Portable Appliances Testing, or PAT, is the term used for inspecting the electrical appliances and ensuring that they are safe to be used.
PAT testing is beneficial for reducing the risks of an appliance catching fire or electrocuting the user, and should be carried out by professionals, such as Hexo Electrical Testing, so you know you’re making the right investment in ‘saving lives’.
Getting the portable electrical devices and gadgets checked on a regular basis is a good practice because just like everything else, these devices also require constant maintenance. Some major benefits of investing in PAT testing are explained below for your understanding.
Reduces The Risk Of Electrical Accidents
Every year, there are nearly 8000 electrical fires in the UK alone, resulting in more than 30 casualties and thousands of injuries.
Over time, the performance of electrical appliances starts to decline, and any fault in the plug or the appliance itself can result in the appliance catching fire and setting the building on fire, which is a very unfortunate scenario.
Visual and physical inspection of all electrical gadgets every year helps identify faults and breakages in them. A faulty portable electrical device can also cause an electrical shock, which can end up taking someone’s life, so this is no matter that can be taken lightly.
Helps You Comply With Safety Regulations
The Health and Safety at Work Act and The Electricity At Work Regulations both set specific standards that all businesses should comply with.
A routine checkup of all the electrical devices present in a building not only proves that you care about the employees, but it also paints a positive image of your business that the individuals behind it are responsible and understand the importance of complying with the work safety regulations.
Increases The Lifetime Of The Appliances
Electrical appliances are not cheap to buy, and if appliances are going out of order all the time, you will be spending a lot of money on replacing them.
Do your business and yourself a real favour and hire competent individuals having the right equipment to carry out regular PAT testing of all the electrical appliances and identifying and resolving all electrical defects.
Helps You With Insurance
The Electricity At Work Regulations, Management of Health and Safety Regulations and Health and Safety at Work Act are a few of the UK safety regulations that all insurance companies expect you to comply with.
If you are not taking PAT seriously, and the electrical devices at your company are not inspected as regularly or thoroughly, your insurance firm can deem your contract void and decline any claim. Let’s be honest.
That’s not something any business owner would want. If you are, however, compliant with the electricity and safety regulations, you will have a favourable position.
Helps Your Business
Really, it does! When you are investing in the regular inspection and maintenance of all portable electrical devices in your building, you are saving yourself a lot of money and time in the long term.
When broken wires and other faults are identified in time and fixed, your work won’t come to a sudden halt while you are in the middle of something important. You won’t have to run around finding the right people to resolve the issue because time and money are valuable.
PAT is beneficial on many levels. It is a simple addition to your business, and it increases safety by reducing the chances of electrical fires, shocks, or other dangerous situations, while also making your business be viewed more favourably by insurance companies.
