Base intervals on use, environment and past findings
A frequently moved tool in a demanding environment and stationary office equipment may need different attention. Consider handling, exposure to damage and what previous checks have found. An identical annual date for every item can obscure those differences.
HSE distinguishes the duty to maintain equipment safely from a blanket requirement to carry out annual PAT. Describe how the equipment is used so the service can be scoped for the premises, rather than treating a label date as the whole maintenance system.
List equipment by type and location
List equipment by type and location
List equipment types, approximate counts and locations. Identify items moved between sites, used by the public or exposed to wet or dusty conditions. Separate new, damaged, repaired and ordinary in-service equipment where that information is available.
Previous records can help show recurring damage or changing use. Keep the information usable: a list that identifies a room or responsible team can be more useful for planning than an unexplained total copied from last year’s invoice.
Plan disconnection around your working hours
Plan disconnection around your working hours
Some equipment cannot be disconnected during ordinary trading or work. Identify those items and agree the access and interruption arrangements. A quote should make the scope, premises and operational constraints understood.
Ask which checks are proposed and how the records will identify equipment needing attention. Those records should help you manage findings and review future maintenance alongside routine staff awareness of damage.
Check contracts, insurer terms and sector duties
Check contracts, insurer terms and sector duties
Check any insurer, contract, client or sector requirements as well as general workplace guidance. Social landlords in England have separate statutory duties for equipment supplied under covered tenancies, so that setting needs its own checks against the current housing guidance.
Share relevant requirements with the booking contact. After checks, review items needing attention and future arrangements in light of the findings and use. Avoid automatically carrying forward the same plan if the equipment or environment has changed.
What to share with your enquiry
- Equipment types and approximate count
- Use, handling and environment
- Previous records and damage patterns
- Items needing planned disconnection
- Relevant contract, insurer or sector requirements
Questions answered
Is annual PAT a legal rule for every appliance?
No. HSE does not prescribe one annual test for every workplace item. Safe maintenance and applicable specific requirements still matter.
Ask Max about thisCan visual checks be part of an appliance maintenance plan?
Yes. HSE treats visual checks as an important part of maintenance; suitable inspection and testing may also be needed. The equipment and its risks determine the approach, and staff carrying out checks need appropriate knowledge and training.
Ask Max about thisWhen should a PAT testing schedule be reviewed?
Review it when equipment use, handling, location or environment changes, or when checks reveal damage patterns. New findings can justify different attention for different items. Also check any insurer, contract or sector requirements that apply to the premises.
Ask Max about thisDoes a PAT label mean an appliance is safe until the next date?
No. A check records the condition found at that time; equipment can become damaged afterwards. Staff should know how to report concerns and remove suspect items from use. Review maintenance arrangements when equipment use, location or damage patterns change rather than relying on the label alone.
Ask Max about thisDo office computers and frequently moved tools need the same checks?
Not necessarily. Equipment type, handling, environment and previous findings affect an appropriate maintenance approach. Provide separate categories in the inventory rather than only one total. HSE gives risk-based guidance; any applicable contractual or sector requirements must also be considered when the scope is agreed.
Ask Max about thisSources and further reading
Read the original guidance relevant to this question. Building Regulations and rental-law references here relate to England.