© 2009 A C PAT Testing Services

The legal requirement for PAT testing comes from the Electricity at Work Regulations. This requires employers to maintain “electrical systems” at work to prevent any danger.

Electrical systems refer to the installation as well as all the appliances connected to it. A qualified electrician should normally inspect the installation at periodic intervals. For an office, this is typically every 5 years and for say a hotel, it may need to be done annually.

The maintenance of the appliances can largely be carried out in-house in many organisations. This can result in cost savings and more flexibility in when PAT testing is carried out.