Portable Appliance Testing is one of the most misunderstood compliance obligations in UK workplaces. Many businesses treat PAT as a box-ticking exercise — a sticker on a kettle and a signature on a form. But the records are what actually protect you, and losing them can be as costly as skipping the testing entirely.
Is PAT Testing Actually a Legal Requirement?
There is no specific law that says “you must PAT test.” What the law does require — under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) — is that all electrical equipment used at work is maintained in a safe condition. PAT testing is the most widely accepted way to demonstrate you’re meeting that obligation.
In practice, this means that if an electrical fault causes an injury or fire and you can’t demonstrate that equipment was properly maintained, you have very little defence.
What Records Should You Keep?
The IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment recommends keeping the following:
- An equipment register — a list of all portable appliances covered, with a unique identifier for each
- Test results — pass or fail for each appliance, with the date tested
- The name of the person who carried out the test
- The next recommended test date
- Action taken on failed items — removed from service, repaired, or replaced
These records should be retained for the life of the equipment, and at minimum until the next round of testing.
The Problem With Stickers and Paper Logs
The PAT sticker on an appliance tells you it passed. It doesn’t tell you who tested it, what equipment was used, or whether the visual inspection identified any concerns. If that appliance is later involved in an incident, the sticker alone won’t satisfy an HSE investigation or an insurance claim.
Paper logs and spreadsheets present their own problems. They get lost, they don’t follow equipment when it moves between sites or departments, and they don’t alert anyone when the next test is due. It’s common for operations teams to discover — only when preparing for an audit — that dozens of appliances are overdue for testing.
How Often Should Appliances Be Tested?
There’s no single legal answer — recommended intervals depend on the type of equipment and the environment it’s used in. High-risk environments like construction sites require more frequent testing than a standard office. The HSE publishes guidance, but the key principle is that you should be able to justify your chosen intervals based on a documented risk assessment.
Some general guidance:
- Construction/industrial sites: every 3 months for portable tools
- Commercial kitchens and hospitality: every 6–12 months
- Offices: every 2–4 years for most equipment
- IT equipment in low-risk environments: up to 5 years
Making PAT Records Work for You
The most effective PAT record systems tie the record directly to the physical asset. When a tester scans a QR code on a drill, they’re updating that drill’s specific record — not adding a row to a spreadsheet that may or may not be associated with the right piece of equipment six months later.
Taggit does exactly this. Each asset carries a QR or NFC tag. Testing results are logged against that asset, with timestamps and GPS location. Upcoming test dates trigger automatic alerts. When an auditor or insurer asks for records, you export a complete PDF in seconds.
PAT testing records aren’t just compliance paperwork — they’re your evidence that you take equipment safety seriously. Make sure they’re in a system that keeps them safe too.
Try Taggit free and bring your PAT records under control. No credit card required.