PATTA News Updates

The new Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment – 5th Edition (2020).

The new Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment – 5th Edition (2020). You might have heard that there is a new Code of Practice (CoP) from the IET – this is quite a big deal for people in the PAT Testing Industry, as it sets out standards and procedures that people will follow when carrying out their work. PATTA was very happy to be asked to participate in the updating of this document, and our Standards Director, Tim James attended many meetings in 2019 to update the document and wrote some [...]

Richard Ayre2021-01-09T17:41:24+00:00September 14th, 2020|Code of Practice 5|Comments Off

The all-new Code of Practice for PAT testing

The NEW 5th Edition of the IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment The 5th Edition has been written by author, James Eade; the Portable Appliance Testing Trade Association has been involved directly in the writing of it. Having a representative for the industry on the panel at every meeting and discussion along the way has ensured that the new book has been written with the PAT tester in mind. Our very own Tim James (PAT Testing Expert) has been on the panel since it was formed, around 2-years ago, and has attended countless meetings, [...]

Richard Ayre2020-08-14T06:26:58+00:00August 14th, 2020|PATTA Info and News|Comments Off

ISO9001 Certification for a Safety Testing Company

ISO9001 Certification for a Safety Testing Company This article is brought to you by our member FTS Safety Solutions who are certificated to ISO 9001, which is the international standard for a Quality Management System (QMS). For a company to be certified to ISO9001 standard, they must follow the requirements set out in the standard. This standard is used by organisations to demonstrate their ability to consistently provide in their capacity, services and products that meet customer and regulatory requirements, more importantly to demonstrate a continuous improvement to procedures. The standard supports an organisation’s aims and objectives, a [...]

Richard Ayre2020-07-06T17:32:32+00:00July 6th, 2020|Business Guidance|Comments Off

Working from home, safely, during the lockdown

A guide to staying safe at home, whilst at work So, most of us are now working from home while we adapt to the impact Covid-19 is having on our lives. We have new routines, or no routine and we're trying to work whilst the kids run riot and the dogs wants to be on our lap - we're all adjusting to new ways of working such as having our meetings on the latest video conferencing platform. Whilst we are working from home we must not forget about the importance of safety, and when we are suddenly working [...]

Richard Ayre2020-04-25T11:08:10+00:00April 25th, 2020|Guidance|Comments Off

Covid-19 (Corona Virus) Update from PATTA

Covid-19 (Corona Virus) Update from PATTA Without a doubt, we are living through unprecedented times, with much uncertainty in the business world. As you know, PATTA is the trade organisation for PAT Testing Companies in the UK and we represent the interests of all of our members and others in the PAT Testing Industry. If you have PAT Testing booked to be carried out in the next few weeks you may be thinking about closing your workplace, and it is natural to instantly cancel all appointments. Many of our members are reporting that much of their booked work [...]

Richard Ayre2020-03-21T20:35:11+00:00March 21st, 2020|PATTA Info and News|Comments Off

Clearing up the confusion over RCD’s

What is an RCD? An RCD, or residual current device, is a life-saving device which is designed to prevent you from getting a fatal electric shock if you come into contact with a live wire or current. RCDs offer a level of personal protection that ordinary fuses and circuit-breakers cannot provide. The majority of our leads have an option to add in an RCD, to provide this invaluable level of protection. How does it work? An RCD is designed to protect against the risks of electrocution, for example if you cut through a cable and accidentally touched the exposed live [...]

Richard Ayre2019-10-22T09:57:02+00:00October 22nd, 2019|Guidance|Comments Off

Phone chargers’ guidance

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 grey area when it comes to chargers & adapters for mobile phones, I pads, USB chargers, e cigarettes, mini vacs (the list is endless) most imported from abroad. These chargers [...]

Richard Ayre2019-10-22T09:55:53+00:00October 22nd, 2019|Guidance|Comments Off

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 not just the asset description but Make & Model to the PAT register. This allows clarity on any recall notices that may come up. Firms such as Electrical [...]

Richard Ayre2019-10-22T09:47:55+00:00October 22nd, 2019|Guidance|Comments Off

Fake fuses

Nearly all Portable electrical items require a fuse for added protection in case of a fault. This fuse is designed to protect your device from harm should irregularities in current be detected. Fuse production is dictated by A British Standard regulation (BS1362) to ensure fuses are safe to use and are manufactured to full quality. But beware, there are counterfeit fuses which will cause more harm than good. These fake fuses could cause damage to your electronic equipment, your home, or yourself. In this post, we will show you some of the things to look out for to second guess a suspicious fuse. First of all, let’s look at the length. The length of the fuse can often be an indication sign [...]

Richard Ayre2019-10-22T09:41:48+00:00October 22nd, 2019|Guidance|Comments Off

Socket Covers

British socket outlets are amongst the safest in the world if they are in good repair. Electrical sockets that are manufactured to BS1363 standards (including multi way adapters and flexible extensions) must prevent the insertion of foreign objects into the socket tubes by an interlocking shutter mechanism. The BS1363 standard also sets a distance which a plug pin must be inserted before coming into contact with live parts. With a socket constructed to this standard and in good repair, even the smallest child cannot come into contact with a live part, with their finger or other foreign object. The problem [...]

Richard Ayre2019-10-22T09:40:20+00:00October 22nd, 2019|Guidance|Comments Off