DRA Electricals - PAT Testing North East

New Blog Site

2011-04-19T09:36:00.002+01:00

Thanks for reading and following this blog, but due to excessive work loads updating blogs and websites I've decided I have too many and have moved the blog to our second website www.pattestnortheast.com which has a blog facility. The content of this blog has been moved across and will be updated more reguarly.

Thanks for following and I'd love it if you would check out the new blog

Spring Newsletter

2011-04-18T13:52:00.002+01:00

Our latest newsletter has been issued - check the link to read

Electrical Safety Regulations in Rented Homes

2011-04-06T15:29:00.001+01:00

Electrical Safety Regulations in Rented Homes

The Electrical Safety Council is calling for regulations to force landlords to improve electrical safety in rented homes.
Presently, in the UK there is a requirement for landlords to ensure the gas in their property is safe but there is nothing official in place for the electricity. Many landlords and letting agents do get the electrics tested with Periodic Inspections and PAT Tests but presently there is no official regulation.
The rental market in the UK is growing rapidly; currently there are over 3 million rented homes in the UK - approx 15% of all homes.
Research has indicated that 78% of people in the UK think there should be the same safety rules for gas and electricity.
Presently we work with a number of Letting Agents in the North East who do get their properties checked, both with Periodic Tests and PAT Tests - the PAT tests are on electrical appliances in the property such as ovens, fridges, TV's, etc. However, we are continuously hampered by Landlords who don't feel the testing to be important, because it is not law. Yet, this route by Landlords can put the tennants in grave danger to electrocution, and thus put themselves at risk as a business not protecting their tennants.
The ESC recommends rental homes should have a Periodic Inspection Report (PIR) carried out at least every five years, or on change of tenancy, and the electrical appliances by PAT Tested, usually once a year, or on change on tenancy. The ESC has provided a leaflet; the Tenant's Checklist, to provide tentnants with the information they need to protect themselves.
The advice in the leaflet includes that tenants should check that any electrical appliances provided by the landlord have up to date Portable Appliance Test (PAT) stickers on them.
If you are a landlord, or letting agent and want to discuss your PAT Testing needs then contact the North East PAT Testing experts.

PAT Testing - taken from the Electricians Register

2011-03-28T19:11:00.000+01:00

What is included in PAT test?

PAT or Portable Appliance Testing is a significant part of a company’s health and safety policy. As an employer, it is your duty to ensure that your colleagues and employees are protected from injury by damaged or worn out electrical appliances.

Whilst there is no solid definition of what electrical equipment is covered by the term ‘portable appliance’, general consensus holds that it includes:

Appliances that are hand held while being connected to the supply
Appliances intended to be moved whilst connected to the supply
Appliances that can be moved with relative ease whilst connected to the supply

Although it is common for PAT tested electrical equipment to be connected to the supply through a plug socket, this is not a strict condition of it being classed as portable or transportable.

The IEE Code of Practice suggests that it is an appliance or equipment weighing less than 18kg than can be moved in operation or is easily movable in general. This then means that anything with a plug is a Portable Appliance, and is subject to a PAT test, including toasters, drills, printers, vacuum cleaners, PCs and even large items like vending machines.

The National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers (NAPIT) however simply states that a portable appliance is 'any electrical item which can or is intended, to be moved whilst connected to an electrical supply.'

PAT and Health & Safety

25% of all electrical accidents in the workplace involve portable appliances. The legal responsibility falls on employers, employees and self-employed persons to ensure that measures are taken to prevent hazardous situations arising from the use of such electrical appliances.

The relevant legislations for electrical safety at work are the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

Consequently, these encourage a regular programme of inspection, testing and maintenance of electrical equipment to ensure compliance with their requirements.

The Health & Safety at Work Act (1974) states that the guides for portable electrical testing should be:

Where appliances are used by employees
Where members of the public may use appliances in public establishments such as hospitals, schools, hotels, shops etc
Where appliances are supplied or hired
Where appliances are repaired or serviced

Without passing the initial inspection prior to the full PAT test, no appliance can be passed as safe.

The initial visual inspection includes examination of the plug top, lead and casing of the appliance. The plug top itself is inspected to ensure it has the correct sized fuse, proper cord grip, balanced polarity, and tight terminations. It must not have any cracking or heat damage, but will have a plug with insulating pins conforming to current BS standards.

The appliance’s casing is examined for visible damage or cracking. The radius of any holes or vents on the casing must not exceed 6mm, and no live parts must be apparent within 80mm of the aperture.

