Working from Home – PAT Testing

26 September 2025

PAT Testing and Home Working

Many people are now working from home, so it’s important that you ensure your working environment is safe:

• Learn how to inspect and maintain your electrical equipment for free
• Use extension leads safely
• Check for other hazards
• Switch off to save energy and money

Safe working environment

Whether you are working in an office or at home you employers must ensure you have a safe working environment. But the employee must also take responsibility for checking and maintaining the equipment they use. Learning how to PAT Test is the simplest way of learning what to check for. You should also ensure that the environment is conducive to safe working practices.

How do I know what to look for?

Do our free online PAT Testing course which teaches you the fundamentals of PAT Testing. PAT Testing is the standard recognised way of ensuring that your electrical equipment is safe to use. It can be done by any competent person, no formal qualification is required.

The course takes approximately 25 minutes and you just need an email address to sign up. By doing the course you will understand what is involved in inspecting and maintain electrical equipment, and while you may not need to carry out all of the steps, every employee should know how to do a visual inspection.

You can do the course here: www.onlinepattestingcourse.co.uk

Extension Leads

One the best inventions ever!! However, be wary. They are not designed to be a permanent solution, and if they have multiple outlets, you probably should not be using them all at the same time.

The obvious thing to check is that the extension leads is positioned safely and no part of the cable is trapped under table or chair legs.  They should be unplugged when not in use. Extension leads should NEVER be plugged into another extension lead.

To calculate whether your sockets are overloaded you can use this free calculator:

Overloading Sockets | Electrical Safety First

Other checks:

• Switch off chargers when not in use.
• Use the correct charger, don’t mix and match.
• Do not charge equipment on soft furnishings, beds, sofa’s or carpets.
• Keep your working area tidy. Drinks and electricity don’t mix!
• If you need to – set reminders! It’s tempting to pop the dinner in or the tumble dryer on as you are at home, but it’s easy to get caught up with work and forget.
• Switch off when you pop out. You might only plan to be out a few minutes, but when you have lots of electrical items on, it is far safer to ensure everything is switched off.

Summary:

PAT Testing is straightforward and easy to do. It makes sense to ensure that all your electrical equipment is safe to use, whether it’s provided by your company, or it’s your own. Many more accidents and fires happen in the home compared to the workplace, so the course can help you know what to look for and keep tabs on your own domestic equipment.

Support

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