for organisations to ensure that all electrical equipment is safe for human use, but this process could leave electrical components as a danger in the time between tests, potentially causing accidents in the workplace. Continue reading →

A complete guide to electrical safety and portable appliance testing (in service) safety for landlords, including responsibility, regulations, cost and advice. Keeping up with all of the rules and regulations is a potential minefield for any landlord; when this problem involves potentially dangerous electricity, this issue can become even more difficult. We will try and keep this document updated when changes are made to regulations. As guidance on this matter is vague at best we thought we’d try and clear thing up for Landlords asking the questions. Continue reading →