The great pat testing scam

[i=p/u]

good testers are quick to record results and print at end of day , but tottaly agree they dont give too hoots just want there 70p per item,, as ur man above said £50 quid a day does them

 

[millwall ken]

Love it, you're in the wrong job mate.

 

[i=p/u]

£2 per item bendoverken

 

[millwall ken]

£2 per item bendoverken

Sorry cupcake, I'm married.

 

[Graeme Harrold]

Its another poorly written regulation within the industry. There is no need to have PAT testing done if your company policy is written to exclude it, e.g. "We replace computers every 3 years......." There is only advised guidelines and a code of conduct for everything, and the only people who impose strict testing schedules are the smart companies who do care about their employees, or insurance companies. Again there is no need for labeling, its only a way to track tested items. Ive had customers request no labeling, I just provide a department/room schedule of tested items.

I dont go below about £1.50 per item, unless there is a load of class 2 items which can be churned out quite rapidly. All items laid out, a class 1 will take just over 3 minutes, inc plug top off, check terminals and then run the rapdi test sequence on the Fluke 6500, test running, lable being written.........

Starting a caravan park next week with the first batch of 156 units containing 6 items, 3 class1 and 3 class 2. Flat rate of £10 per unit and will be done in 6 days. Boring, YES, but an easy start to the year, then another 193 before Easter!!!

 

[Dec]

Starting a caravan park next week with the first batch of 156 units containing 6 items, 3 class1 and 3 class 2. Flat rate of £10 per unit and will be done in 6 days. Boring, YES, but an easy start to the year, then another 193 before Easter!!!

Happy days Graeme, i think i can get bored one week a month for that..... pity there are not an abundance of caravan parks near me :-(

 

[Duntestin]

I've read this forum for some time and on reading this thread felt the need to contribute!

I've worked in testing companies in various roles from tester to manager over the past 16 years. Only three employers in this time and all of them turning over in excess of £3M per year from testing income, so I think I am safe to call them amongst the testing 'big boys'.

Overall, what I can say is that the companies I worked for did not promote the cutting of corners to achieve high test volumes nor would it be tolerated. I've always believed and worked to the ideal that every man gets paid for the work he does and each person gets the same pay for the same work - whether hourly paid or unit paid, a cheat is stealing from his colleagues and putting their jobs at risk.

Anyway, my main point I wish to make is on the root cause of the advent of cheap testing and high test volumes. Indeed there was one single event which caused PAT test quantities to more than double overnight and I lay the blame for this squarely on the IEE.

To explain, with the advent of the 17th Ed regs as we all know, the standard for circuit protection was to install RCD. In line with this, the CoP for PAT was changed to allow the earth continuity testing to be conducted at a lower test current simply ensuring that the earth circuit of the appliance under test would withstand fault current to allow the circuit protecting RCD to come into play.

So with this revelation, the need for earth test currents of 1.5 times fuse rating were not required as neither was a 5 second test duration for the test. (FYI this test criteria was based upon the spec for a BS1363 fuse, check the graphs!). Net effect was that test sequence was drastically shortened and PAT test kits no longer needed to be mains powered.

So where's the catch you wonder? Simple. Not all circuits are protected by RCD are they!
Point is, where a cheap test company submits a price, they invariably do so on basis of using a battery-powered test kit. But unless EVERY mains circuit is protected by an RCD, they are not sufficiently testing the ability of the earth conductor of an appliance to ensure it can withstand fault current to allow the plug fuse to blow. In an extreme situation, a dead short to casing could occur on an item, earth conductor burns out before fuse blows leaving appliance sat 'live' waiting for a victim!

For me, this is the PAT testing 'scam' and it undermines the whole idea of doing the job in the first place!

 

[Patman]

To explain, with the advent of the 17th Ed regs as we all know, the standard for circuit protection was to install RCD. In line with this, the CoP for PAT was changed to allow the earth continuity testing to be conducted at a lower test current simply ensuring that the earth circuit of the appliance under test would withstand fault current to allow the circuit protecting RCD to come into play.

This is particularly confusing as the C o P dosn't actually lower the the test current globally but gives the option of a "Hard" or "Soft" earth bond test - 25A & 100mA respectivly. But any guidance on what equipment is not given.

