“PATTA” is raising standards through representing the industry; supporting and guiding members
We have over 150 members across the UK – find someone to do your PAT Testing
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Have you ever started a new job only to be shocked by the sub-standard quality of the previous PAT testing company? Or are you a one-man band, new to the industry, struggling to get established and wishing you had someone to talk to who knew exactly what you needed help with? If this sounds like you, then you are exactly where we were when we knew the PAT testing industry needed a PAT testing association. This is where PATTA started.
PATTA was started to not only help PAT testers meet others, and have someone to talk to when they needed help, but also to try to raise standards in the industry, so we didn’t come across as many ‘cowboys’. However, whilst we want to raise standards, we always want someone to be not quite as good as us, or someone a bit more expensive, because after all, that’s just the way business is. If we were all the same, life would be pretty boring.
What is PATTA?
When we started PATTA, originally, it was to try to bring small businesses together; to give one-man-bands the opportunity to compete with the bigger national firms. We couldn’t compete with man-power etc so we figured if a few small companies clubbed in, they could take on bigger projects, and for a while, for some this did work quite well.
We also learned, from our own experiences, and from talking to others that there were loads of ‘cowboys’ around, or in the PAT world, they get labelled “Sticker Monkeys”. These are the companies that offer the super cheap, must be too good to be true prices, and then proceed to cut corners to scrape a living. Whilst we knew we’d never be able to get rid of them completely, we felt we may be able to reduce their number or at least improve their standards by educating people on the importance of a proper PAT test.
PATTA was started by 2 people, and is now a group of 5. Together, we work to try to improve our industry by representing it when it’s needed. For example, we attend meetings in Parliament to discuss matters relating to electrical appliances and safety; when the Code of Practice was re-written we had a seat at the table, and were responsible for writing important sections of the book.
PATTA isn’t ran as a business to make money; that’s not its purpose. PATTA is a collection, it’s the name given to what we do, and we did what we do before we were known as PATTA, and will continue to do it as long as we’re making a difference. People wanted to get on board, and support us, they wanted to sponsor us as they saw value in what we were doing, and could see how that could benefit their own business. So we started to ‘sell’ memberships. For a small annual retainer, a person or company can become a member. They give us a bit of cash to help cover our costs, and we in turn let them display the PATTA logo for high standards, on their websites, stationery, clothing, etc.
The PATTA logo is a mark of trust, it shows a company has standards in their work, and that’s what your customers will look for in a PAT tester.
If you want to get involved, if you want to support what we are doing, get in touch, become a member.
Raising Standards
Everything PATTA does is aimed at improving standards of work across the industry. We do this by offering some support and guidance, by giving members the opportunity to talk to others in the same boat, by giving members access to discounted services that will benefit their business.
PATTA isn’t here to help you grow your business, it isn’t here to get new work for you – you need to do that yourself, but by being a member you’re showing your clients that you are striving to improve the industry, by providing your work at the standards we expect.
PATTA’s work often goes under the radar, most of what we do is unseen and unheard of, quite often we can’t even discuss what we’re up to. So far PATTA has represented PAT testers in Parliament, with the Department of Trade and Industry, British Standards, Electrical Safety First, the IET and many more.
PATTA was heavily involved in the writing and production of the latest Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment, and is currently working on trying to improve the training available to the industry as a whole, and other projects. Being involved in the 5th Edition was very important to us, and being involved and named in it, puts us in a good position to provide you with independent help in understanding how the changes affect you. Our latest blogs delve more into this.
It is our aim, as we develop, and the respect government panels show in us, will filter down so the PATTA logo is seen as a symbol for professional standards, that our members and supporters can be proud to wear.
It has been often misunderstood that PATTA is trying to become a regulator of the industry; we’re not. Let’s put that to bed now – everyone involved in PATTA has a successful business in their own right and is busy enough with that, we simply don’t have the time to become an industry regulator. We also don’t think this industry is yet ready to be regulated – more work has to be done raising the standards first, but together we can show that PAT testing is a genuine, honest and important procedure that every business should be doing.
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