PAT Testing Checklist: 7 Simple Steps for Safe Workplaces

A PAT testing checklist helps you decide which portable electrical equipment in your workplace needs checking, how it should be checked and how often. The key point first: PAT is not a legal requirement in itself. The law requires you to keep electrical equipment safe, and a sensible PAT testing checklist is one of the easiest ways to show you do.

This guide covers offices, shops and warehouses, using HSE guidance as the starting point. It is written for business owners and managers in and around Milton Keynes.

What the Law Actually Says

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require electrical equipment that could cause injury to be maintained in a safe condition. They do not say how, by whom or how often.

The Health and Safety Executive is clear in its PAT testing FAQs: annual testing is not required, there is no legal requirement to label equipment, and no legal requirement to keep records. Records and labels are still useful, because they help you manage the work and show what you have done.

Our practical view: treat PAT as part of a maintenance system, not a once-a-year sticker exercise. Most of the value comes from quick, regular user checks.

Your PAT Testing Checklist: 7 Steps

1. List every item that plugs in

Start your PAT testing checklist with an asset register. If it plugs into a socket, it belongs on the list. Record a description, location, a unique ID and whether it is Class I (earthed) or Class II (double insulated).

2. Sort items by risk

Equipment that is moved often, used hard or used in dusty or wet areas is higher risk. A kettle or floor cleaner needs more attention than a desktop monitor that never moves.

3. Set up user checks

Ask staff to look at equipment before use. HSE suggests a short checklist and simple training are enough for most people.

4. Schedule formal visual inspections

A trained person checks the plug, lead and casing more closely, and where possible opens the plug to check the fuse and cord grip.

5. Add combined inspection and testing where needed

Some faults, such as a broken earth, cannot be seen. Class I equipment and some leads need testing with proper equipment by a competent person.

6. Act on failures straight away

Your PAT testing checklist should say what happens when something fails. Take damaged items out of use immediately. Repair them through a competent person or dispose of them.

7. Review the intervals

Use the results to adjust your PAT testing checklist and schedule. If nothing fails for years, intervals can be longer. If items keep failing, shorten them.

What User Checks Should Look For

User checks are the backbone of any PAT testing checklist. HSE’s leaflet on low-risk workplaces lists what staff should look for, with the equipment switched off and unplugged:

• Damage to the lead, such as fraying, cuts or heavy scuffing
• A cracked plug or bent pins
• Tape used to join or repair leads
• Coloured inner wires showing where the lead enters the plug
• Loose parts, missing screws or a damaged casing
• Burn marks or staining that suggest overheating
• Equipment used or stored somewhere wet or dusty
• Cables trapped under furniture or in floor boxes

If anything on the list is found, stop using the item and label it as faulty.

Suggested Starting Intervals for Low-Risk Workplaces

HSE’s leaflet INDG236 gives suggested initial intervals for offices and similar low-risk premises. These are starting points, not fixed rules.

• Battery-operated equipment under 40V: no user checks, visual inspection or testing needed
• Desktop IT equipment and screens: formal visual inspection every 2 to 4 years; testing only if not double insulated, up to every 5 years
• Photocopiers and fax machines: as for IT equipment
• Class II equipment that is not hand-held, such as fans and table lamps: visual inspection every 2 to 4 years, no testing
• Hand-held Class II equipment: user checks, plus visual inspection every 6 months to 1 year
• Class I (earthed) equipment, such as kettles and irons: user checks, visual inspection every 6 months to 1 year, and combined inspection and testing every 1 to 2 years
• Extension leads, cables and chargers: user checks, visual inspection every 6 months to 4 years, and testing every 1 to 5 years, depending on what is plugged in

PAT Testing Checklist by Workplace Type

The same PAT testing checklist applies everywhere, but the risks change from site to site.

Offices

Offices are usually low risk. Most items are IT equipment that rarely moves. Focus on kitchen appliances, extension leads, heaters, fans and laptop chargers, which are handled daily. Desk-level user checks catch most problems.

Shops

Shops add public access, display lighting and frequent changes to layouts. Leads get trailed across floors and plugged into whatever socket is nearest. Pay attention to till areas, window displays, staff kitchens and any equipment used by cleaners.

Warehouses

Warehouses are harsher. Dust, knocks, vehicle movement and long cable runs all wear equipment faster. Power tools, battery chargers for handheld scanners, portable heaters and long extension reels should be checked more often than office equipment. HSE notes that a power tool on a construction site needs checking more often than a bedside lamp in a hotel, and the same logic applies to busy warehouse floors.

For higher-risk environments, HSE’s wider guidance on portable and transportable equipment (HSG107) gives more detail. If in doubt, start with shorter intervals and adjust once you have results.

New Equipment, Hired Equipment and Staff-Owned Items

New equipment should be supplied safe and does not need a formal PAT. HSE recommends a quick visual check to make sure it has not been damaged in transit. Add it to your register straight away.

Hire companies are strongly advised to inspect and test equipment before each hire. You still need to keep hired items safe while you have them.

Staff often bring in phone chargers, desk fans or heaters. Decide your policy: either ban personal items or include them on the PAT testing checklist like everything else.

A Quick PAT Testing Checklist to Print

If you want one page to pin up, this short PAT testing checklist covers the basics for most small businesses.

• Asset register up to date, with every item labelled by ID and location
• Staff know how to do a user check and how to report a fault
• Faulty items are removed and labelled “do not use” the same day
• Formal visual inspections booked for each equipment group
• Combined testing booked for Class I items, leads and high-use equipment
• Extension leads checked for overloading and daisy-chaining
• New and hired items checked on arrival and added to the register
• Results reviewed and intervals adjusted at least once a year

Keep your PAT testing checklist with your fire safety and EICR records. When an insurer, landlord or inspector asks how you manage electrical risk, everything is in one place.

Common mistakes to avoid

The biggest mistake is testing everything every year regardless of risk, while ignoring daily user checks. The second is missing items, such as chargers in drawers or heaters brought out only in winter. A good PAT testing checklist is built around where items live, not who bought them, so nothing is overlooked when staff change.

PAT Is Not the Same as an EICR

PAT covers portable equipment that plugs in. It does not cover the fixed wiring, distribution boards or hard-wired equipment. Those are checked through periodic inspection and testing, recorded on an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).

Most businesses need both. Our guide to commercial electrical inspection frequency explains how EICR intervals are set, and our electrical safety checklist for businesses covers the wider picture.

Who should carry out the testing?

Anyone doing combined inspection and testing must be competent: the right test equipment, the skill to use it and the knowledge to interpret the results. Dream Home Experts is an NICEIC Approved Contractor with 35+ years of experience in the team, and we can combine PAT with fixed-wiring testing on the same visit to reduce disruption.