PreventaShock

Commercial PAT Testing Across South Wales

PreventaShock is the portable appliance testing arm of PreventaPest, looking after PAT testing for businesses, landlords and organisations right across South Wales, from Swansea, Cardiff and Newport to Bridgend, Llanelli, Neath, Port Talbot, Carmarthen and beyond. Whether you've a single shop to sort or hundreds of appliances spread across several sites, we keep your electrical equipment safe and your paperwork in order, with as little disruption to your day as possible.

What PAT testing involves

Portable appliance testing is the routine checking of electrical equipment to make sure it's safe to use. It comes in two parts. The first is a thorough visual inspection of the plug, the lead and the casing, which is where the majority of faults are found. As part of that, we check the fuse rating and, if it's wrong, replace the fuse free of charge; if a plug is found to be unserviceable, we change the whole plug, again at no extra cost.

The second part is the electrical testing itself, carried out where an appliance calls for it:

Earth continuity (bond) test
Insulation resistance test
And, where appropriate, current leakage and load tests

Our testing follows the IET Code of Practice for the In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment, the recognised industry standard. Every item that passes is labelled and logged, so you finish with a clear record of what was tested and when.

Is PAT testing a legal requirement?

It's widely assumed that PAT testing is a legal must, carried out every year. That isn't quite right, and it's worth understanding where you actually stand. No law names PAT testing, and none sets a fixed testing interval. What the law does is place a duty on you to keep electrical equipment safe. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical equipment that could cause injury to be maintained in a safe condition, and related duties sit in the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

PAT testing is simply the most recognised way of showing you're meeting those duties. The Health and Safety Executive backs a sensible, risk-based approach rather than blanket annual testing, and its guidance on maintaining portable electrical equipment sets out how often different equipment should be checked depending on what it is and where it's used. We're glad to help you work out what's right for your premises rather than testing everything to the same calendar for the sake of it.

PAT testing for businesses

Most of our work is commercial, and we cover just about every kind of workplace, offices, shops, pubs, cafés and restaurants, hotels, schools and nurseries, care homes, gyms and leisure sites, warehouses and industrial units. We'll arrange the testing around your opening hours and busy periods, work tidily, and hand you the certificates and records you'll need for insurers, auditors and health-and-safety checks.

PAT testing for landlords and holiday lets

If you let property, you have a duty to make sure the electrical appliances you provide are safe for your tenants. Many landlords arrange a PAT test between tenancies, both for their own peace of mind and to satisfy letting agents. We test the appliances supplied with flats, houses, HMOs and holiday lets across South Wales, and provide a clear certificate for your records.

Contracts and scheduled testing

For businesses that would rather not keep track of it themselves, we set up ongoing testing on a schedule that suits the site, and give you a nudge when the next round is due. It's a tidy way to stay on top of things across one site or many. If you need testing at shorter notice, a looming audit, a new contract, a premises opening up, get in touch and we'll do our best to fit you in quickly.

What does PAT testing cost?

There's no single price, because it depends on how many appliances you have, what kind they are, and where the site is. Rather than guess, we'll give you a straightforward quote for the work in front of us. Get in touch with a rough idea of your premises and the number of items, and we'll come back with a price.

Local PAT testing across South Wales

We've dedicated pages for the towns we cover most, with a bit about each area and the businesses we work with there:

Frequently Asked Questions

PAT testing (Portable Appliance Testing) is a visual and electrical check carried out on plug-in electrical equipment to make sure it's safe to keep using. It typically covers a visual inspection for obvious damage, along with electrical checks using a PAT tester, and forms part of how employers meet their duty to maintain electrical equipment under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.

It depends mostly on how much equipment there is to test. A small office with a modest amount of kit can often be done in a single visit without disrupting the working day, while larger premises with more equipment naturally take longer. The best way to know for certain is a quick chat about what you have, get in touch and we'll give you an accurate idea for your premises.

There's no fixed legal frequency written into law, instead, the HSE recommends a risk-based approach, where how often you test depends on the type of equipment, how much it's used and the environment it's in. Office equipment in good condition is generally lower risk than, say, kit used in a workshop, so testing intervals can vary accordingly. We can advise on a sensible schedule for your premises when we visit.

Not by that name, no, there's no single law that specifically requires "PAT testing." What the law does require is that electrical equipment is kept safe to use, under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. PAT testing is simply the recognised, practical way most businesses meet that duty and demonstrate it with proper certificates and records, which matters just as much as the letter of the law when it comes to insurance and health-and-safety compliance.

It depends what you mean by "need." There's no specific law requiring landlords to PAT test portable appliances they provide, but landlords do have a general duty to make sure any appliances supplied to tenants, kettles, cookers, washing machines and the like, are safe, and PAT testing is the standard way to show that duty has been met. It's worth not confusing this with the fixed wiring in the property itself: in Wales, landlords are legally required to have the electrical installation inspected and tested at least every five years under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, that's a separate check, covered by an EICR rather than PAT.

They test different things. PAT testing covers portable, plug-in appliances, kettles, laptops, extension leads and so on. An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) covers the fixed wiring and installation in a building, the sockets, circuits and consumer unit themselves. A property can need both: the fixed installation checked periodically (a legal requirement for landlords in Wales, at least every five years), and the portable appliances within it kept safe through PAT testing. We can advise on which applies to your situation.

It depends on the number and type of appliances, and where they are. Rather than quote a generic figure that might not reflect your premises, we'd always rather give you an accurate price based on what you actually need testing, get in touch and we'll sort out a quote.

Book your PAT testing

To book, or just to talk through what your premises needs and get a quote, get in touch and we'll sort a time that works for you.

Portable Appliance Testing - PreventaPest Limited