However its generally recognised that IT equipment should be given the "Soft" test and all other equipment the "Hard" test. Hence the importance of a tester capable of conducting these two forms of test and thus providing "meaningful" test results.

 

[Duntestin]

This is particularly confusing as the C o P dosn't actually lower the the test current globally but gives the option of a "Hard" or "Soft" earth bond test - 25A & 100mA respectivly. But any guidance on what equipment is not given.

However its generally recognised that IT equipment should be given the "Soft" test and all other equipment the "Hard" test. Hence the importance of a tester capable of conducting these two forms of test and thus providing "meaningful" test results.

Havent got CoP to hand, but no mention of 25A test anymore!
Not sure of edition, but has a purple/lilac cover!

 

[Adam W]

"... not less than 1.5 times the rating of the fuse up to a maximum of the order of 26A for a period of between 5s and 20s..." p73

 

[Patman]

Havent got CoP to hand, but no mention of 25A test anymore!
Not sure of edition, but has a purple/lilac cover!

Yes "purple/lilac" cover is 3rd (and latest) edition. As NovusSparkus adds in his post.... p73. Check it out !!

 

[brizospark]

name and shame!!!!

 

[Duntestin]

Had look and 25a test is indeed mentioned - my mistake.
But my point is that it is not specified as mandatory, it is an either/or with a 20mA-200mA test is it not?

 

[gutterball]

Just to add to this. I was in a office recently replacing some light fittings when the pat test guy appeared. He had a bar code scanner and a printer on his belt. He scanned the previous sticker printed a label and on to the next. The whole office in 5 mins. When he had gone I had a look sticker said visual only and a number nothing else. When I queried the office manager she hadn't a clue about proper pat tests. They were paying this joker £50 every 6 months. Apparently he had walked into the office just after it had opened and offered his services. I'm wondering how many other business he has scammed?

 

[Patman]

Hang on what's that noise............. My blood's just coming to the boil!!!!! *@#*@@ !!

 

[Adam W]

That's PAT testing in a nutshell though - nobody's really that bothered about it until something goes wrong and someone needs to be sued, when the tester just says it was fine at the time of testing.
The office manager probably thinks she's got a good deal because it's all done in 5 mins with the minimal of disruption - nothing is even switched off, and it ticks the box for £50.

 

[Duntestin]

But who is really to blame? The scamming 'visual' guy or the muppet who is employing him and supposed to be protecting his staff?

At the end of the day, if the market for scammers wasn't there then these guys would have to work for a living!

 

[Dcf]

666 the number of the beast
100 appliances a day is hard work at the best of times
Their pat tester would b in flames after 300

 

[surrytom]

Im a PAT tester and these comments are just what the trade needs.All too often i get to site and iam immediatly accused of having the "easiest job in the world","money for old rope" or "do you just put stickers on them?"
I work for a large company with many big contracts and we pride ourselves in doing the job properly,i earn just above minimum wage doing the job and believe pay is also a factor in the lowering of quality.we cant compete with the 50p firms.It would be a big help if the customer had a better insight in to what a good tester does and the reasons why,alot of places i visit just let me get on with it and sign my jobsheet when i say im done without checking a single appliance or shadowing me whilst im at work.Im sure most firms have it done just for insurance purposes.
I really like my Job and chose to do it.For me a PAT tester should be qualified to atleast city&guilds 2377,be registered with a governing body and have an on-site assessment.the rule about competent person is far to vague and has given licence to any employee to carry out tests.
firms are not going to pay £2 per item to a fully qualifed and experianced PAT engineer when "John"the part time caretaker can do it for nothing.
every post i see regarding PAT testing is negative due to poor customer experiances from incapable testing firms.

 

[bcuk04]

was doing a PIR at site today when I noticed a PAT tester had turned up, having read through this post the other day I though I'd keep an eye on him and see what he got up to
I passed him when he was inspecting a 30m extention lead, came back a minute later to see it had been stickered and theres no way he'd rolled it all out and back again.
Had a quick look in the kitchen only to find the microwave freshly stickered, when I looked at plug there was no fuseguard in place!
All the time he was walking around he didnt have the necessary lead to plug his tester in then plug appliance into tester, I did have a little chat and found that he could often did 500 items a day with 600 being his best!