Formal Visual - Pass Sticker?

[Grizzly01]

Over-simplistic & naive

:sad:​

 

[Adam W]

Realistic. Who wants to have to pay someone to disrupt their business every few months to check the plugs on a load of low-risk appliances and stick two stickers on everything?
The only person it benefits is the jobsworth doing it, because it keeps them in busywork.

 

[oldtimer]

Totally agree with you Adam things have moved on ie years ago when you bought a washing machine you had to buy a plug top now everything comes with a plug top so PAT needs to catch up problem is these companies have a revenue stream and they aint going to let it go anytime soon

 

[NDG Elecs]

Given the carp quality of a lot of manufactured goods these days, there is absolutely no way I would label something as fine that has not been properly tested. But then again I dont (thankfully!) PAT. :hurray:

 

[Grizzly01]

... check the plugs on a load of low-risk appliances...

There it is.
You're making very general statements, but when it comes down to it, referring only to a specific part.
Think wider, and if you can't, don't make such umbrella statements.

(FWIW, I totally agree with you, for low-risk environments).

 

[Adam W]

It's the same for a "high risk" environment though - are you expecting to be able to go around a construction site and stop everybody working for half an hour or so or get them to lug all their power tools out of their van every 3 months so you can test their electrical equipment? Not only that but do it every month so you can have a 'formal' look at it all and slap another sticker on everything? Aside from some slightly frayed sheath on 110v extension cables the majority of it is fine anyway, and the guys whose equipment it is often tell you it's never been tested.
I still maintain that "formal visual inspections" are just unnecessary busywork which aren't required by law and in the majority of cases the frequency of combined inspection and testing can be reduced.

 

[Grizzly01]

... are you expecting to be able to go around a construction site and stop everybody working for half an hour or so or get them to lug all their power tools out of their van every 3 months so you can test their electrical equipment? Not only that but do it every month so you can have a 'formal' look at it all and slap another sticker on everything?

If the duty holder has decided that is what is required, then yes, obviously.
If they haven't, then no.

 

[Adam W]

If the duty holder has decided that is what is required, then yes, obviously.
If they haven't, then no.

So it's all down to the duty holder now is it?
Very non-committal.

 

[Grizzly01]

So now you don't like what the HSE say!
Make yer mind up.

 

[oldtimer]

So now you don't like what the HSE say!
Make yer mind up.

No I think like all of us don't like the fudge they have brought out so big companies cannot dictate test periods hence the onus is on the duty holder. Me thinks moving the goalposts spring to mind on this

 

[Adam W]

So now you don't like what the HSE say!
Make yer mind up.

I didn't say anything of the sort - you were going on about having to do formal visual inspections in addition to combined inspection and testing because it's in the IET code of practice, now you're saying it's all down to the duty holder who in many cases will have subcontracted the PAT testing to somebody who they believe to be an expert in it, hence not doing it themselves.

Saying it's down to the duty holder sounds like one of these "umbrella statements" which you claim to dislike so much.

 

[Grizzly01]

If you like.

 

[oldtimer]

Just done a PAT on 50 items in an office and I did not get an option as the owner said nothing have been checked for the past 6 years so I want everything checked no ifs so I complied and put a pass sticker but certain items were recorded on the test cert as visual only end of story and wont get a call for the next 6 years although had to change 10 13A fuses to 3A )

 

[Adam W]

Just done a PAT on 50 items in an office and I did not get an option as the owner said nothing have been checked for the past 6 years so I want everything checked no ifs so I complied and put a pass sticker but certain items were recorded on the test cert as visual only end of story and wont get a call for the next 6 years although had to change 10 13A fuses to 3A )

Apart from changing a couple of fuses did anything fail?

 

[oldtimer]

Apart from changing a couple of fuses did anything fail?

Sorry Adam I should have mentioned no nothing failed 5 of the fuses were fitted to stand lights so yep lamp had blown the 3A and someone fitted a 13A so I put the customer right on this ie replace like for like the other thing was 5 Apple power book charger with a 1 metre rubber mains leas with a 1 metre LV lead ad the transformer encased in the same had 13A fuses fitted so I changed them for 3A due to the size of the mains cable 0.5mm approx. The customer wanted the phone chargers checked as well because I was compiling an equipment list as well that she could use as an asset list. I also filled in a Repaired Equipment sheet logging what fuses I had changed and that I had repaired a poorly made up 4 metre extension lead re making off the plug top and cutting the lead down to 1.5 metres as it had been behind a couch for 5 years and I explained that it would be prudent to cut it down to the right length.

Also explained to her that no retest dates had been put on the equipment as this was no longer required and that she was the Duty Holder who had to decide via a risk assessment the periods between testing . She thanked me and said she had ignored the "You need to test every year sales pitch" and felt this was not required but said she was looking at every 2-3 years. Other than that she thanked me for making her and her 2 staff more electrically aware