Welcome to S.P.A.T.   -   Call us on 01603 409629 or 07818 038049
Certificates and appliance stickers we use
- Ask us for more details, costs, etc., or if you have any questions at all
ABOUT US Established and run by Kevin Reed, the Sprowston Portable Appliance Testing service operates mainly in the East Anglia region and specialises in the licensed trade, although any business type is of course catered for. From small local shops to large department stores, schools to librarys, manufacturing factories to office blocks, residential nursing homes to storage warehouses and not forgetting site contractors. (Site contractors, do bear in mind your equipment should be tested on average every three months due to the conditions and abuse your tools get) Experienced and qualified, our business only carry's out Portable Appliance Testing, nothing else. This enables us to concentrate on the job in hand and also helps to keep our costs down to a minimum, which means costs to our customers are lower - that can only be good news for you! (We also sub - contract to electrical contracting companies who are too busy with instalation work to do their own portable appliance testing) First time test? - just call us	WHAT EXACTLY IS PAT? Portable appliance testing was introduced to allow businesses and companies to comply with the UK's Health and Safety laws. The applicable laws being The Electricity at work Regulations of 1989 and The Health & Safety at Work act of 1974. Although it is not a legal requirement to have a P.A.T. policy in place, it is a legal requirement to have a policy of regular maintenance in place. P.A.T. meets this requirement so long as the equipment user keeps an eye on the appliance as well. Having said that, P.A.T. has now gained a far higher presence in the workplace as many insurance companies insist a P.A.T. policy is in place before issuing a certificate of cover. Also, local Health and Safety boards have been known to charge businesses fines of up to £2000 where appliances in use by employees have not been properly tested. So to sum up, it is good practice that businesses and organisations with any employees should have a policy in place and especially those where members of the public use or have access to portable electrical equipment. It shows your commitment to safety and ensures your equipment is safe for your employees. Tel: 01603 409629 or 07818 038049	WHERE IN THE UK? In addition to East Anglia, we can also cover parts of South Wales namely the Cardiff, Pontypool, Cwmbran, Newport and surrounding areas - i.e. Abergavenny, Ledbury, Monmouth, Ross, Usk, Malvern and some parts of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester. Contact us to see if we cover your area. WHAT DOES IT COST? Please call us for a quote! We charge on a 'per appliance' basis. Quotes will vary according to the number of appliances on your premises, the frequency of the tests required, ease of access to your equipment, cleanliness of the equipment and its enviroment and also where you are in relation to Sprowston, Norwich, or which part of Wales or the West of England you are based in. Other charges include replacement fuses (25p ea.) and plugs (56p ea.) At the moment, businesses in and around Sprowston should call us to take advantage of some of our very special offers! Time for a retest? - we're here
How often do you think about the safety of your appliances?
HOW & WHAT DO WE TEST? Our most important equipment is our eyes and our Portable Appliance Test Equipment. In our case we currently use a Robin SmartPAT 3000 and all of the testing carried out by us is in accordance with The Institute of Electrical Engineers Code of Practice for In Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment. If it's got a plug, we'll test it! On a serious note, our equipment will test both 110v and 230v appliances. Items vary due to location type, contractors will be mainly power tools, transformers, extension leads, etc., whilst pubs and hotels will be epos, catering appliances, TV sets and so on. Every business is unique, but our experience is wide and extensive and you can rest assured the appropriate tests will be applied. OUR AREA OF EXPERTISE We specialise in the licensed trade simply because Kevin has over 12 years experience in this field. He is an ex-licensee having run four pubs as a tenant. This has given him much experience as to what is required for tenancy changes including inventory testing and the standard and type of records that licensed trade valuers expect to see. The valuable experience and the knowledge of how pubs and hotels run, leads to a considerate service, minimal disruption to day to day goings on and complete confidence in our work. It also helps knowing the usual hiding places for equipment!	THE PROCEDURE:- Appliances are visually inspected for damage, wear and inadequate joins to the flex. The location and suitability of the cable for the job is also questioned. The appliance case is inspected. The plug will be dismantled and checked for damage, correct fuse rating, correct wiring and suitability of the cable grip. It is also checked to ensure the exposed part of the live and neutral pins have insulation where required. The big question... does the piece of kit actually work!?! Is it functional? Does the switch work to turn the appliance on and off? It is surprising how often we find switches that do not function because of a build up of grease and grime, overheating or general misuse. The appliance / item is now connected to the Robin Smart P.A.T. 3000 test equipment. Earth Bonding is the first check. This is performed at either 26 Amps, 8 Amps or 26 milliamps depending on the type of appliance. This test is required for class one items that require a connection to earth for safety. Some appliances need a good secure earth for operational functionality - for example, microwave ovens that discharge to earth. It's no joking matter, someone's life may depend on this test. Phase to neutral test and fuse continuity. 500 volt insulation test. If all is well, the item is given a green PASS label that bears a reference number for each appliance, test engineers initials, date of test and date of retest. The label also carries our companies details. The items details will be recorded and logged.	THE PROCEDURE (cont'd) If the item has failed, simple faults will be rectified at the time - e.g. fuses in need of replacing, plug faults etc. When rectified the unit will normally be retested and labelled and logged accordingly. More serious failures will be labelled FAIL and the reasons logged on a 'faulty equipment register.' The appliance must then be taken out of service. OTHER THAN LABELS, WHAT DO I GET TO PROVE WE HAVE BEEN TESTED? Our records will be printed from a laptop computer on site if required. A certificate is also issued to display at your premises to show your companies commitment to safety in the workplace. The record system we use shows (where the information is available) appliance reference number, location, description, serial number, class, rating, and then lists test results for plug, fuse (including rating fitted), flex, case, earth, continuity, insulation and finally the pass or fail status and duration of certificate. The records are clear and easy to read and understand. If needs be, your company can use our records as part of your asset management system, nearly every company we have visited has been shocked at how many appliances with plug tops they own! OUR SERVICE Importantly, you can be assured of a quality, reliable, co-operative and discreet service. If it's more convenient, we can call outside of your business hours - evening or night if required. Annual inspection contracts are available which offer a discounted rate in the second year. Whilst on your premises we are covered by our own public liability insurance & also hold a Food Hygene Certificate - we won't be contaminating your kitchen area. Sprowston Portable Appliance Testing for complete peace of mind.
Our service covers all types and size of business, whether large or small
Sprowston Portable Appliance Testing, 72 Cannerby Lane, Sprowston, Norwich. NR7 8NE. U.K. Tel: 01603 409629 or 07818 038049     Email: mail@sprowstonpatest.co.uk