PORTABLE APPLIANCE TESTING
COURSE 160: 1 DAY
It is a legal requirement that all electrical equipment (including portable appliances) used at work shall be adequately maintained. In order to meet this requirement, appliances should be inspected and tested at regular intervals. This course provides participants with an understanding of the legal requirements and the expertise to carry out the inspection and testing competently.
PARTICIPANTS
Ideally suited for participants with an appreciation of basic electrical concepts who are involved in either a maintenance or a contracting role and who need to undertake the inspection and testing of electrical equipment. The course is also suitable for participants with no electrical experience, as suitable guidance and support is provided.
COURSE PRESENTATION
There is a high ‘hands-on’ content within the course, with ample opportunity for participants to use a wide range of leading PAT testers. Comprehensive course notes are provided.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
On completion of the course, participants will be able to
- understand the dangers associated with PAT testing
- recognise the precautions necessary both for safety – and for the protection of equipment
- understand the legal requirement for testing portable appliances
- assess the required frequency of inspection and testing
- understand the importance of specific identification of equipment
- recognise the testing requirements for different classes of equipment
- carry out visual inspection of appliances and equipment
- carry out the following tests using a wide range of proprietary PAT testers:
- earth continuity (low and high current)
- insulation resistance
- load test
- earth leakage
- correctly interpret test results and determine appropriate pass levels
- maintain a system of record keeping.
Successful completion of the course leads to the award of Amicus / Technical Training
Solutions competence certificate 160: Portable Appliance Testing.
What do candidates on the portable appliance testing (pat) course actually do?
We give our candidates a brief overview of the legal requirements so that they understand why they need to do pat testing and the competence issues surrounding pat testing. We then look at how the testing should be carried out.
We focus on the importance of the visual inspection, and give them the opportunity to discuss various incorrectly-wired plug-tops, cable and appliance faults, using a series of pictures of the offending items to guide them.
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The electrical tests are then explained, with a comprehensive set of course notes which help to clarify which tests should be done and what the acceptable pass/fail limits of each test are. Useful reference tables dispense with the need for the candidates to perform complex calculations, for example in the case of the maximum earth continuity test readings allowed when appliances have longer leads.
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Candidates then perform visual inspections on a range of typical electrical appliances (including IEC leads, multiblocks etc, not shown here).
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Candidates then perform the necessary electrical tests on the electrical appliances shown above, using a range of pat testers.
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We then explain the record-keeping requirements and show the candidates examples of the certificates commonly used for recording the results of PAT testing. Candidates can then complete some example forms for themselves with the results that they have gained from the tests that they carried out previously.