The Health & Safety Executive does not state any set frequency for the testing and inspection of portable appliances. How often an appliance requires testing relies on several factors as well as general common sense:

The environment is which the appliance is used. Is it more exposed to physical wear and tear?
If damage is reported as it occurs, the appliance will be in overall better condition as it is prevented from becoming hazardous. Has it been in poor but working condition, and not checked for some time?
The equipment’s construction itself. Are parts vital to that type of appliance damaged?
The equipment type. Hand held appliances are more at risk of damage. Is it a hand held appliance or is it fixed?

A good article for new landlords

2011-03-21T08:32:00.000Z

I found this article on worldestatesite.com and felt it was worth transferring over. It does a good write up about pat testing but is equally useful for new landlords in all they need:

As an overview UK Landlords have a number of responsibilities, to include:
repairs to the structure and exterior of the property
repairs to heating and hot water installations
repairs to sinks, baths and other sanitary installations
safety of gas and electrical appliances that you supply
fire safety of furniture and furnishings that you supply
provision of an Energy Performance Certificate for the property
protection of your Tenant’s deposit in a government-approved scheme

Consent to Lease
It may be a purpose buy-to-let investment property or it may be your own home. Either way as the owner of this property if your current mortgage is a residential contract you will need to contact your lender and ask permission for the lender to “consent to lease”. Most lenders will happily agree to this, but some may ask for conditions to be attached. Failure to do this is a breach of your mortgage terms and conditions and could lead to the lender terminating your agreement.
Type of Property
Your Landlord obligations can vary depending on the type of property you are letting. In particular if you are letting rooms or flats within a single property this may be considered a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). This being the case you may need to apply for a licence. Regardless of the type of property as a Landlord you must keep your rented properties safe and free from health hazards and comply with all relevant health and safety requirements.

Health and Safety

Gas Safety Certificates are required by law and must be annually re-certified. All gas appliances within the property must be tested and approved by a gas safety registered engineer – formerly Corgi. This is to ensure that no appliances or heaters are leaking carbon monoxide, which is undetectable in the environment of the home. This is critically important as tragic results can occur and you as a Landlord would be liable. You should keep inspection records for at least two years and give copies of the reports to your existing Tenants within 28 days of each check. You should also give copies to new Tenants before they move in. Failure to obtain a Gas Safety Certificate at its extreme may result in loss of life, prosecution, an unlimited fine and imprisonment.
Landlords are also responsible for the safety of electrical appliances. A qualified electrician can provide the required tests. At the beginning of each new tenancy, you should ensure that electrical installations are safe and well maintained. Any electrical appliances you supply to Tenants (cookers, toasters, kettles etc) should be safe for them to use. As a Landlord you should carry out regular inspections of fixed electrical installations every five years. You should also arrange, at least once a year, for a qualified electrician to carry out portable appliance testing (PAT); a safety test on all portable electrical equipment you provide for Tenants, such as kettles. The PAT tester will give you a dated certificate and put stickers on the plugs of appliances to show that they are safe.

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are required by law when any residential or commercial property is either sold or rented. An EPC provides information on a building’s energy efficiency shown on a sliding scale from ‘A’ (very efficient) to ‘G’ (least efficient). The EPC also contains a recommendations report showing how you could improve the rating and make the property more attractive to Tenants. The EPC is valid for ten years and can be used for all new Tenants in that period.

Depending on the age and type of your property it may be a legal requirement to have smoke alarms fitted. In the case of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) for example, there is a requirement for Landlords to supply a mains operated interlinked smoke alarm system. In the case of older single family rental properties, technically there is no legal requirement for Landlords to provide a smoke alarm. However, it is strongly recommended that Landlords do provide at least a battery operated smoke alarm or alarms in their rented properties. Where Landlords do provide battery operated smoke alarms they should have a clause in the agreement making it clear that it is the Tenant’s responsibility to check their operation and replace the batteries as and when necessary.

Marketing your property to find Tenants

Deciding on the rental income you think the property can achieve can be done by looking at similar properties for rent in your area or looking on-line at property listing sites. You may wish to engage a traditional letting agent who will value and market the property for you. More Landlords especially those needing private letsare these days are turning to online letting agents to find Tenants for them, because they offer tremendous value for money in comparison to traditional agents. Of course the Landlord has to take on a bit more work, but all services from managing a property to inventory check-ins can be arranged through online agents at very competitive rates.
Viewings can be done by an agent or by the Landlord. The advantage of this is that you actually get to meet the Tenants in person and this can provide re-assurance and peace of mind. Some agents offer a virtual viewing service where they will attend your property, make a short video of the key features and post the video in a YouTube style format on their site. Tenants can then view your property at any time from the comfort of their own computer.

