Continuing on from part one of our miniseries discussing the new fourth edition of the Code of Practice:
The fourth edition interestingly recommends that it is good practice for all equipment needing testing to be clearly identifiable and labelled, and that this could be in the form of a barcode to ensure unique identification. This could be especially important in cases where there are a number of items of equipment the same or similar.
Also, as a big change from previous editions, the fourth edition recommends that the date for retesting should not be put on the pass label, it should instead be decided by the duty holder, after risk assessments have been carried out, and this decision should be put on the inspection and test record.
There are a few other changes in the fourth edition including:
- New sections on hiring equipment
- Additional guidance on the testing of fixed equipment
- Microwave testing sections have been removed
There are a lot of changes in this new edition of the Code of Practice which will require changes to the way technicians carry out PAT testing. However, if companies and technicians embrace the new changes, they will surely still find PAT opportunities.
In addition, manufacturers of test equipment are now looking at adding in additional features to their test equipment to help with the new rules. Seaward is one of the first to do this and have come up with a tester which also has onboard risk assessments to aid duty holders in their decision on retest schedules.
Whether this kind of test machine is necessary, we shall have to see but if PAT companies can change their ways to fit with the fourth edition, there is no reason why they cannot continue to be successful.
Written by Sara Thomson
