PAT certificate

[Telebass]

And, of course, what Jah said. Use yer eyeballs, often!

[Jah Wibble]

Jah Bless Telebass........Jah Bless...



But seriously, what Tele is saying is pretty sound advice.

[Leonard Smalls]

[quote name='Jah Wibble' timestamp='1367276078' post='2063693']
Well a competent person would be someone who has read and understood one of these
[url="http://electrical.theiet.org/books/inspection-test/in-service-inspection-4th-ed.cfm"]http://electrical.th...tion-4th-ed.cfm[/url]

Thats why I suggested people have ALL their gear fully checked at least once every 5 years, and then carry out user checks/visual inspections more regularly. You don't need to have completed PAT training to carry out these checks.
[/quote]

As a sparkie, I have to agree with this!
There's a lot of misconceptions about PAT (shan't say PAT Testing!) which seem to have become set in stone, probably because the HSE has done nowt to dispel them. It's also a good moneyspinner for certain sparkies/dedicated testers, and something for jobsworths at venues to lay the law down about.
Legally, all you have to do is to ensure that electrical equipment is maintained in order to prevent danger.
Which basically means checking operation of the equipment, and checking for damage (especially cables) or loose wires (in the plug).
Essentially all a PAT does in addition to this is test the earth continuity (unless double insulated), and test insulation resistance, if there's a problem with either of these it'll usually show up in a visual check first.
Here it is from the [url="http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/faq-portable-appliance-testing.htm"]Horse's Mouth[/url]

[ubassman]

[quote name='danthevan' timestamp='1367270019' post='2063615']
The PAT test only shows the bit of kit was ok when it was tested, doesn't mean it will be trouble free for 12 months. Therefore, not worth the sticker it's written on in all honesty.
[/quote]

+1

Interestingly, most portable domestic appliances such as microwaves, toasters, kettles, TVs, are pretty low risk because they stay put and are usually in a nice warm house . Well travelled band equipment gets exposed to much more potential abuse ...outdoor weather, being chucked in the van by knackered people at 2.00am after a gig, being bounced up and down on the motorway, left on stage overnight, ...the lead singer's water regularly being spilt ! etc, etc).

Apart from using a testing device and logging items in the inspection / following a protocol, theres a lot of emphasis on a visual inspection ...and that particular bit is pretty easy to do on a regular basis. DantheVan is right the PAT test is just a snapshot in time and good to to a visual equipment check every couple of months looking for the obvious . Pretty much common sense stuff - more info [url="http://www.pat-testing-uk.info/what-is-involved-in-a-pat-test.php"]here[/url] .

Edited April 30, 2013 by ubassman

[ubassman]

....but also worth having the PAT test done in the first instance as a starting point!

[DorsetBlue]

As I stated in the PLI thread, speaking as an Electrical and Electronics Engineer by training (I am not a 'sparkie' though) and being responsible for Design Certifying systems within a FTSE100 company that is very anal about risk mitigation and litigation, I agree with what Leonard Smalls says with the caveat that ubassman adds. Anyone who is half competent is fully able to do visual inspections on electrical kit (although remedying any faults...maybe not). However understanding the electrical theory behind the results from the test equipment is another thing and IF you end up in court, unless you have any qualification behind you (even the PAT certificate) I would expect a solicitor would rip you a new one (e.g. if you don't understand speaker impedance or ohms law, you cannot be considered competent to use the test equipment IMHO).
Get a sparkie (if you work for a reasonably sized company, there maybe someone already 'trained' to do it for that company - throw them some beer vouchers to do it for you) to do the Test Equipment test as often as legally required and do the visual inspections yourself (but only repairs if you are competent).