Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

Type of business/equipment 
User checks 
Formal visual inspection 
Combined inspection and

 
electrical 
tests
Equipment hire 
Yes 
Before issue and after 
Before issue
return
Construction 
Yes 
Before initial use and then 
3 months
every 
month
Industrial 
Yes 
Before initial use and
6–12 months
then every 3 months
Hotels and offi ces low-risk environments
Batter operated
No 
No 
No
(less than 20 volts)
Extra low voltage: (less than 50 volts ac) e.g.
No 
No 
No
telephone equipment, low voltage desk lights
Computer/photocopiers/fax machines 
No 
Yes 
No if double insulated
2–4 years 
otherwise up to 5 years
Double insulated equipment: not hand-held.
No 
Yes 
No
Moved occasionally, e.g. fans, table lamps,
2–4 years
slide projectors
Double insulated equipment: hand-held e.g.
Yes 
Yes 
Yes
some fl oor cleaners, some kitchen equipment
6 months–1 year 
1–2 years
and irons
Earthed equipment (class 1): e.g. electric
Yes 
Yes
kettles, some fl oor cleaners, portable
6 months–1 year
electric heaters
Cables (leads) and plug connected to above.
Yes 
Yes
Yes
Extension leads (mains voltage) 
6 months–4 years depending
1–5 years depending on
on the type of equipment it is
the type of equipment it is
connected to 
connected to
Table 12.1
Suggested intervals for portable appliance inspection and testing

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Introduction to Health and Safety at Work
200
➤
an increased awareness of the hazards associated 
with electricity
➤
a more regular maintenance regime should result.
The limitations of portable appliance testing include:
➤
some 
fi xed equipment is tested too often leading to 
excessive costs
➤
some unauthorized portable equipment, such as 
personal kettles, are never tested since there is no 
record of them
➤
equipment may be misused or over-used between 
tests due to a lack of understanding of the meaning 
of the test results
➤
all faults, including trivial ones, are included on the 
action list so that the list becomes very long and the 
more signifi cant faults are forgotten or overlooked
➤
the level of competence of the tester can be too low
➤
the testing equipment has not been properly cali-
brated and/or checked before testing takes place.
Most of the limitations may be addressed and the reduc-
tion in electrical accidents and injuries enables the advan-
tages of portable appliance testing to greatly outweigh 
the limitations.