Pat testing. How many are you expected to do?

[Darkwood]

Welcome to the forum GrantsonUK... thanks for your input, please note on the Thread posting date when you are adding your input, this one is several months old

 

[kenuk]

Hello all.
Quick question, how many items are you expected to test per hour? (Properly not lick and stick)
Had a moaning at today for being to slow.
In 3 hours I tested 124 items by the book and was told this was not a good amount, this includes scratching around under desks dicconecting, testing and putting the items back.
I know that some people I work with are happy with the lick and stick method and ive seen some shocking stuff that has "PASSED" but I'm not willing to put my name to something thats not been done properly.

12

124 items in 3 hours - by the book - no offense but what book was that, the pat testing book for cowboys?

 

[kenuk]

Depends on the site and how easy access is. But I've been on so many sites where I was told..... your not as fast as the guys here last year....then asked why am I opening the plugs, those "same guys" last year didn't do that. I also found plugs with the damn cardboard still on the end of the plug. So if they expect more then what was it 124 items in 3 hours they are used to people just stickering. Not carrying out full checks or repairs such as changing uninsulated pinned plugs etc

On a good site wth 100% access and no problems ill aim myself to do 25 to 30 per hour including minor works and proper visual checks, I mean I've seen people sticker an appliance and I had to point out all the exposed cable from the flex.....

Again, cannot see how you could be doing a proper job doing that many in an hour, 2 minutes is no time at all to do the checks and minor repairs etc.

 

[cliffed]

I aim for an average of 5 minutes per item, which includes minor repairs.

Yea agree,between 5-8 mins an item.

 

[LukeD]

Again, cannot see how you could be doing a proper job doing that many in an hour, 2 minutes is no time at all to do the checks and minor repairs etc.

Digging this thread up !!! "Minor repairs" . Included in the works? Not in my book .Its a simple pass or fail set up. Not a repair to pass test !

 

[DPG]

Digging this thread up !!! "Minor repairs" . Included in the works? Not in my book .Its a simple pass or fail set up. Not a repair to pass test !

Depends on what the customer wants and what they are paying for. Replacing fuses or fitting new plugs could be included.

 

[123]

Digging this thread up !!! "Minor repairs" . Included in the works? Not in my book .Its a simple pass or fail set up. Not a repair to pass test !

See Post #16, then add over 6 years

 

[cliffed]

I timed myself, with the equipment at hand, 6 minutes per item

 

[pirate]

6 minutes seems about right to me for easily accessible items. However, if you are testing IEC leads in a typical office environment it can take much crawling around under desks to identify which plug in a sea of disorder is at the end of the lead in question...and unless you want to then untangle the lead, you have to do the inspection part on your knees with a headtorch. Then, having identified both ends of the lead, you need to extend it with a known "good" lead so you can get both ends to the tester. This often takes a lot longer than 6 minutes! Sometimes I put a sticky label at each end so that next time I can easily identify both ends quickly.
Being retired and just doing this for fun, time is not really an issue for me, but it's no way to make a living on its own.

 

[LukeD]

6 minutes seems about right to me for easily accessible items. However, if you are testing IEC leads in a typical office environment it can take much crawling around under desks to identify which plug in a sea of disorder is at the end of the lead in question...and unless you want to then untangle the lead, you have to do the inspection part on your knees with a headtorch. Then, having identified both ends of the lead, you need to extend it with a known "good" lead so you can get both ends to the tester. This often takes a lot longer than 6 minutes! Sometimes I put a sticky label at each end so that next time I can easily identify both ends quickly.
Being retired and just doing this for fun, time is not really an issue for me, but it's no way to make a living on its own.

Exactly.... I will only do it when I suddenly find a job cancelled /something has not turned up etc !

 

[rapparee]

I was quoted two prices recently

£0.85 per item and £1.65 per item

I ended up getting the apprentice to do it ourselves, I had the gear and it had to be done by the end of the month so no time like the present and all that

 

[LukeD]

Today i went "patting " to help a friend . Nice place and very accessible leads /lights/heaters etc .
Manual data input (Pen on excel form !). Also hand written stickers . Tested by the book .7.5 hours none stop . Managed to do 151 items with no lunch etc . And I would say that it would have been impossible to go any faster without "cheating ". So based on that and what Ive been reading etc ....Even doing 200 items a day would be a challenge unless they are all in a box and you have a bench to stand and just go through them . In a house /office I think Impossible . So when i read companies want 500 items per day to stay employed and a rate of 20-30p per item .This really is NUTs ... THis should be a "watchdog" subject . where they set up a property /business .have it all tested and throw in some "fails" /Then record maybe 5 different companies carrying out the tests . The only way things will change if the Public also get onboard and complain about how so many trades schemes are nothing more than scams

 

[pc1966]

Depends on what the customer wants and what they are paying for. Replacing fuses or fitting new plugs could be included.

Realistically if it is only PAT testing as a tick-box exercise you are on a race to the bottom on price & quality with scam merchants. Being able & qualified to offer minor repairs as part of the deal would make it more worthwhile for both the sparky and the customer.

Assuming they understand that 85p-£1.65 is not buying anything in the way of skilled time!

 

[LukeD]

Realistically if it is only PAT testing as a tick-box exercise you are on a race to the bottom on price & quality with scam merchants. Being able & qualified to offer minor repairs as part of the deal would make it more worthwhile for both the sparky and the customer.

Assuming they understand that 85p-£1.65 is not buying anything in the way of skilled time!

Exactly . Test and make good where possible need to be fully regulated and the cost to work out at a min of £40 per hour

 

[pirate]

One item I tested recently, in a flat that was due to be rented out, was a wall-mounted heater which was hard-wired rather than just plugged in to a socket. It took a couple of minutes to find which circuit it was on, so it could be isolated. The faceplate on the connection unit had only one screw...the other screw had been cross-threaded and took another 2 minutes to remove. The reason for the missing screw was thereafter obvious...the incoming live cable had been folded back into the back box in such a way as to preclude the second screw being inserted. There were marks of the screw on the insulation, and the previous "tester" had obviously decided just to leave the screw out rather than rearrange the cable. Anyway, we are at 4 minutes so far on this item, excluding the 1 minute for checking the flex and general condition. Now we have to disconnect the heater, connect it to the test lead and finally actually plug it into the tester, following which, the cables had to be re-connected, properly dressed to allow 2 screws to be fitted, grab a spare screw from the toolbox, re-thread the bad lug and re-fasten the faceplate properly. In all, a 15 minute job, before the sticker could be filled in and applied. Not going to do 150 of those in a day...
I subsequently discovered that the flat owner had already paid for ISITEE on the flat...