Portable Appliance Testing

[Alan Prudhoe]

I don't do paid gigs any more, just charity gigs, and a local electrical company did my Portable Appliance Testing free-of charge. Public Liability is becoming another issue and I considered rejoining the MU but thought it expensive considering I'm not only not earning any money for my music but actually paying out a fair bit from my own pocket for every charity gig I do. In the end, I have become a full member of Making Music, the voluntary music organisation, which also provides Public Liability insurance.

Do you have a link for Making Music, Noel please?

[RUSSET]

Some info from my brother, who also plays in my band, & is a lecturer in electronics at Hereford College :

Portable appliance testing is now commonplace throughout the business & commercial community to demonstrate that we have taken all reasonable precautions to use electrical equipment safely especially were the public are likely to be involved.
It is simple & cheap. All mains powered equipment should be tested, labelled & a record kept. The frequency of testing depends on how much usage an item gets, an annual test is the norm.
The test must be carried out by a trained competent person & consists of 3 parts:

1. Visual inspection – the most important part where the majority of faults are picked up, (frayed leads, correctly fitted plugs, fuse rating, etc.).
& then using a PAT meter.
2. Earth bonding, (a current is sent through the earth wire of the mains lead to the chassis & the resistance is measured). This makes sure that the item is properly earthed & the fuse would blow e.g. if the casing became live.
3. The insulation resistance between the live working bits inside the item & the outer casing is measured. This ensures that you can’t get a shock by handling the item when it’s powered up.
It takes 5-10 mins to test each item.
If you item only has just 2 wires to the mains plug then it hasn’t got an earth & doesn’t need test 2.
That’s basically it in simple terms & a good thing too if it protects lives which I am convinced it does. I have seen some horrors over the years. Mains extension leads are often deadly due to abuse over time. How many performers use a simple trip on the mains plug, (the sort of thing you would use mowing the lawn)?

Testing can be done at Oakleigh Music, Hereward Rise, Halesowen, B62 8AN, 0121 550 9707, Alistair or Chris.
Alternatively, if you gather all your kit in 1 suitable place a site visit can be arranged & all done in 1 fail swoop. Cost is about £2 per item.
Hope this information is useful.
Regards, Chris Rusell.

[noelford]

I don't do paid gigs any more, just charity gigs, and a local electrical company did my Portable Appliance Testing free-of charge. Public Liability is becoming another issue and I considered rejoining the MU but thought it expensive considering I'm not only not earning any money for my music but actually paying out a fair bit from my own pocket for every charity gig I do. In the end, I have become a full member of Making Music, the voluntary music organisation, which also provides Public Liability insurance.

Do you have a link for Making Music, Noel please?

Here you go, Alan:
MAKING MUSIC

[LONGPLAYER09]

I guess all has been said about the PAT testing saga. I started life as a spark, and then went into avionics. In 2005 I got made redundant & had a two year spell at PAT testing. I worked with a chap who had set up a small business (him & me!). I did the work (generally grotty) & he did the admin, including certificates. The jobs were from testing IEC leads, & other electrical equipment, large or small, domestic or industrial etc. But it did reveal some nasties at times, like crunched cables, to a bolt fitted in an extension lead fuse holder! Thankfully I’m back in avionics, but I did find PAT testing an eye-opener. Get it tested!
Mick

[Bob Dore]

Don't you just love the mindless government instigated nonsense that blights our lives these days hiding behind the mantle of "Health & safety".
What started as a genuine attempt to formalise & regulate domestic electrical safety standards (Part P building regs) has collapsed into chaos with several different competing organisations applying slightly different interpretations of the wiring regulations. This has resulted in thousands of experienced "sparks" (including me) leaving the schemes & an influx of "5 day wonders" that are being certified as "competent".
The relevance of this rant to P.A.T. testing is that (IMHO) a person carrying out these tests should be properly qualified (City & Guilds) and insured with the necessary experience and ability to be able to recognise abnormalities in the equipment being tested & how to deal with them

I have nothing against H&S when it is sensibly written, enforced and implemented. I do object to those who insist that I comply with the regulations while clearly not doing so themselves. In the case of this errant venue I objected to par lamps, where the lamps are around 200 degrees while on, being fixed to the ceiling with nothing more than a single wood screw and suspended precariously from the tiles!

Bob.

[Twang46]

Hi Bob.

I too support realistic & meaningful Health & Safety measures, but.......... on a daily basis at work (multi national company) there are flagrant daily breaches of H&S (amongst other things) that when challenged result in mumbled platitudes about "lessons learnt, taken on board" etc.... from the management.

I've left the practical side of my trade now & just work part time in an advisory capacity in a big shed (clue to my employers identity) & see examples of cost cutting/ignorance of regs & "don't care" on a daily basis with all electrical matters not just PAT testing.

My advice is to keep the PAT testing up to date and have the log available for inspection & all should be well for even the most jaundiced of officials .

As an aside the term "Competent Person" used to be a respected position that had to be earned over a number of years, now seems to be dished out willy-nilly to anyone who has "done a course"

Cheers

Dick.

ps,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I know, I know cynical/bigoted/ etc...

[neil2726]

Dare we mention the dreaded risk assessments?