Essential facts about PAT Testing and 17th Edition Tuition courses for employers

All workplaces in the UK are now required to carry out PAT testing (Portable Appliance Testing), so as to ensure that their portable electrical devices are correctly wired, and safe for employees to use. The regulations stipulated in the Health and Safety Act for workplaces demand that portable appliances are regularly inspected and because of this, every employer must give the matter due consideration. They will need to hire a qualified electrician and of course, they will need to take the costs of PAT testing into account. Before hiring an electrician, it's important to note that whilst the Health and Safety Act does insist that PAT testing be carried out, it does not require the electrician who carries out this testing to do a PAT training course, or have any kind of PAT testing qualification. However, courses like the 17th Edition Tuition ensure that the electrician fully understands the process of inspecting and testing appliances, and as such, it's usually best to hire one who has undergone training and received a qualification. Electrical safety is something which should not be taken lightly; considering the fact that the employer would be held legally liable if one of their staff members were to be injured due to an electrical shock from an appliance, and this could result in an extremely costly, not to mention stressful and time-consuming lawsuit, it really is worth the effort and perhaps the additional expense which comes with hiring an electrician who has taken a PAT testing course.

In terms of pricing, one of the main factors which will determine how much PAT testing will cost is the amount of portable appliances the organisation has. Therefore, in order to establish an estimate for how much PAT testing is going to cost, the owner of the organisation will need to understand what items are classed as portable electrical appliances. Essentially, these are goods which are powered by electricity, come with a plug attachment, and can be moved from one place to another. Many employers don’t realise just how many portable appliances their workplace has; everything from the computers, to their speakers, monitors and the extension cable will need to be tested, along with all of the appliances in the canteen area; this might include the microwave, kettle, toaster, fridge and television or radio, each of which will be classed as a separate appliance. The price of PAT testing per appliance will vary depending on which electrician carries out the work, but as a rough estimate, employers can expect to pay about £2 for each piece of equipment. However it’s important to note that even if there are only a small amount of appliances which need to be tested, a standard callout charge may still need to be paid. Before contacting an electrician for a quote on PAT testing, the employer will should count up the appliances in the workplace, as this will help the electrician to provide an accurate estimate. It’s worth shopping around, as different electricians will have different pricing schemes; however, it is crucial that the one which the employer chooses is has the training to carry out the testing correctly.