If you run a business or let property you are required by UK law to have any portable electrical devices tested for health and safety reasons. All those PC, laptops, phones, tills photocopier, printers and even kettles and toasters need to be tested to ensure that you are not putting your tenants or employees at risk.

So you know that your equipment has to be PAT tested and you need to find a company to carry out the work. Where do you start? Well run a small business and have experience of dealing with a number of PAT testing companies down the years. I have listed six question that I believe you should ask any company that you ask to quote for the work. Any good PAT testing company will be able to provide you with the answers to these questions.

Is the Company Accredited?

You should ask any prospective PAT testing company if they have professional accreditation. Although there is no PAT testing official body there are a number of professional associations that all companies should belong too. These include, National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC), SAFEcontractor and the Electrical Safety Council. If the company claims to be a member of these associations it is always worth checking that their membership is up to date.

Are the engineers qualified?

PAT testing should be carried out by qualified engineers. It is important that you check that any engineers that are sent to your premises have pasted the City & Guilds 2360 Part 1 & Part 2 and City & Guilds 2391, the recognized industry standards for Fixed Installation Testing. Any company that is employing unqualified engineers could be compromising the safety of you and your staff.

Do they do a full PAT test or are they just sticking labels without properly testing?

You need to ensure that the company is actually carrying out a full PAT tests on your equipment and not just sticking labels on equipment without carrying out the tests. The test should involve a number of steps and anything less than five to ten minutes per piece of equipment is too short. So you should have a rough idea of how long it should take to carry out the tests and if a company quotes you significantly less time then this then the alarm bells should start ringing. The company should also be able to provide you with a database of all the test results in both a paper format and an electronic one. If they are unable to provide this for you then you should question if they are actually carrying out the tests.

Do they use the latest equipment and is it calibrated?

PAT testing equipment is always being improved and you should ask the company how old their equipment is. The equipment should also be calibrated to ensure that it is giving the correct readings. All calibrated equipment should have a certificate to prove when it was last tested for and also when it is due to be retested.

Are they insured?

You should check that the company has public liability insurance. The the work they carry out on your equipment is vital and is also legally binding. If there is an issue caused by equipment they have tested and passed then the legal blame and any expense would be the responsibility of the PAT testing company. If they do not have insurance then you have no redress and may not be able to recover any costs that have been incurred as a result of the fault.

Are there any hidden charges? It is always worth checking and then double checking what is included in the price of the quote. Does it include the cost of the labels, database burnt to CD and a print out of the test results? Is the work charged per piece of equipment, per hour or for the whole premises in one go? Will there be any charges for the changing of fuses in plugs? Make sure than you get a fully costed quote in writing before you engage in a project.

If you ask these questions then hopefully you should be able to have a pain free PAT test and look forward to a fruitful relationship with your PAT testing company.

Tony Heywood ©