Pat Testing for a Shop.

[Mat C]

Hi,

I don't know if this is the right place to ask, but.. I'm about to open a shop with a couple of friends selling "Antiques & Collectables", however we'd like to be able to sell old electrical items too.

From what I can see, if we "Pat Test" each item before it's sold, then this would be sufficient for current safety regulations?

So am I missing something or is it really as easy as a £60 - £100 course and a £300ish tester?

Thanks in advance

Mat

[Andrew Gabriel]

Almost.

You should obtain C&G 2377/02 certificate in performing PAT testing to show you know what your're doing, and it is intended to be accessible to non-electricians. Look for this in local technical and further education colleges. This is intended to be achievable by someone who knows how to wire a plug and knows the difference between milliohms and megohms. It's normally run as a 1 day course with the exam at the end of the day. In your case, find somewhere which also does some practical work during the course with PAT testers, as the exam doesn't include any (which means some courses don't either). It will also give you a good idea what features you will and will not require in the PAT tester you choose to obtain.

It's usually run together with C&G 2377/01 which covers management of PAT testing. That's probably slightly less applicable to you, but you may not be able to find somewhere which does only one without the other, and there's a lot of overlap.

There are some additional requirements in order to sell an item, over and above what's required to pass a PAT test. Appliances must conform to the Plugs and Sockets Regulations, and the main additional point is that items must be sold with a 13A plug to the current specification, i.e. including semi-insulated pins.

There will be some old electrical appliances which can't be made to pass a PAT test. You would have to be clear about selling these for historic value only, and ensure they can't be used. A shop near me does this by stripping out the mains wiring. Some other items might be salable as working if you rewire them, replacing the electrical parts with new ones. (PAT test course won't cover skills needed to do this.)

You really need C&G 2377/02 certificate. I would guess that's going to cost a bit more than that for the course and exam, but I haven't looked up any courses recently to check.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Oh, one other thing -- make sure your insurer covers you for selling electrical items which you have PAT tested. In theory, they should be OK with this if you have the C&G certificate, but it wouldn't surprise me if you have to educate them on that matter.

[Peter Parry]

Yes and no. 90% of PA testing is visual examination. It isn't just dumbly plugging it into a machine pressing a button and believing the result. A lethal device can easily get through the machine part of a PA test.

With old electrical items the most difficult part will be the assessment and judgment, and knowing just what is too risky to put on the market with a lead still attached.

If you have the requisite knowledge and experience of the items you are selling then the formal part of gaining the C&G certificate and buying a tester is the simple bit. I doubt however if you will find any course that will cover the type of item you propose to sell in any worthwhile detail at all.

Modern products have safety designed in and its quite difficult to harm yourself with them. As a result PA testing focuses on leads and plugs. You will need to look much deeper.

Many older electrical items had designs which were (and are) inherently unsafe and although "safe" in that they can pass a PA test on a meter are actually potentially lethal.

For example some old TV sets have large ventilation slots where metal items can easily be poked onto the chassis which is at half mains voltage. People these days are not used to such entertainment value as watching a small child dancing around holding a fork stuck in the back of the TV and may not consider it to be terribly funny (even though it is!).

Some old lamps have wiring which will pass a machine test but is so poorly protected against things like sharp edges within the lamp that they are potentially lethal. Any lamp conversion which dates from the

1950's to 1980's is particularly suspect. Old rubber cable can easily pass a machine test yet have insulation which cracks off if flexed. You need to be able to understand which items are safe and which are not.

Don't forget that PA testing is not proof an item is safe when sold and does not absolve you of product liability responsibility.

[Adrian C]

Just bought a table lamp (£1.50) from a charity shop. It was supplied with an older type 13Amp plug with solid metal L&N pins, not sleeved as more recent. Is this valid for sale?

[Peter Parry]

Second hand equipment that is supplied in the course of business (including auctions) to a consumer falls within the scope of the Plug and Socket regulations 1994.

These requires the plug to meet British Standard Specification for 13 amp fused plugs and switched and unswitched socket-outlets BS 1363:

1984 published by the British Standards Institution on 31st August 1984, as amended by Amendments No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 published on 30th April 1985, 31st December 1985, 31st July 1987, 23rd December 1987, 30th June 1989 and 28th February 1990 respectively. This standard now requires sleeved plugs so the device should not have been sold with an older plug attached.

[Adrian C]

This

Thanks Peter, at the back of my mind (small place) I thought that was the case. I'll be informing the shop.