I have some stage props that are made of wood and are about 3ft wide,
3ft high, and 18inches from front to back. They contain 12V rechargeable batteries and two enclosed halogen lights (12W). Other than that they are empty boxes. There is no mains connection. Do these items need PAT testing? Does anyone have experience of dealing with fire officers about such matters?
PAT only applies to mains kit, no mains nothing to test. You may come across a "safety officer" who thinks anything electrical has to have a PAT sticker...
Fire risk is another matter though, is there "adequate" ventilation/cooling of the lamps?
I don't think that is true. How about an emergency lighting system fed by a bank of batteries at 230v?
In that case, there is very little electrical risk, so a risk assessment will show that they may not need testing, but, there is a fire risk even with 12v, and especially with 12v halogens.
What would you fuse the batteries to? What temperature would you raise them to for the fusion process?
Methinks anything containing halogens and emitting light would have a glass screen incidentally.
What's an SLA?
Even a Thespian may have a problem turning 12Watts into an inferno.
As a final point, low voltage equipment is included in PAT regs. If the equipment has an incorporated mains supply, even the LV bits must be intact and fit for purpose.
I can't say I've ever encountered a 230v emergency lighting system; only 48/50v ones. Even they're a bit large to be called "portable", and they've always been "hard-wired" to the mains.
I've constructed several "practical props" ("pracs") for stage use. The essential thing is to use common sense. Very often a prac is only in operational use for a few seconds or minutes, so overheating shouldn't be a problem in this case if you give some thought to your design.
NEVER EVER trust an actor/actress to switch, say, a light on or off on a set. Fit a light switch which the luvvie can (hopefully) put their hand near, but ALWAYS have the light controlled by the lighting tech.
Similarly with on-stage telephones. If a phone has to ring it's usual for it to have its handset properly seated in its cradle - DON'T rely on that when it has to ring. Use a separate bell, controlled by fx.
That was just an example. In-service Inspection covers 'all electrical systems', which does include battery powered appliances. A risk assessment will show a 12V battery pack supplying a lamp will be of very low risk, so maybe not worthy of testing.
'Portable' is a poor way of describing In-service inspection and testing (the 'proper name). It covers "(from the code of practice), "all electrical equipment, whether permanently connected, or connected by a plug and socket"
Portable - but it's the testing that must be portable, not the appliance being tested (which should be tested at point of use whenever possible, and not moved to a testing location).
who invented that idea? It's the testing of "Portable Appliances". That came in because they tended to get ignored when the installation was tested. It all comes under the "Electricity at Work Regulations".
Already answered back up the thread - it's called In-Service Inspection and testing of Electrical Equipment, not PAT. The testing has to be carried in the context of the use, not of the appliance in isolation. There might be nothing electrically wrong with a hot air paint stripper, but unless you can see it's been provided has a hand drier in the gents, you will not fail its testing as you should. Likewise, you might be presented with an Argos £10 kettle which is brand new, but unless you can see it's being used by an office of 100 people at 100% duty cycle, you are unlikely to fail it as unsuitable for use or requiring a very short retest period (which is unlikely to be economic).
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