PAT testing Cardiff

As the Welsh capital, Cardiff packs in more businesses per square mile than anywhere else in the country , the offices around Central Square and Cardiff Bay, the shops and restaurants through the city centre and the arcades, the hotels that fill up on event weekends, and street after street of rented flats and houses out in Cathays and Roath. Every one of them depends on electrical equipment that has to be safe to use. Portable appliance testing (PAT) is the simple way to stay on top of that, and it's what PreventaShock does for businesses and landlords across the city.

We fit the work around how you operate, whether that's a quiet morning before the doors open or a planned visit between shifts, so testing day doesn't cost you trade.

What a PAT test covers

There's nothing mysterious about it. We start with a visual inspection , the plug, the flex and the body of the appliance, looking for the damage that causes most faults: cracks, frayed cable, signs of overheating, a repair that should never have happened. Then, for items that need it, we run an electrical test to check what the eye can't, such as earthing and insulation resistance.

Each appliance that passes is labelled and added to a clear record, so you've always got proof of what was tested and when , useful for insurers, auditors and anyone else who likes to see the paperwork.

Is it actually the law?

Not in the way people often think. No statute names PAT testing, and none demands it on a yearly cycle. The duty itself comes from the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which require electrical equipment that could cause injury to be kept in a safe condition. PAT testing is simply the most recognised method of demonstrating you're keeping to that.

The Health and Safety Executive favours a risk-based approach over routine blanket testing, and its guidance on maintaining portable electrical equipment sets out how frequently different equipment and environments warrant a check.

How often you'll need it

It varies with the kit and the setting. A kitchen in a busy Cardiff restaurant, with equipment running flat out every service, needs more frequent attention than the laptops and lamps in a quiet office suite. Rented properties are their own case , landlords often want a fresh check between tenancies, both for their own peace of mind and to satisfy letting agents. We'll talk through what's sensible for your situation rather than putting everything on the same fixed schedule.

Who we work with in Cardiff

Our work spans the full Cardiff mix , offices and professional firms, shops and the arcade traders, bars, cafés and restaurants, hotels and guesthouses, schools, nurseries and care homes, and landlords letting flats and shared houses across the city and suburbs. From a single premises to a property portfolio or a multi-floor office, the approach holds steady: thorough, properly documented, and as unobtrusive as we can make it.