Hi Chris,

I’ve been lucky enough to work at sites with qualified electricians, and I’ve just asked ours, and he told me a suitable course is sufficient for training; the two-day C & G would be fine.

Regarding the test equipment, yes it would have to be calibrated, and a well known ‘components’ supplier have a good range.

Nothing wrong in bringing it in house.

I would suggest the C&G course, there used to be 2.

1 for doing it and 1 for managing it.

I did both, even though a qualified spark.

I have also taught them.

Just give your tester the authority as well as the responsibility to do this.

i.e. if the heater in the MD's office is dangerous, he has the authority to remove it, no matter what the MD says.

Also, get the IET CoP, and keep good records, benchmark everything when it comes in.

I have the Seaward Supernova, this can "run" 230 & 110 V devices to do leakage tests.

If you have a reasonable volume of kit and you are going to take this seriously it is worth going down the software route with barcode labels or tags which the tester can read.

Also, making up "special" test adaptors is very timesaving if the work is repetitive.

Put procurement procedures in place such that your PAT person is advised when new electrical kit turns up and give them the authority to go and check it before it goes into use.

I have just looked at the screws and fixings supplier I think you are referring to.

You are looking at the top of the range one made by a company in Dover I think.

Mine is made by the company that makes the most expensive one on there.

They all have their advantages and disadvantages.

You should look at annual calibration, but that can be done locally in Newport, they have a local collect & deliver service, tends to be a week about, or by mail order, there are a few I can recommend, by the OEM via carrier, or if you have a local electrical wholesaler that your company buys maintenance bits from, they will likely have an annual calibration day where you can drop the instrument off and pick it up within a few days.

The calibration co in Newport are also a sales organisation who represent almost all the manufacturers including those I am suggesting.  I know them too and can get a rep to you if you like, they are national.

Crazy really that we are skating around the brand names!

I can possibly get a couple of instrument reps to come and chat to you from the OEM's if you want, honestly, even though you are only looking at one instrument, I know most of them personally, certainly those from Dover, and many from the company in Peterlee Co Durham too.

Give ma a shout if you want to chat about it, I'm in the office most days these days.

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Yes, we already have a system in place for recording new equipment, for next PA Test period, but you are suggesting doing the new stuff before use? Surly if we by a new kettle it should be good out of the box shouldn’t it.

Always a difficult one - what if the item has become damaged in transet or during storage - ultimately its up to your risk assessment.

We dont do it, we rely on visual inspection - but then most of our kit is no more than 240 and double inulated. Remember PAT is not a legal requirement - its one part of your electrical safety system.

Centralised electrical procurement for most items, delivered to the base of one of the PAT people, then inter branched on your usual method once done?

Originally Posted by: AcornsConsult

Why are you thinking if in-house? Is it operationally morecc vs effective or an actual/ perceived financial benefit?

Financial over time. Some of our places are out in the sticks so a premium to even go out to them. Central HQ is about 90 miles ish from each max about 1.5 hrs in car each way.

Ps Kettle is considered essential equipment and I think may be in our emergency procedures, with the exact time to and back from the local supermarket recorded and periodically verified :o)

Chris

Originally Posted by: peter gotch

I hope that we are not going to start PAT testing brand new mains voltage products on offer to domestic customers bought from reputable suppliers! Yes, if you buy on the internet from unreliable suppliers, but you wouldn't do that would you?!?!

Peter, I understand where you are coming from with this, and  you would hope that is the case, however, I have personally seen more than a few brand new products from household name high street suppliers that were not safe, and did not comply with the product standards.

Unfortuately these sub-standard items are right through the supply chain.

Including high profile international industrial equipment spares suppliers who have a good reputation, but are not able to police the supply chain due the speed that products move through that supply chain.

As unfortunate as it is, I don't trust hardly any products these days.

I am now going to name a few companies, thanks to your checks not he rules Peter, I appreciate that as I could not recall the detail.  I am naming these companies, not because they have done anything wrong, exactly the opposite in fact, they have been victims to counterfeit products themselves.

When you consider that many of the large electrical manufacturers, and I mean global names like Siemens and Schneider, are having to raid factories abroad with the authorities to remove fake product from the market things are dire.  Companies like this do their best but even with their resources they cannot stop the fake products entering the supply chain.

SKF bearings are another company that fell foul of the fake products which got into the genuine supply chain. These sorts of organisations try to do as much as they can to prevent this, but they are high profile targets and the returns for the counterfeiters are large because the products command premium prices, which if you are getting the genuine thing is justified.

If you are getting fake products then goodness knows the real value, probably pennies and in fact, the real cost could be enormous if the devices do not perform as they should.