Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is the process of inspecting and electrically testing portable equipment to check it's safe to keep using. It isn't a legal requirement by name — but the duty behind it is.
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 place a duty on employers to maintain electrical systems, including portable appliances, so they don't become dangerous. There's no regulation that names "PAT testing" specifically or sets a fixed interval — instead, the HSE expects duty holders to run a risk-based maintenance regime, of which testing is one part.
In practice, that means: a visual inspection catches the majority of faults, a combined inspection and test catches the rest, and the frequency should reflect how an appliance is used and how harsh its environment is — a drill on a building site works a lot harder than a desk lamp.
Every appliance gets a visual inspection — plug, casing, cable, signs of misuse or damage — followed by an electrical test appropriate to the equipment class:
These are widely used industry starting points, not fixed legal deadlines — your own risk assessment, appliance condition and how heavily something is used should adjust them up or down. We'll advise on a sensible schedule for your site during the first visit.
| Environment | Example equipment | Typical interval |
|---|---|---|
| Construction & site work | Power tools, extension leads, 110V transformers | 3 months |
| Industrial & commercial kitchens | Kettles, toasters, catering equipment | 6–12 months |
| Offices & retail | Monitors, printers, desk lamps, extension leads | 12–24 months |
| Hotels, B&Bs & rentals | Kettles, hairdryers, irons, TVs | 12–24 months |
| Schools & public buildings | IT equipment, classroom appliances | 12 months |
| Low-risk IT equipment | Laptops, chargers, double-insulated devices | 24–48 months |
Nobody gets fined for missing a PAT test on its own — but the consequences show up elsewhere. Insurers can query a claim if there's no record of routine maintenance. Fire risk assessors often flag untested equipment as an outstanding action. And in a workplace incident involving faulty equipment, the absence of any testing regime makes it harder to show you met your duty of care.
Basic PAT testers are cheap to buy, but interpreting the results, spotting the visual faults a machine won't catch, and keeping a defensible register takes training and repetition. A City & Guilds 2377 qualified engineer knows what "pass" actually means for a given appliance class, and produces documentation that holds up if it's ever questioned.