PAT testing is the periodic inspection and testing of portable electrical appliances to verify they are safe to use in commercial environments. UK businesses are not legally required to PAT test by name, but the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require employers to maintain electrical equipment in safe condition — and PAT testing is the standard method most insurers, auditors and risk assessors expect to see.
Portable appliance testing for offices, hospitality, retail, healthcare, education and rented residential. Carried out by City & Guilds 2377 qualified engineers carrying minimum £1m public liability cover. Each engineer is verified by RiskSorted before their first booking — qualifications checked, insurance confirmed, calibration certificates current. Certificates are issued the same day, stored in your account, and your re-test calendar is maintained automatically.
Every electrical appliance connected to the mains by a plug or supply cord. This covers IT equipment (monitors, laptops, printers, docks, chargers), kitchen appliances (kettles, microwaves, toasters, fridges), extension leads and multi-way adaptors, portable heating and cooling, power tools and trade equipment, salon and treatment equipment, and any other plug-in item in regular use. Hard-wired equipment is covered by your EICR rather than PAT testing.
An itemised digital asset register listing every appliance tested with make, model, location, serial number where present, test result, and retest date. Individual pass/fail labels applied to each appliance. A summary certificate signed by your engineer. Automatic re-test reminders sent 60 and 30 days before expiry. All records stored in your RiskSorted account for audit, insurance, and renewal purposes.
PAT testing runs on a two year cycle. Year one is a full combined inspection and test of every appliance, which builds your asset register. Year two is a formal visual inspection of everything plus a full test of the higher risk items such as kitchen equipment and hand held tools. Year three starts again. A qualified engineer is on your site every year and nothing goes more than two years without a full test.
The price moves with the number of appliances, the number of floors and how easy the equipment is to reach. Whether it is a full test year or a visual inspection year matters too. Visits outside normal working hours cost more.
We give you a fixed price before anything is booked. The quickest way to get one is a free health and safety check of the premises.
We are the contractor. We hold the contract with you, we set the standard, and we stand behind the work. The engineer who attends is an accredited local specialist we have checked for qualifications, insurance and calibration. They answer to us, not to you. If something goes wrong you ring us.
We only ask questions you can answer. How many floors. Roughly how many appliances. Anything that will not work for timing. If an office manager or a business owner would not know the answer off the top of their head, we work it out on site.
Barely noticed. Each appliance is unplugged for under a minute and the engineer works around your people. Nothing needs closing and nobody needs moving.
We tell you this before anything is booked, not when the engineer is already on site. If the timing does not work for you, say so. We ask what will not work rather than what you would prefer, so we can schedule around your business.
| Engineer qualification | City & Guilds 2377 (Inspection & Testing of Electrical Equipment) |
| Insurance requirement | Minimum £1m Public Liability |
| Pricing | Fixed price agreed before anything is booked |
| Average duration | 1 minute per appliance plus mobilisation |
| Certificate format | Branded PDF, stored in your RiskSorted account |
| Renewal reminder | 60 and 30 days before expiry — automatic |
UK PAT testing sits within a layered legal framework rather than a single named requirement. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (Regulation 4(2)) place a duty on every employer to ensure that all electrical systems and equipment under their control are maintained "so as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, danger." The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) add a further duty to ensure work equipment is suitable, properly maintained, and inspected at intervals appropriate to the risk. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 sits above both, requiring employers to provide a safe working environment.
None of these regulations specify "PAT testing" by name. The duty is to maintain equipment in safe condition, and PAT testing is the established method for demonstrating that duty has been discharged. The technical reference document is the IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (5th edition), which sets out the testing methodology, recommended frequencies for different equipment types and environments, and the competence requirements for the person carrying out testing. HSG107 from the Health and Safety Executive provides the practical guidance on managing portable electrical appliances at work.
Regulation isn't the only driver. Most commercial property leases require evidence of current electrical safety as a condition of occupation. Most business insurance policies require evidence of regular electrical maintenance — a claim involving electrical fire or shock can be challenged or refused if PAT records are absent or out of date. Lease auditors, due diligence reviewers in transactions, and franchise compliance teams all expect to see current PAT certificates as evidence of operational discipline.
The IET Code of Practice provides specific guidance on testing intervals:
These are recommendations, not statutory minimums — the legal duty is to test "at intervals appropriate to the risk." A site-specific risk assessment can justify longer or shorter intervals, but the IET intervals are the defensible default that most insurers and auditors expect.
Wondering whether annual PAT testing is legally required? Our detailed guide explains exactly what UK law asks for, how to set a sensible risk-based regime, and the RiskSorted testing schedule. Read: is annual PAT testing legally required?
RiskSorted works with a network of verified independent compliance specialists, not a national despatch service. When you book PAT testing, the booking is matched to the specialist with the closest base postcode to your premises who has current calibration certificates, current insurance, and capacity for the job in your timeframe.
Every engineer in the RiskSorted network is verified before their first booking. Verification includes:
Verification is repeated annually. Engineers whose calibration or insurance lapses are removed from the matching pool until renewed. This isn't a national franchise model where the same engineer drives 80 miles to your site — it's a curated network where the local expert handles your local job.
The "local engineer to local job" model isn't marketing language — it's an operational discipline that affects three things you'll notice as a customer.
Travel cost stays out of your price. National providers either build long-distance travel into their headline rate or add it as an extra. RiskSorted's average engineer-to-site distance is under 25 miles. The engineer assigned to your job is genuinely local, which keeps mobilisation costs low and keeps the price down for small sites.
Carbon footprint reflects the actual job. Compliance services aren't environmentally neutral — every job involves an engineer driving to your site, often in a van, often in traffic. Matching local engineers to local jobs avoids hundreds of motorway miles per booking compared to the national despatch model. This is operational efficiency expressed as sustainability, not the other way around.
Engineers stay accountable. An engineer who works in your area knows your sector, your local property stock, and the specific compliance patterns local insurers and auditors expect to see. They'll see you again on the next job — accountability is local. National contractor networks rotate engineers; local engineers build a relationship with the buildings and businesses they serve.
Every booking through RiskSorted supports a UK sole trader or small SME compliance business — not a national franchise. Compliance spend stays in the UK communities where the work is done.
Reviewed by RiskSorted's compliance team. RiskSorted's in-house team holds collective qualifications across NEBOSH General Certificate, IOSH Managing Safely, Fire Risk Assessment (PAS 79-1), and electrical compliance. All service guides are reviewed against current UK regulations and the latest editions of the relevant British and ACoP standards.
This page provides general guidance on UK compliance services and is not a substitute for professional advice. Specific compliance requirements should be confirmed with a qualified professional based on the particulars of your premises, business activities and applicable regulations.
Start with a free health and safety check of your premises. We show you what the fire officer and your insurer expect to see, and you keep the findings whether you use us or not. If you want a price, it is fixed before anything is booked.
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