How many pat tests in a day

[pattester1987]

I recently had an interview for a trainee pat test engineer position. They said the target for the engineers is 400 a day. Is this realistic nowadays?

 

[Moley]

Think about the figures. 8 hour day = 480 minutes. So, you need to PAT each item in around 1 minute. Impossible to do it properly. Now, if all you are doing is sticking stickers on..........

 

[pattester1987]

Think about the figures. 8 hour day = 480 minutes. So, you need to PAT each item in around 1 minute. Impossible to do it properly. Now, if all you are doing is sticking stickers on..........

That's what he said. You'd do 1 a minute. I'm presuming they're saying 400 so they get you to do as many as possible. Or they expect you to just stick some of the stickers on without checking but don't actually say it.

 

[littlespark]

I just spent today PAT-ing a factory. 90 items, took me 4 hours. Mostly office equipment, some power tools.
Had to walk around searching for things, crawling under desks to get to PC's. Looking for equipment that was on the list last year, but no longer on site, and the addition of just as many new items.

400 a day is completely ridiculous.

 

[Moley]

It would take longer than 1 minute for a proper PA Tester to do a full test, especially class I with a 10A earth bond. Even if you use a very basic GO/NO GO tester you would still be struggling even if everything was lined up in front of you.

 

[LukeD]

better to work in aldi.. PAT testing for 99.9% of the time is a race to the bottom .They just want a "pass" and a sticker" .Same as EICR's !!! Its not controlled and anyone can do it .Dont waste your timre

 

[GBDamo]

I recently had an interview for a trainee pat test engineer position. They said the target for the engineers is 400 a day. Is this realistic nowadays?

it's not possible, it's an interview question designed to select those with no scruples.

 

[Moley]

it's an interview question designed to select those with no scruples.

I REALLY hope that you are right.

 

[westward10]

I presume this is a large company who get the work by putting in rock bottom prices, the only way to cover the job is for the individual on site to "test" hundreds in a day. They have zero interest in the job being done correctly, they are the scourge of our industry.

 

[ferg]

Was the 1 a minute comment related to on target earnings or an actual number of tests you are expected to complete?
Either way it's absolute tosh.

 

[pattester1987]

Was the 1 a minute comment related to on target earnings or an actual number of tests you are expected to complete?
Either way it's absolute tosh.

Not sure. He used the word quota so..... I don't know. I'm a commercial plumber, but 40 this year and have been looking for a way out of it for a while now

 

[westward10]

Not sure. He used the word quota so..... I don't know. I'm a commercial plumber, but 40 this year and have been looking for a way out of it for a while now

Is it a big company?

 

[nicebutdim]

Not sure. He used the word quota so..... I don't know. I'm a commercial plumber, but 40 this year and have been looking for a way out of it for a while now

This route would would quickly become very tiresome.

 

[RetiredNY]

Responding from the USA here, I have no idea what a pat test is, that said I've never done 400 of anything in one workday.

 

[Moley]

Responding from the USA here, I have no idea what a pat test is, that said I've never done 400 of anything in one workday.

PAT, Portable Appliance Testing. The name has now been changed to ISITEE (In Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment) but everyone still calls it PAT. Very basically it tests the electrical safety of equipment.