Do I need PAT testing?

Looking for the technical detail? Read the version for professionals → IET Code of Practice 5th Edition. In service inspection methodology and risk based testing intervals.

Do I need it for my business? Yes.

Why? The law makes you responsible for electrical safety and for keeping your equipment maintained. PAT testing is a cheap and effective safety measure. It is the simplest way to show you are doing everything reasonably practicable.

Does the law say I must do it? No. It says you must maintain electrical equipment so it does not cause danger. It does not say how. But if you are not testing, ask yourself how you will prove it instead.

Where people get ripped off is not on whether to do it. It is on how much and how often and at what price. That is what the rest of this page is about.

What the law actually requires

Northern Ireland: the equivalent duty is in the Electricity at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991. Same position in substance.

Why "yes" is still the right answer

Say something goes wrong. A fire or an electric shock or an insurance claim. The question you will be asked is: what did you do to maintain your equipment?

"Nothing, because the law does not say PAT" is not an answer anyone wants to give to an HSE inspector or an insurer or a solicitor. A test record and a certificate from a competent person is. It costs a few pounds an item and it is the evidence trail that most clearly shows a reasonable employer doing a reasonable thing.

So the buyer's decision is not whether. It is how much and how often and what it costs. Get those right and PAT is one of the cheapest lines on your compliance budget. Get them wrong and it is one of the most padded.

What a proportionate programme looks like

You need two layers. Both of them. Neither replaces the other.

Layer 1: your own visual checks, always

Staff look at equipment before they use it. Damaged cable. Cracked casing. Scorch marks. A loose or overheating plug. Taped up repairs. Anything that fails the look is taken out of use and reported. A named person in your business keeps a simple note of what was found and what was done.

This costs nothing and it catches most faults before they hurt anyone. It is what HSE expects every employer to be doing regardless of any testing regime. It is not optional and it is not a substitute for Layer 2.

Layer 2: formal inspection and testing by a competent engineer, always

This is the safety net and the proof. A competent engineer inspects and tests the equipment. The results go on an asset register and a certificate is issued. That certificate is what your insurer or landlord or an inspector will actually ask to see.

Should I buy a tester and do this myself? In law you can. In practice do not. You are not paying for someone to press a button on a tester. You are paying for someone who knows what an unsafe appliance looks like and which failures matter. You are paying for their name on a certificate. That is proof a safety measure was taken by someone competent to take it. A DIY test with no engineer's name on it is weaker evidence when it counts. For a few pounds an item the saving is not worth the exposure.

How often: the two year cycle

Most ordinary commercial premises do not need everything tested every year. That covers offices and shops and salons and small workshops. The IET Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (5th edition) gives risk based starting intervals. For an office the Class I earthed equipment gets a full test every 24 months with a formal visual inspection every 12. Class II double insulated equipment goes up to 48 months. For commercial kitchens and hotels the Class I equipment is every 12 months.

A cycle that sits inside that guidance, and that you can ask any contractor to follow:

Year 1: full combined inspection and test of every appliance. This builds your asset register. Every item with its class and its location and its result. Without the register you cannot manage anything.

Year 2: formal visual inspection of everything plus a full test of the higher risk items. Kitchen equipment and hand held tools. Anything with a damage history. Anything the engineer flagged last time.

Year 3: back to Year 1.

Why it is built that way. The legal duty is "maintain to prevent danger" and not "test annually". The alternating cycle keeps every item under formal inspection every year and under full test at least every two. That is what the Code asks for ordinary commercial premises. The annual full test of the high risk items covers the kitchen and hand tool cases where the Code wants 12 months. It is also the honest answer to the everything every year model most of the trade runs. The Code does not require that model.

Tools are the exception. Power tools and hire kit and site equipment get a full test every three months and a check before every issue. Whatever the premises.

What the cycle does not cover. It is a fixed cycle and not a per appliance risk assessment. Equipment in a harsh environment, wet or hot or dusty, moves into the yearly full test whatever this says. A construction site needs a programme designed for it rather than this one.

Ask your engineer to set the interval on the certificate. If you run a commercial kitchen or have items that need testing more often than the cycle above then ask the engineer to put the shorter interval on the certificate. A good contractor will do this without being asked. One who cannot explain why an item needs testing more often is guessing or selling.

What it should cost

£2 an item for a full test and about half that for a formal visual. Most contractors apply a minimum charge of £100 a visit. A 40 item office is £140 in a full test year and less in a visual year. A 100 item premises is £260. If you are quoted materially more then ask what you are paying for.

Figures are typical prices taken from published commercial price guides and checked October 2026. Same method on every page. Larger or more complex premises sit above them.

Check what else your business needs

PAT is one small part of electrical safety. Your fixed wiring (EICR), your fire risk assessment and your general risk assessment matter far more. Run the Compliance Check to see what applies to your premises.