Contractor PAT Testing

15 August 2025

Contractor PAT Testing or D.I.Y.

Do you need to PAT Test?

If you employ people, have the public attending your premises, or you conduct work on other people’s premises using portable electrical equipment, you will need to PAT Test.

The law is clear that electrical equipment must routinely inspected and maintained at regular intervals to ensure that employees and the public are safe. The IEC recommend that you not only conduct a visual inspection of equipment, but that they are also PAT Test using an electrical measuring device (PAT Testing machine) to ensure that the internal components of an equipment are working within safe limits.

How often does my electrical equipment need inspecting?

Frequency of inspection is determined by several factors including the following:

• What the equipment is or does
• How often it is used.
• Is it used with water?
• Is it plugged or unplugged frequently?
• Is the equipment well cared for? Used by lots of people? Moved frequently?
• Are you using equipment on a construction site, or in other third-party premises?

Put simply, you need to determine a reasonable frequency for testing based on many factors. In reality many desktop computers, stowed securely and never or rarely moved may only require testing every few years. Whereas kettles, vacuum cleaners, extension leads, drills etc. may need testing as frequently as every 6 months. If you are using equipment on someone else’s premises, they are likely to require proof that inspections have been conducted. Portable electrical equipment used on construction sites needs checking with an extremely high frequency, typically every three months. The frequency of pat testing is not once size fits all.

Do I need someone who is qualified to do the PAT Testing?

You do not need a qualified electrician to conduct PAT Testing; you do however need a competent person who understands how to conduct a full visual inspection and PAT Test. It is not difficult to do. With the correct instruction or training, and using a simple machine, you can easily do it yourself. This is why we sell PAT Testing machines; we have an easy-to-use machine, and an instructional DVD that covers all you need to know and is now available free to watch on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@ParkerBellCoUk-PAT/videos

Wouldn’t it be easier to get someone in to PAT Test?

It might make sense to have a contractor come in and do your PAT Testing. However, you will still be responsible and held accountable for what they do, so you need to keep in mind the following when deciding:

• You still need to know all about PAT Testing! The HSE will hold you, not the PAT Testing Company responsible if there is an accident or a fire. While there are excellent & reputable PAT Testers out there, there is also the ‘Sticker Brigade’ who offer PAT Testing at ridiculously low prices and do not do the full job. Even experienced PAT Testers will only be able to test 80 – 150 items per day. If the PAT Tester claims he can do more, they are unlikely to be doing the job properly.
• You will need to ensure that they have full access to the equipment needing testing as they will not want to keep returning to your premises as and when the items are free, which may cause disruption to your business.
• You may have vulnerable residents, employees, children, or members of the public on your premises meaning the PAT Tester will need to be always accompanied.
• You need to check their equipment has a valid calibration certificate. All PAT Testing machines need calibrating annually.
• If you have any sensitive or specialised electrical equipment, you need to be sure that they will not damage it.
• Check pricing for call outs if you or an employee/resident brings in equipment from home or other establishments where they have not been checked and tested?
• Are they able to come to your premises at weekends or in the evening so that it does not prevent your staff from getting on with their work?
• The Contractor should provide you with detailed records which gives each equipment a reference, advising whether it passed or failed the test (and why) and detailing when the next test is due. It will also note where the equipment is used/stored etc. You need to understand these records fully and ensure that you update the contractor when there are any changes or amendments. Remember the frequency of testing is determined by the equipment risk, user risk and location risk.

How much will it cost if I do it myself?

A PB500VX currently costs £310 +VAT with voucher code KIT25 (check the website for current pricing) for everything you need to do your own PAT Testing. (You may need an adapter for specific equipment) Thereafter it will cost £55 +vat a year to have the machine calibrated. That’s less than £6 a week in the first year and a pound a week for the following years. In addition:

• The overall cost to your business should reduce, as you will be able to schedule the testing for times that suit your business, reducing downtime.
• You can use your own staff.
• You only need to pat test equipment as and when they need it.
• You can loan out or share a machine with a neighbouring business, or across multiple sites.
• You are in full control of the PAT Testing and how it’s done.
• We still regularly service and calibrate machines that are more than 15 years old! So, they will not need replacing regularly.
• Your experienced staff will manage any specialised equipment appropriately.
• No employees, children, elderly residents, patients, or customers need to encounter unfamiliar people wandering around your premises.
• You get to know your equipment and can monitor their condition so that you can plan to replace them in an appropriate time.

We find that most businesses could benefit from doing their own PAT Testing, but not all. If you think a contract PAT Tester is the way to go for your business, make sure you follow the advice above. Otherwise, it is time to take control and start doing your own PAT Testing. You will be amazed at how quickly you are up and running with our easy PAT Testing kit.

Training

Free training is available online, with our free online PAT Testing Course. So, training your team, is efficient and ensures they understand the importance of them looking after the equipment they use, rather than expecting you to be responsible. Often employees are not aware they are also responsible for inspecting and using electrical equipment they use with correctly.

Insurance

We are seeing increasingly that insurance companies are expecting you to be PAT Testing as a prerequisite of your cover. Don’t leave it until you make a claim, to find out that you should have been PAT Testing.

Support

If you have any questions, feel free to call us on 01392 364933 or email sales@parker-bell.co.uk