2377-77
PAT Testing Course.

PAT testing (Portable Appliance Testing) is the routine inspection and testing of portable electrical appliances to verify they are safe to use. PAT stands for Portable Appliance Testing. It combines a formal visual inspection with electrical tests — typically earth continuity, insulation resistance, and polarity — carried out to the IET Code of Practice 5th Edition (2020).

There is no single law that names PAT testing, but the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) require employers to keep work equipment safe. HSE guidance INDG236 ("Maintaining portable electric equipment in low-risk environments") sets out the inspection-and-testing approach that demonstrates compliance. Landlords in England have a separate statutory duty to commission a 5-yearly EICR of fixed installations under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 — that is not the same as PAT testing, but most letting agents also require PAT certificates for any portable appliances supplied with the rental as standard practice.

The law requires the person doing the work to be competent; it does not name one mandatory job title. Competence depends on training, knowledge and experience for the equipment and environment involved. The City & Guilds 2377-77 qualification provides formal evidence of assessed knowledge and practical skill, but holders must still work within their demonstrated competence.

PAT testing follows three stages: (1) a user check, (2) a formal visual inspection looking for damaged cables, plugs, and casings, and (3) the electrical tests on a PAT testing machine — earth continuity, insulation resistance, and polarity. Each appliance is then labelled with a pass or fail sticker and the result is logged on a PAT test certificate or register.

A PAT testing machine (PAT tester) is a handheld instrument that runs the electrical tests on portable appliances — earth continuity, insulation resistance, leakage current, and polarity. Common brands include Megger, Seaward, Kewtech, and Fluke. Our course familiarises you with machine setup, reading results, and recording them on a PAT test certificate.

Yes. On passing this course you receive a City & Guilds 2377 PAT testing qualification — the recognised PAT tester certification in the UK. Each appliance you subsequently test produces a portable appliance test certificate (a register or labelled report) recording the date, the test results, and the tester.