PAT Testing is pro-actively testing portable appliances to comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; regulation 4 (2) requires that: “As may be necessary to prevent danger, all systems shall be maintained so as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practical, such danger”.
Regulation 4 (2) is concerned with the need for maintenance to be done in order to ensure safety of the system if danger would otherwise result. The quality and frequency of maintenance should be sufficient to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable. Records of maintenance, including test results, should be kept throughout the working life of the electrical equipment to enable:
a) The condition of the equipment to be monitored.
b) The effectiveness of the maintenance policies to be assessed, and
c) To demonstrate that an effective system is in place.
All of this can be found in the IEE Code of Practice 3rd edition page 1.
