HSE

[edutech]

The knives have been sharpened
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg236.htm

[Alan Freeman]

From what I read in this, it looks like PAT is not required for class 2 at all. Is that the concensus of opinion??

That will cut the tests required by a huge percentage, but is this the way to go?? Class 2 kit fails PAT sometimes that even a visual does not show.

Also, will the customer perform the visuals on a regular basis?? At least with PAT, there is a sticker applied to show when it was last tested.

Does this mean a new edition of the code of practice?

[gaz]

I don’t really care what the HSE say; more of importance in my book is what the landlord and insurance companies say. If they want full testing then so be it.

Last September HSE told every sole trader on a Saltash Ind. Est. "you don’t need PAT Testing" I wonder how many had it as a clause in their lease or insurance policy. And since when is a sole trader exempt from certain parts of legislation.

[Jim Wallace]

Gents

The new HSE publication has clearly caused some confusion and it requires careful reading as it specifically refers to "low risk environments" and discusses the test requirements for "certain types" of Class II appliance. I am preparing an article to try and clarify the position and will post a copy on here early next week if that would be useful.

Alan - it does mean a new code of practise. I am part of the IET peer review committee and we plan to issue a 4th edition in the later part of the year.

[edutech]

Jim

I'm surprised to hear that revision 4 is imminent, so soon after V3. Is there a particular reason for this?

The HSE "myth buster" doesn't really say anything different to previous guidelines. I know that certain companies try to sell PAT as a legal annual requirement and maybe it's a reaction to this practice.

The differentiation of class I and class II does actually cause quite a bit of confusion with clients. Many clients use the PAT report as a kind of asset register and often question why certain items have been "missed". Visual inspections are recorded and the equipment labelled during the initial inspection. On subsequent inspections this process can become confusing as the testers then have to check each item individually for re-test dates. Our main issue however is that what happens when a tester comes across an item that is not due for re-test, but which is clearly a "fail"? It's not unusual to find chargers for example with cracked casings or missing earth pins. In practice this means that the testers are checking everything, at least visually, whether the items are due for re-test or not.

[jonathan]

I just purchased the 3rd Edition book (and at some cost for what it is). I hope there will be an addendum available instead of having to buy the entire thing again if the changes only concern Class II (which I rarely see), otherwise I think it's a bit much to expect everyone to buy the whole thing again.

[Jim Wallace]

Hi Edutech

4th edition will go to print in August this year. The current edition has been around for 5 years now. There are a few things driving the update:

A new IEC/EN standard will be published later this year (hopefully, it's at the voting stage but I will post and update later this month when voting is complete). The new standard is IEC 62638 "Recurrent Test and Test After Repair of Electrical Equipement" and will be adopted as BS EN62638. The IET code of practise needs to be updated to reflect the fact that we will finally have a british standard covering PAT.

The Lofsted review ask the HSE to review regulations and guidance relating to PAT and make recommendations where necessary. This can be addressed in the form of an updated Code of Practise.

Jonathan - it's a complete new addition and so it wont be published as an addendum.

Once the new draft is agreed and finalised I will publish updates here on our forum.

[edutech]

Jim

Thanks for the update. With the current cull of BS within the construction industry, lets hope the new standard isn't strangled at birth!

[Jim Wallace]

Hi Led

The post on the Sheffield forum is taken from the statement on the HSE website and so it is correct. You can view the full post and download the revised HSE guidance from their website. You need to read it pretty carefully as it can appear to say that testing is unneccessary but it refers to "certain types of equipment" and the guidance is specifically for low risk environments.

[safe + sound]

I see the HSE guidance Maintaining portable electric equipment in low-risk environments INDG236 (rev2), published 04/12 raises more questions than it answers.

“larger items that could be moved (but only rarely), eg water chillers, fridges, microwaves, photocopiers, vending machines, washing machines, electric cookers, fax machines, desktop computers, electric beds etc are considered to be movable items”

Does this mean Stationary Equipment no longer exists as a type of equipment?

“hand-held items, such as hairdryers, that do not have a plug but have been wired in (or fixed) are still considered to be portable appliances, but large electrical items, such as water boilers that are wired in, are not portable appliances as they are not designed to be moved and would come under the scope of fixed installation maintenance”

So water boilers are now part of the fixed installation but electric cookers are not?

It’s about time government departments and other agencies got their act together and worked to produce clear and common guidance for us all. It would be nice if the introduction of BS EN62638 and a new Code of Practice achieves this but I won’t be holding my breath.

Apologies for the cynicism, I must be having a bad day.