Procedures
This information is provided for basic guidance only - please do not use it as a "lesson in P.A.Testing." The procedures have been listed in simple lay-mans terms but as with any specialist service involving electricity, advanced knowledge, experience and interpretation of the readings is required both to protect the equipment under test and the person performing the testing. It is becoming a frequent occurrence that we are called in by people who have bought a D.I.Y. PAT tester, had a go themselves and then, as in one example, fried their computers and damaged their office network!
Appliances are visually inspected for damage, wear and inadequate joins to the flex. The location and suitability of the flex for the job is also questioned.
The appliance case is inspected – can contact be made with live parts?
The plug will be dismantled and checked for damage, correct fuse rating, correct wiring and suitability of the cord grip. It is also checked to ensure the exposed part of the live and neutral pins have insulation where required.
The appliance is then tested to ensure it does actually work! Is it fully functional? In the case of equipment with safety interlocks (ie., microwave oven doors), these are tested to ensure safe operation. Does the main switch work to turn the appliance on and off? It is surprising how often we find switches that do not function because of a build up of grease and grime, overheating or general misuse.
The appliance / item is now connected to our specialist test equipment. Reedsafe will only use modern, well maintained & calibrated testers. We currently have the choice of Robin's "SmartPAT 3000" the modern Seaward Primetest 100 and as prictured, Primetest 300.
Earth Bonding is the first check. This is performed at 26 Amps or 8 Amps depending on the type of appliance. This test is required for class one items that require a connection to earth for safety. Some appliances need a good secure earth for operational functionality - for example, microwave ovens that discharge to earth. It's no joking matter - someone's life may depend on this test.
If testing I.T. appliances, our test equipment will only perform an Earth Screen Test at 100 or 200 milliamps, a current so mild it will not damage even the most sensitive of equipment.
Phase to neutral test and fuse continuity is the second test.
The 500 volt insulation test. (the final test if using the Robin "SmartPAT 3000") This test is performed to ensure there is adequate insulation between the earth and mains supply pins (or Live and Neutral)
We can also perform Substitute, Touch & ordinary Leakage tests and a Powered Operation test to verify the load stated on the equipments rating plate is not abnormally exceeded when in use.
If all is well, the item is given one of our custom printed green PASS labels that bears a reference number for each appliance, test engineers initials, date of test and date of retest. The label also carries our company's details. (See examples to the left) The appliances details will be recorded and logged.
If the item has failed, simple faults will be rectified at the time - e.g. fuses in need of replacing, plug faults etc. When rectified the unit will normally be retested, then labeled and logged accordingly. More serious failures will be labeled FAIL and the reasons logged on a 'faulty equipment register.' The appliance must then be taken out of service.
OTHER THAN LABELS, WHAT DO I GET TO PROVE WE HAVE BEEN TESTED?
We use a variety of different record keeping systems. A basic guide is listed below but please be assured we will use the system that will be the most reliable and suitable for your site.
The fully computerised database.
More suitable to sites where we will be making annual return visits or that have many appliances. We would use the Seaward Primetest 300 test equipment and its dedicated database software which allows the creation of a cd-rom containing all your companies results with printable & searchable certificates. You can display results by equipment type, location, test date, type/class etc. Alternatively we can simply enter all the details into an excel spreadsheet and email this to you. This is quite a popular choice as most offices have a good understanding of this software.
The paper based log book system.
For sites where frequent annual testing is to be performed, each appliance will have its own record sheet, filed in an A4 ring binder. The record sheets have room for a good few years worth of test results. An indexing system is used to locate each appliance easily in the binder. Also to be found in this folder is a record of all repairs performed by us and a register of all failed and faulty items.
The simple list system.
For smaller, one off tests, a simple list of appliances tested is created from a laptop computer which can then be printed off on site if required. (Very useful for urgent tests or pub inventory sale of goods tests).
Microwave ovens will have their own certificate of testing and an output verification label attached.
Whichever method of record keeping is used, we also issue a certificate of compliance, which you can display at your premises to show your companies commitment to safety in the workplace.
As a final note, clients will always be welcome to see our insurance and annual calibration certificates as evidence that Reedsafe's equipment has been serviced and tested regularly. Normally we will provide copies of the calibration certificates within the log book or sent as a pdf file.
