PAT Testing in Swindon

Offices and units around the M4

The business parks and industrial estates near M4 junctions 15 and 16 hold a wide mix of workplaces, from open-plan offices full of computers and chargers to workshops and warehouses using power tools and extension leads. Each environment carries a different level of risk, and that affects how often equipment should be checked.

In an office, most equipment is low risk. In a workshop or warehouse, hand-held tools, leads and site equipment get knocked about and need checking much more often. We can suggest intervals based on general published guidance and the way your equipment is used.

What the test involves

Each item is inspected for damage to the plug, cable and casing, then tested where appropriate for earth continuity and insulation. Results are recorded item by item, and anything that fails is labelled so it isn't used until repaired or replaced. PAT testing covers plug-in equipment only; the fixed wiring is covered by an EICR.

Rented homes

Landlords who supply appliances such as cookers, fridges, washing machines or kettles with a let property are responsible for keeping them safe. Testing between tenancies is a common way of showing they have been checked. Where an EICR is also due, both can be done on the same visit. Items left behind by previous tenants are worth removing or including, so there is no doubt about what the landlord supplies. We record each appliance by room, which makes it easy to check the list against the inventory at the start and end of a tenancy.

Keeping disruption low

Each item is only unplugged for a short time. For larger sites, we work through one area at a time, and we can agree a time of day that suits your operations. A simple inventory of equipment before the visit helps, but isn't essential; we can build the list as we go. Testing also tends to turn up practical issues, such as daisy-chained extension leads, overloaded adaptors or cables trapped under racking, which we point out so they can be dealt with. Items such as fixed machinery that are hard-wired rather than plugged in fall under the fixed installation and are covered by an EICR instead.