Inventory-Portal PAT testers are City & Guilds Qualified

City & Guilds 2377-12 is the recognised qualification for people undertaking the inspection and testing of electrical equipment (PAT Testing). The qualification is based on the IEE Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment 3rd edition, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

BBC News item 16 November 2011

Electrical safety ignorance 'puts millions at risk'

Millions of people in the UK risk death or injury because of their ignorance about household electricity, the Electrical Safety Council has said. A survey of more than 2,000 people for the charity highlighted common risks. Each week on average, at least one person dies from household electrical accidents, and annually 350,000 people are injured.

"Even though we are using more electrical products than ever before, there is a worrying gap between the public's perception of electrical danger and the reality, with people making simple yet potentially fatal errors that can be easily prevented," said ESC Director General, Phil Buckle.

Speaking for Inventory-Portal Ltd, Steve Bull says:-
“It just isn’t worth taking these risks!. With the large number of imported electrical appliances flooding into the UK via online suppliers, our reliance on manufacturers' production tests is no longer enough. Don’t take risks with your family, employees or guests - get your electrical appliances PAT tested regularly by a qualified professional”.

IPL PAT test to the latest IEE Code of Practice and has City & Guilds qualified electrical appliance PAT testers ready to check appliances for businesses and home owners in Suffolk, Essex and Kent.

Inventory-Portal are now the preferred PAT testers for English Courtyard Association and Cognatum, UK suppliers of high quality retirement housing.

Inventory-Portal are preferred PAT testers for Best of Suffolk, letting agents for stylish self catering holiday homes and cottages in Suffolk.

Portable Electrical Appliance PAT Testing Service for Businesses, Landlords, Holiday Home owners and Agents

Inventory-Portal Ltd supplies qualified and insured electrical appliance safety PAT testing to all types of businesses throughout Kent Essex and Suffolk, through our East Anglian PAT testing business brand Suffolk PAT.

Our Commercial Pricing for offices and business premisesis competitive and is based on the number of items tested on site: the more items we test in one job, the cheaper the costs per item. Sites with over 250 items to be tested, please contact us for a separate quote

Commercial PAT Testing by IPL is at these Prices

£1.30 +vat per item, for 150-249 items on site
£1.65 +vat per item, for 100-149 items on site
£2.00 +vat per item, for 50-99 items on site
£2.35 +vat per item, for small sites of 1-49 items

We also specialise in PAT testing Holiday Homes and Holiday Cottages through our subsidiary business, Suffolk PAT which offers fixed price Vat-free PAT testing for home-owners of privately owned holiday cottages and holiday homes.

Suffolk PAT Pricing is based on the size of the property and is fixed (regardless of number of items present), so that Clients can know the full cost before the job is undertaken.

Holiday Home PAT testing by Suffolk PAT are at these Prices

£65 for a 1 Bedroom holiday home
£70 for a 2 Bedroom holiday home
£75 for a 3 Bedroom holiday home etc
These prices are all-inclusive.
Reports are emailed to the client with a copy to the holiday home booking agent where applicable.
We also carry out tests on microwave ovens, for microwave leakage, in addition to the standard electrical test on these specific items. These are required under the Health and Safety Executive's Code of Practice.
Microwave Oven leakage Tests are charged at £2.00 per oven.

To enquire about arranging electrical safety (PAT) testing in Suffolk, Essex or Kent email us by clicking this link PAT TESTING ENQUIRY

Who do we work for?

Our clients include the owners and managers of many business premises, where staff are employed, the public visit, or where tenants or guests stay. We test electrical appliances in shops, offices, B+Bs, hotels, restaurants, golf clubs, doctors surgeries, health centres, cinemas, pubs and cafes, furnished long-let houses and short-let holiday-homes self catering holiday lets and caravans.

All business require electrical appliance PAT testing to meet their legal, Health and Safety requirements. The risks of not complying can range from expensive fines from the Health and Safety executive or much worse; a serious injury or death to a member of staff or the public, if damaged or unsafe electrical appliances are left undetected and cause an accident.

What exactly is Portable Appliance Testing?

The 'Inspection and Testing of In-Service Electrical equipment' (usually referred to as Portable Appliance testing or PAT), was introduced to enable companies & organisations comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.

The IEE Code of Practice is the Industry Standard for pAT testing and this covers all electrical appliances (over 50 Volts AC), including hand-held, portable, moveable, stationary and fixed electrical equipment, as well as IT equipment, so pretty much every appliance is included if it connects to the electrical installation via normal plugs, industrial plugs or hard-wired via a direct fused connection into the mains supply.

The legal background

Legislation demanding electrical maintenance and testing includes the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. Electrical safety is also included in the Housing Act 2004, via the Housing Health and Safety Reporting System (HHSRS), for managing the mandatory reporting of risks in rented houses.

Do I need my electrical appliances tested?

To comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations all electrical appliances should be routinely inspected and tested by a competent person (such as a qualified PAT tester).

This applies to all business owners and managers (who are known as 'the responsible persons' in Health and Safety law) such as a shop manager, cafe owner or the landlord of a holiday home, the directors of companies and even the self employed contractor who must ensure his own tools of work are tested.

How often should they be tested?

The frequency of inspection and testing required will vary depending on the type of appliance, its location, and its use, but normally, most items require at least annual testing.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) publish advice and guidelines.

We operate to the IEE Code of Practice for the in service inspection and testing of electrical equipment and can help you develop an effective inspection & testing schedule that will suffice.

What do PAT tests involve?

Proper PAT testing consists of 3 separate activities, during which appliances are turned off and disconnected from the supply, so some disruption is inevitable but we work with Clients to minimise this during the testing which includes:-

A formal visual inspection of the appliance to check for damage and any poor electrical standards, and

A series of tests using technical equipment, to check for electrical faults (eg: earth continuity, insulation resistance and earth leakage tests).

The PAT tester then undertakes a 'functional check' to ensure the item is in good working order before applying the "PASSED" label.

The label states the unique id no. of the appliance, the date tested and the due date for re-test.

How can Inventory-Portal Ltd PAT testers help you ?

We can ensure that your organisation complies with the electrical safety regulations by putting into place a arangements for regular, professional PAT testing of all your electrical appliances. Contact us to get the ball rolling now.

Some scary hard-facts

There are around 30 deaths and 4,000 accidents annually in the UK involving electrics, so don't think it can't happen in your property. If you own a business, employ staff or let a property in England & Wales, you must ensure that electrical equipment and the fixed installation in your premises are safe.

We strongly recommend that everyone strives to run a safe business and as such, make absolutely sure they are complying with the regulations to ensure that all electrical equipment supplied is safe. In order to do this we recommend:

Annual inspections on all electrical appliances by a competent electrical appliance (PAT) tester.
Periodic inspections of the fixed wiring by a qualified electrician, every 5 years.
Keep all records of these inspections in your businesses' Health and Safety files.

This is important as you have a legal duty of care to staff, tenants and the public to maintain all electrical appliances in a safe and serviceable condition. If certified PAT Testing is not undertaken and a death or injury from electric shock occurred from an untested appliance, your landlord's or businesses' public liability insurance policy could be invalidated.

To make an enquiry about PAT testing in Kent, Essex or Suffolk click PAT TESTING ENQUIRY

View all of our reviews on the FreeIndex Portable Appliance Testing Companies directory