If your business or organisation relies on electrical equipment of just about every sort – including fixed, portable and moveable appliances, IT technology and even items as rudimentary as extension leads – it’s critical to understand the importance of PAT testing. Sure, businesses obviously need their gear to be working and performing well, but PAT testing is essentially mandatory in Australia due to Australian workplace safety standards – which is why one of the best PAT testers on the market should be in that toolbox.
What are PAT testers, anyway?
First things first: what is a PAT tester? PAT stands for Portable Appliance Testing – and by far the easiest way to monitor equipment wear, defects and safety violations is by wisely choosing from the impressive current range of PAT testers on the competitive Australian market
Before that accessible modern range became affordable and powerful, organisations often had to outsource as well as carrying out their own PAT testing routines with other means of inspection – often as rudimentary as simply using the human eye. With modern PAT testers, however, it’s become all too easy. How do these ingenious devices get the job instantly done? It’s all about testing and checking:
- Earth continuity resistance
It’s as simple as plugging one PAT tester lead into the corresponding socket’s earth pin, and connecting the other to the portable appliance’s casing. That’s how the tester checks the resistance of the equipment’s protective earthing conductor – so that if something goes wrong with the device’s critical safety measures, the user doesn’t get a potentially harmful or even fatal shock.
- Insulation resistance
This test is also about the appliance’s protective earth components, but this time it’s specifically verifying the integrity of the critical insulation between the electrically live components and the metal components that may be touched by the user.
- Lead polarity
The lead polarity test is for electrical gear such as switches, breakers and fuses, and checks that the wiring has been done correctly in the first place and whether those single pole devices remain connected only to the phase conductor. Without getting too technical, electrical polarity is about the direction of a circuit’s flow of current, and it needs to be flowing correctly to prevent energising the earthing system – and causing a potential shock.
Check out today’s range of PAT testers
As a business, and especially as an employer, the onus of responsibility is firmly on the business itself to comply with electrical appliance safety standards – as well as keeping track of expensive and critical equipment’s performance and wear. From office-based businesses to hotels, health care settings, construction, manufacturing and even self-employed sole traders, PAT testing is all about eliminating shocks, burns, fires and faults – and also avoiding legal action, fines and other penalties.
Could your organisation make use of its own affordable PAT tester? They’re cost-effective, simple to use and they protect businesses as well as human lives – so get in touch with our helpful industry guides to match your organisation’s needs and budget with the most appropriate device.