[Karl Wildey]

If you hire equipment for drying, ie dehums, blowers etc, these require PAT testing.

Do you sub this out, or have you brought your own PAT tester, if so what ones do you recommend.

[John Kelly]

All equipment requires an annual test, not just hired. If you go into someones house with a portable and their child gets a shock, if your machines been pat tested and regularly serviced chances are you'll come out ok. If it hasn't been you could be in deep ****.
Ignorance is no defence in court.
As self employed we tend to become a bit detached from whats going on in the real world of business. You can soldier on quite nicely, everythings going well, but theres always something to bite you in the arse. Cover it at all times.
If you buy a pat tester make sure you do the appropriate training course or its not worth having. Most of the suppliers offer the training and as far as I'm aware you don't need to be a qualified electrician.

[Matt Read]

I've got a mate who should be able to pat test for you Karl, give me a ring after the weekend ,i'll tap him up friday nite when i'm on the beer 

[Ian Gourlay]

Two Our Community Group leaders went on a PAT course so that they could sell small electrical goods in The Community shop.


It cost £600 they failed as you really needed to be an electrician to pass

[Karl Wildey]

Did electronics at college so know my electrics better than your average joe, just have to weigh up the costs involved.
Maybe a 2nd hand pat tester, I better look at Ebay

[richie]

I know someone who has done a PAT testing course. He is by no means an electrician and passed with flying colours.  I think you will find that all hire companies electrical equipment is PAT tested.  If it isnt DONT HIRE IT. Go somewhere else.

Richie.

[doug@munters]

your portables require testing every 3 months as a minimum and if you are installing dehums/airmovers they need testing at each new installation...extension leads also require testing every time they are installed

you dont need to be a spark to pass pat testing course its a piece of cake your local nightschool supplying college may well run a 1 night course

[Len Gribble]

Ian

Have to ask what do they do for a living that some times has a bearing? Also may I make a suggestion tell them boot sales?


Even Pat equipment needs a pat test.

Len

[garyj]

I should know this, but I don't!!!

How old does a machine have to be before it is PAT tested?
I believe they have to be tested at 12 months? How much is a PAT test and how long does it take. A test every 3 months sounds a bit severe, sounds like another Government business tax to me. Of course I agree that electrical equipment has to be safe, but surely 6-12 months would be adequate, especially as part of H & S the wires and plugs are checked daily. It seems unfair to generlise because some machines are on all day, and others a couple of hours a week.

Also were do you get those green PAT stickers from 

[doug@munters]

 dont think it matters if a machine is brand new or not it needs pat testing every time it goes onto a new job think about it you install a dehum into mrs browns house while its in there mrs brown has a play with the plug and disconnects the earth wire from the plug.you pick up the machine and install it a few days later into mrs blacks water comes through her ceiling and soaks the live/neutral connectors and sends the chassis live mrs black comes along touches casing and woof shes gone,if you had pat tested it b4 install you would have picked up the missing earth lead and sorted it or chosen not to install the dehum until; checked by a spark who would have found the fault easilly.,definately doesnt matter how old the equipment is it needs pat testing at every new install

as for electrical equipment on your van there is a table available that tells you how often these things need testing it all depends on equipment type/frequency of use etc but i can assure you that your hwe needs testing/result recording at least every 3 mths and visually inspected every time it is used

as for the stickers try electrical distributors they should have them

might post some extra info that i may have somewere if anybody is interested more

doug

[garyj]

If there is anybody else on here like me then we need all the PAT information we can get. So yes please. post away.

[Len Gribble]

Doug

Not knocking please define visually inspected, and yes I’m always interested in any type of safety and would like to see more PM’s may be cut off please use my e-mail address

Are you associated with munters

Len

[doug@munters]

judt an employee len nowt more m8

visual inspection for me would be checking the device for breaks to the casing etc,would then take the power lead and make sure it is well connected to the machine then inspect the full lenth of the cable for cuts,crushing etc ending up at the plug were i would check that the integrity of the plug housing,is it cracked?are the pins bent? etc.you could i suppose open the top of the plug to check that the wires are fully into the terminals and that the terminal screws are tight etc

these are probably things you do without thinking about anyway

will see what i can dig out for you all as soon as i can

doug

[Ian Gourlay]

The two Community Group people are on invalid benifit, but run a Charrity Shop for the benifit of the local Community.


They went on this PAt Course one used to be a Miner I think.

I have been trying to find out if there are diffrent levels of PAT training as they were only going to deal in simple appliances such as Vacs etc

[Comfort Sector]

Hi Karl

Re: Pat testing

All the information you require can be found here

http://www.pat-testing.info/

and a very good site

http://www.tuc.org.uk/index.cfm

[Karl Wildey]

I think I better pull my finger out and get Pat testing. Sounds like 99% of all cc's fail to have PAt testing done.
'
And sshh, Ron 'Sherlock' King has not posted on this post, must be a record 

[garyj]

AND no ones mentioned Allerg-Stop

[Len Gribble]

Doug

Anything about HS would be appreciated

Ian

Did not ask where they got their money, invalidity covers a wide spectrum

Karl

Do you recon he hasn’t got an electric machine 

Garyj

Haven’t they a picture tells a thousand stories.

Len

[John_Flynn]

After using any electrical appliance, always coil the cable from the appliance end, saves cable twisting and breaking at connections in appliance.

This way you always twist the curl out of the cable and NOT into it!!!

Hey Len, how much are those words of wisdom worth??.  Nowt i suppose, am only an old fat bloke from upt north!!

[Shaun_Ashmore]

As Frank Butcher used to say

Ahh Pat!

Shaun