In most lines of work it is pretty much guaranteed that there will be a large number of appliances being used, and this could include computers, monitors, television, scanners and photocopiers, as well as appliances in the kitchen like a toaster, kettle and plenty more. Electrical appliances are incredibly complex, and this means that it is not uncommon for them to become faulty, and faulty electronics can cause some real damage. Every year there are deaths and lots of injuries sustained because of contact with electricity, and this means that as a business you need to make sure that all of your portable appliances are regularly tested to make sure that they are working and safe to use by you and your employees.
The testing of these appliances is done through something called portable appliance testing, or PAT as it is better known. This testing will look at all parts of an electrical appliance and determine whether or not it is functioning properly and if it is safe to use, and this is done by splitting appliances into 3 classes, with each class having their own methods of testing. In the first class you will find all appliances plugged into the mains such as computers and monitors, and it is important that you get all of these tested each year.
Getting a Member of Your Staff Certified
You may find it frustrating having to bring in an electrician every time you need to do this testing, but there is a solution to this problem which more and more businesses are now doing. This is by getting one of your team members PAT certified, and you can then provide them with the equipment to carry out the testing. With PAT certification and the equipment, available from places like Tester, it means that it can all be done in house, and you may find this a lot easier and more cost effective.
By regularly carrying out PAT it will give you peace of mind knowing that all of your appliances are safe to use, all the way from the computers your team uses through to the toaster in the kitchen. Employee safety is up to you, so make sure that you are on top of PAT and regularly carrying out tests on all of your appliances.