PAT system brings speedy results

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Nov 21, 2003

Faster and more accurate portable appliance testing reports can now be achieved following the development of a GBP 300,000 scheduling, control and reporting system by Epsilon Test Services.

Faster and more accurate portable appliance testing (PAT) reports can now be achieved following the development of a GBP 300,000 scheduling, control and reporting system by Epsilon Test Services.

Since the 1989 edition of the Electricity at Work Regulations, there has been a necessity to maintain portable electrical equipment in a safe condition.

A "portable appliance" covers anything disconnected from the mains via a plug including vacuum cleaners, fans, heaters, desk lamps, PCs, photocopiers and fax machines; and all need to be tested to ensure safety.

The company believes that its new system will revolutionise the entire way of carrying out PAT testing.

Based on the latest mobile communication technology, Epsilon's new PAT system enables its 50 UK-wide test engineers to produce reports in hours rather than the weeks or months traditionally taken.

On completion of a test, engineers input their findings into portable handheld computers.

Using wireless data transfer, the results are fed back to head office, where the reports are instantaneously produced, and after a quality check, despatched.

The use of mobile communications technology means that all visits are scheduled on a planning system in the office and then diary and client information is downloaded to the engineer's handheld computer, enabling him to always have the correct data even for an appointment the next day.

Once the testing is complete and the report issued the scheduling system creates a prompt for the next test date - so the customer can be reminded in plenty of time about his next test programme.

"We had one instance where two engineers had worked a night shift finishing at 3am", says Mark Blanchfield, Managing Director of Epsilon.

"When the customer arrived in the office at 9am that morning, the report had already been e-mailed to him.

He was astonished to say the least and phoned to tell us so".

Such a highly professional and polished approach helps eliminate human error as the information only ever needs to be input once.

The efficiency of the technology enables each engineer to test up to 200 appliances a day as well as undertake basic repairs while on site.

Many of the UK's largest organisations are discovering the benefits of outsourcing PAT testing including names like Marks and Spencer, Zurich Financial Services, NTL and Sodexho.

"Outsourcing to a specialist with full UK coverage means that multiple site customers are tested to the same standard; are preplanned and prebooked; are tested on time; are tested to the very latest legislation; have tests reports turned around quickly - all with the same professionalism", says Blanchfield.

"With the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) claiming that 25% of reported electrical accidents at work are as a result of faulty portable appliances, the need to implement PAT testing has never been greater".