The records that you should keep in relation to your electrical equipment....
Keeping records to prove that you have carried out all of your electrical testing is very important. This is even more so in case you are ever taken to court.
It has been seen that it is a defence under Regulation 29 of the Electricity at Work Act Regulations for a duty holder to 'prove that he took all reasonable steps and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of that offence'.
It seems clear that the most effective method by which a duty holder can prove this in court would be by producing records of electrical inspections and testing, otherwise it would be extremely difficult to convince the court that the defendant had acted within either the letter or the spirit of the law. Records are essential if a proper system of testing is to be established.
The keeping of suitable records then is essential. They provide evidence for the defense in the event of a prosecution; more practically, such records enable the close monitoring of the equipment highlighting potential faults or adverse trends. They are also essential in forming an accurate assessment of the necessary frequency of testing.
An example would be if a number of consecutive test cycles occurred and a few or no failures were recorded then the duty holder may consider reducing the frequency of tests, obviously the opposite may also apply.
- Recommended Records to be kept by the premises duty holder....
- Equipment Register - Details of all electrical appliances, serial numbers, purchase date etc.
- Faulty Equipment Register - Any appliances faulty or damaged, location and action taken etc.
- Repair Register - All equipment that has been subject to repair and details, suitability of use etc.
- Documents and records supplied by us...."Portfolio of Portable Appliance Testing"
- Appliance Register - A complete register of all equipment tested on the premises.
- Pass Report - Full details of all test results for appliances that passed testing.
- Fail Report - Appliances that failed testing will be reported separately with results and recommendations.
- Certificate of Portable Appliance Testing - A Certificate for display or Health & Safety files to show that the appliances on the premises have been inspected and tested for electrical safety.
Portfolio of Portable Appliance Testing (Appliance Register, Pass/Fail Reports and Certificate of Portable Appliance Testing) will be sent after the completion of testing on the premises, data being processed and reports compiled. This will normally be within 2 working days along with the invoice.
Copies of all Appliance Registers and Test Results are kept for reference purposes and to enable replacement/forwarding of documents upon request by the client.
