hibsjo(SCO) Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Ive just had an electrician in today for the last 3 hours PATS testing all portable appliances (33) and have been told they need to be done every year! Hope all you other guys are up to date Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auto Key Wizard Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Opps, Joe, I guess you fell for the con then! hope you didn't give them too much of your hard earnt These tests are for the likes of portable appliances in the public demain, Guesthouses, B&B's, Static holiday vans, hotels etc, etc, unless ofcourse you are letting you customers cut their own keys & operator other equipment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hibsjo(SCO) Posted June 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Health and safety requires you to make sure all appliances are safe for employees to use. checked every 12 months. larger machinery checked every 3 years. Ive got a right little sh t of a hse officer in my area and we have to comply. no con. Pat testing or portable appliance testing is an important part of any health & safety policy. This site is intended as a guide to both the legal implications and to the technical requirements. The Health & Safety Executive states that 25% of all reportable electrical accidents involve portable appliances. The Electricity at Work Regulations place a legal responsibility on employers, employees and self-employed persons to comply with the provisions of the regulations and take reasonably practicable steps to ensure that no danger results from the use of such equipment. This in effect requires the implementation of a systematic and regular program of maintenance, inspection and testing. The Health & Safety at Work Act (1974) places such an obligation in the following circumstances: 1. Where appliances are used by employees. 2. Where the public may use appliances in establishments such as hospitals, schools, hotels, shops etc. 3. Where appliances are supplied or hired. 4. Where appliances are repaired or serviced. The level of inspection and testing required is dependant upon the risk of the appliance becoming faulty, which is in turn dependant upon the type of appliance, the nature of its use and the environment in which it is used. The Institution of Electrical Engineers publish the "Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment" (ISBN: 0-85296-776-4) . This guide forms the basis for portable appliance testing in the U.K. sorry guys but be warned THEY are after us all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petercoulson Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 oh dear falling into the h&s and risk assessment area again. if you have employees using equipment it must be pat tested every year. if you are sole trader you have to assess the risk of injury or electrical problems. with key cutting machines it would be hard to risk assess them as anything but likely to have problems with cables etc. ultimately you should check with your insurance company and get their guidelines as i am sure they will require pat testing yearly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted June 30, 2006 Report Share Posted June 30, 2006 Opps, Joe,I guess you fell for the con then! hope you didn't give them too much of your hard earnt These tests are for the likes of portable appliances in the public demain, Guesthouses, B&B's, Static holiday vans, hotels etc, etc, unless ofcourse you are letting you customers cut their own keys & operator other equipment Yer slipped up there Tel. It has all been covered before so I will retire to bed-e-byes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest blank Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 jo, how muich did you pay? you being a scot and all.,., should be a cheap thing. i'm looking into it at moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITs Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 Heres the funny thing, We bought a PAT tester about 2 years ago because we had customers that were asking us about it, it paid for itself in about 6 Mths and you dont actually need any qualification to own, work or offer the sevice to the public, we charge £1.75 per item and each item takes about 60 sec to test and 60 sec to write the label, on average there are at least 20 items per visit and in most offices you just do every single thing with a plug fitted, or electricity going threw it ,We even did a hearing aid and a workmans torch once ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auto Key Wizard Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 What make of PAT tester do you own & at what cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITs Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 We use a Robin, It cost us £550 on ebay and has a little printer that prints out the ser no and test date ect, we dont use the internal printer we do all the items in that location and then hook a canon portable printer onto it and it prints out an A4 report sheet with a record of all the machines tested, I have a customer who is trying to sell me a seaward tester that they bought last year for £1800 last year , he offered it to me for £700 if your in the market for one ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hibsjo(SCO) Posted November 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 Thats about right for the tester a monkey could work one but what happens when it fails an appliance due to a leak? thats when you need a qualified electrician, he can tell whats wrong and fix it unlike the monkey who fails the appliance and then you either bin it or call an ELECTRICIAN out to do the job! It cost me about £150 for all my appliances Martin. In no way am I belittling Monkeys here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITs Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 The biggest pat testing company in the Uk takes in students and gives them a 4 hr training course then send them of into the workplace, I love the way people always think that theres some kind of mistery surrounding Electricity, After 20 year in the Electronics / IT game I have still to meet an electrician who could tell you the firts thing about how electricity actually works, most of them just run cables and fit ends. PS , I think you are getting mixed up with what an electrician can actually do ! If you have a faulty appliance you would not want him stripping down a computer or a photocopier,phone system,plasma ect ect. I am an electronics engineer and have been my entire life and beleave me when I tell you that the limitation of an electrician prevent them from even attempting most electronics, it dont mean they wont have a stab at it but for god sake dont let one into any of you appliances. In the same way as you would not want an electronics engineer to fit a shower or wire a house one proffesion wears a white coat and hold a soldering iron, the other wears overalls and a big pair of snipps. you might not agree but we have ton of Electricians who come to us to have all there stuff fixed, my sparks included Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auto Key Wizard Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 Electrical wiring is easy Red to Red Black to Black Any left bend them back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted November 27, 2006 Report Share Posted November 27, 2006 Electrical wiring is easy Red to Red Black to Black Any left bend them back Night Night Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest blank Posted November 28, 2006 Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 like that one uk9 - good sense of humour! i have just bought a pats tester1 £295 + vat also got the DVD to watch (to take the course) and just walks into shop having a conversation with shopkeeper next door and he wants me to do his as well! i too was quoted to have it done by a local leky, 1-50 par item. min cost £120 + vat - if ihad less than 60 items. i figured that by buying my own it would pay for itself 2 years. and i am going to rent it out on a daily basis to other shopkeepers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted November 28, 2006 Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 Can any one do a tutorial of how it all works & is done, what to look out for etc? Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITs Posted November 28, 2006 Report Share Posted November 28, 2006 Ah now you might not want to be doing that ! In the eyes of the law the person who operates the tester has to be a "fit" and compatent person witha good "working" knoledge of electrical appliances. I would not rent it out to anyone as doing so "will" make you liable and its no joke now in this world of lawyers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest blank Posted November 29, 2006 Report Share Posted November 29, 2006 yeah i think your right on that one, but i now have 2 traines in my shop, (16) so i think i will try and train them to do ours and then get them to do next doors. i have a friend who is a qualified who i can use to go round if there are any failed items.,., - its still a con, we are all having to pay one way or another Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITs Posted November 29, 2006 Report Share Posted November 29, 2006 your right enough there, It is all a wee bit of a con, At the end of the day the test is only checking for earth leakage and isulation breakdown,most common office and shop equipment does not have the capacity to short or go live on the caseing as they are all made of plastic. But hey, just check with your insurance brocker and make sure your public liability covers it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TITs Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 Its only misleading if you never read the post properly I said most "offices and Shops" We are not in the " Norm" as far as machines go the keycutting and cobbler biz is very far from the norm. ut your right no one should get into this biz unless they have good insurance. we carry 20million "outworker" liability and 10 million public . As I said before in this land of lawyers " be afraid, very Afraid" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petercoulson Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 part of the pat test if done properly is a physical check of the quality and soundness of the plugs and cables. i once noticed a key machine with a bare piece of cable that had been tested and passed less than a month before. by a qualified electrician. one thing to bear in mind as well are your main machines (finshers presses etc) which are 3 or 1 phase. normally these are wired direct into the isolator and as such are fixed but more and more they are being fitted with plugs and sockets on the walls. I am not 100% but i am fairly sure this then makes them portable appliances so these will need checking as well. it is always a good idea to regularly check cables for degradation/cuts/problems anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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