Guidance on Phone Chargers British plugs & sockets are amongst the safest in the world. This is because the British BS1363 standard has been around for decades, also due to laws like the Plugs & Sockets Act 1994. In fact, it is illegal in the UK to sell an electrical item with a plug that does not conform to BS1363.They should not have a CE mark on them. However, the law becomes a very [...]
Insurance, what do I need? As a sole trader starting out, it would be worth visiting your local broker to discuss exactly what you require with your insurance. Most start with Public Liability of around £2million, however as your business grows it’s recommended to review your insurance year on year (unless unusual circumstances arise, such as working in dangerous places), then you must notify your insurance to make sure you have adequate cover. [...]
Class II Flex, Clear or same colour flex You may occasionally come across Class II flex where it is either transparent or the same colour all the way through. This does not necessarily mean it’s automatically a fail due to no visible Live Phase (Brown) or Neutral (Blue) to distinguish terminal position within the plug. This type of flex is mainly found on modern Class II table/bedside lamps/luminaires. As a lamp (bulb) can [...]
Product Recalls If you’re not already doing it, adding product recall to your business could help your USP and help your customers safety. Most people (and we’ve all done it) go out and buy that electrical appliance but take no notice of the “register my appliance” card in the box. Well it is there for a good reason and it’s not just trying to upsell you some extra insurance. Several PAT firms are registering [...]
Ask yourself… Do you know what sort of injury high levels of microwave energy causes? Do you know that damage is cumulative? Do you know the “Safe level” and how that level was derived? If you find a leak, what are you going to do? Tell the customer not to use the oven?? Say “It should be OK”? Remember, you have to attach a “Sticker saying who made the test and when etc. Does the [...]
Effective email template to get your invoices paid Email is an incredibly effective tool to use for credit control; much easier than sending letters these days, but what proves to be a common problem is wording the email right to make sure we get paid. Common email mistakes include unfriendly tone, appearance of automation / lack of humanity, an aggressive or judgemental approach to overdue invoices, and even chasing the wrong person entirely I have [...]
The Portable Appliance Testing Trade Association is not intended to be a networking group, or a sales tool for your business; the people who run "PATTA" are as busy as you are, running and working in their own businesses, so they don't really have the time to promote yours too. Additionally if we were going to promote your business and get you leads or sales then we'd charge a lot more for a membership than [...]
PATTA members have the benefit of being able to use our own exclusive, members only group on Facebook; people who are not members do not have access to this group. If you want to be added to our group apply here: PATTA on Facebook
The future of PAT This is a very interesting time for the PAT Testing industry, with the UK government taking electrical safety very seriously at the moment. Brexit is likely to bring changes to the legislation, with much to be decided over the next few months. The government were already in the process of setting up a new 'Office for Product Safety' - mainly due to the issue of counterfeit and non-UK standard electrical items, [...]
