Fire Inspections
Fire inspections are now highlighting and checking that fixed electrical equipment have been tested for electrical safety.
The manager of a building said she had problems getting a company to test a fixed appliance convector wall heater. Below is the following exchange on why.
Frequently Asked Questions
Basically the majority of these companies employees are not electrically qualified. As they are not trained to open the wall switch disconnect the appliance and test it.
Always check your documentation. If you read ‘Visual Inspection Only’ then you are paying the company just to put a sticker on the appliance.
In a word No the fire inspector/officer I suspect will not accept this. All fixed appliances need to be tested for electrical safety
Easy enough if the appliance has a plug top on it then it can be classed as a portable appliance. If it is hard wired into a wall switch then it can be classed as a fixed appliance
Well you could depending on the amount of electrical equipment organise 2 different tests . So, in a small business with say 75 portable appliances and 10 fixed appliances. You may want to have 2 separate contracts.
If you are a landlord then find a business who can test both on the same visit.
Insurance and Compliance
The whole idea of electrical appliance testing is to ensure a safe environment for staff and tenants. Remember insurance is about risk so, not confirming the appliance has been electrically tested may be an issue.
Basically you are obliged to get both portable and fixed electrical appliances are tested for safety.
Fixed equipment comes under Electrical Appliance Testing aka ‘PAT Testing’. Where you can risk assess that they be tested every 12, 18 or 24 month intervals. So, testing them every 5 years would not be prudent.