A PAT Test refers to the examination of portable electrical appliances and equipment for safety. This entails both visual inspection and detailed tests using special PAT Test Equipment. Any appliance/equipment is given a FAIL/PASS sticker depending on the outcome of the test. A FAILED appliance/equipment should be decommissioned and replaced/repaired since it might be endangering the life of the operators.
Importance of PAT test
The primary purpose of this inspection and tests are to;
- Find out any damage, wear and tear of electrical equipment and appliances that might affect safety, and report it.
- Record the results of the PAT testing to make sure the equipment is safe to be used.
- Help find anything that may cause electric shocks and high temperatures risks
- Provide any important data record at the time of the inspection, which will be used for inspection testing in future.
Class 1
Appliances belonging to this class are made of metal, have three cables, have a metal Earth pin, and have a fuse in the plug. The only way to confirm whether the appliance is Class I is to look for the Class I symbol on the appliance. Examples of Class I appliances are electric kettles, iron boxes, fridges and freezers.
Class 2
Appliances belonging to this class are made of metal, have three cables, have a metal Earth pin, and have a fuse in the plug. However, the only way to confirm whether the appliance is Class II is to look for the Class II symbol. Examples of Class II appliances are electric kettles, iron boxes, fridges and freezers.
Earth Continuity
Resistance of the protective earth of the electrical appliance or the cable/wire is tested. Any accessible earthed part of the appliance and the earth pin of the plug is tested. A good connection should have a resistance of less than 0.1 ohms. A Lower than 0.1 ohms appliance has minimal likelihood of producing an electrical shock.
Lead Polarity
All the leads are first inspected visually and after they pass, the PAT tester is used to check the polarity. Polarity test help determine the effectiveness of connection between Live and Neutral wires in their socket. Failure of polarity test is an indication of high likelihood of fire occurring even when the equipment is OFF
Insulation Resistance
Insulation resistance test checks the adequacy of insulation between parts that an operator touches physically and live parts of the appliance. It is a requirement that all live parts of an appliance have a high insulation level. Both Class I and Class 2 are tested for insulation resistance though testing is done differently.
- Commercial Buildings
- Medical facilities and institutions
- Industrial workplaces
- Educational Institutions
- Hospitality Industry
- Environment accessible to general public.