Tenancy Agreements, Tenant Deposit Scheme and Tenant Credit Check

Tenancy Agreements
It is now much easier to deal with all the legal aspects of letting with a lot of good free advice for Landlords on the Internet, in particular www.direct.gov.uk. A tenancy agreement is aproperty rental agreement, which is a legal agreement in writing that sets out the rights and responsibilities of both Landlord and Tenant in a contract. Landlords can either pay for a solicitor, estate or letting agent to draft a tenancy agreement, although it is possible to obtain free tenancy agreements and do them yourself. A tenancy agreement as a minimum should include:
the names of all people involved
the rental price
the deposit amount and how it will be protected
the property address
the start and end date of the tenancy
any Tenant or Landlord obligations
which bills the Tenant is responsible for
how to pay the rent
whether the tenancy can be ended early and how this can be done
who is responsible for minor repairs
whether the property can be let to someone else (sublet) or have lodgers
Tenant Deposit Scheme
Deposits by law have to be registered with an appropriate holding scheme or indemnity scheme within 14 days of the tenancy commencing. This is a legal responsibility for the Landlord. The Tenancy Deposit Scheme is free to use and offers very comprehensive dispute mediation if this should occur.
Tenant Credit Check
As a Landlord you will want to make sure that Tenants can pay their bills. The best indicator to find out if Tenants are financially able to pay their rent is to obtain an assessment of theircredit rating. Agents can do this as well as facilitating bank references, employment references and personnel references, although the best assessment will be a credit check report.

inventories and Full Property Management

Inventories
It is strongly recommended that Inventory check-ins and check-outs are done. Another top tip is to have the property professionally cleaned before the Tenant moves in and they can pay to also have it professionally cleaned when they move out. This tends to avoid any disagreement over how clean the property is expected to be.
Full Property Management
You may want to manage the property yourself, but you may wish for this to be done by a third party. Full property management services can be responsible for monthly rent collections and any maintenance or repairs that may be required during the tenancy. This is especially helpful if the Landlord lives a long distance from the property or is abroad.

Ending a Tenancy and Access to your property

Ending a tenancy
Landlords can end an assured shorthold tenancy at any time usually after six months, but so as long as any agreed fixed term has ended. There is usually a two months’ written notice period for the Tenant of the date you want the tenancy to end.
If a tenant refuses to leave, you cannot evict them yourself, but you can apply to the county court for an order to get your property back. If you have a written tenancy agreement and you have given the tenant notice in writing that you are seeking possession, you can use an accelerated possession procedure, which avoids the need for a court hearing.
Access to your property
Remember that if at any time you need to visit your property then the usual requirement is to give the Tenant at least 24 hours notice. Landlords have no legal right to immediate entry unless there is an urgent necessity to do so, for example a flood or a fire. The key here for positive Landlord and Tenant relations is good, clear communication between the two parties. This will often prevent misunderstandings and lead to a successful rental of your home.

About the Author: www.letpropertyrentproperty.co.uk Our good and bad experiences of being either a Tenant or Landlord provides us with the knowledge needed to offer a first class professional service. Our aim is to provide a simple yet quality residential lettings service to both Landlords and Tenants who want the same. And because a lot of our work is via the Internet we are a fraction of the cost of what you would normally pay to let or rent property. Unlike traditional agents we do not charge commission or administration fees, simply one off charges for bespoke services.

2011-02-03T18:40:00.003Z

What a con

2011-01-31T12:44:00.000Z

Yahoo sales people - if you pay us £280 we will guarentee that you are top of the listings and if a user clicks on someone else it will be YOUR details they see. Look on the link at the highlighted entry at the top - they pay to be there, but if you click on any advert below, you will still get Able Electricians advert at the top of your page!

http://uk.local.yahoo.com/search.html;_ylt=AqBp8qcZxDYgYnv9Uo0BcxejaY85;_ylv=3?cs=&vid=&p=electrical+appliance+testing&poi=liverpool&yls-submit=Search

February Special Offer

2011-01-24T22:36:00.000Z

February Special

DRA Electricals provide PAT testing of your Portable electrical appliances for up to 20 items for only £30.

That's a massive saving against our standard price of £45 for 15 items

Anywhere in Tyne & Wear or County Durham

PAT Testing Charges:

Minimum charge is £30 which covers PAT testing of up to 20 Items*. then;
21 to 200 items is £1.50 an item*
201 to 300 items is £1.25 an item*
301 items plus for £1.00 per item*

Detachable power lead cables constitute an Item

Don't Delay call us on 01915006562 to arrange PAT testing at your premises.
Email us on: pattesting@draelectricals.co.uk
Visit our website onwww.draelectricals.co.uk

Quote - BLOG OFFER

Join our newsletter to enter prise draw for free pat tests

2011-01-24T22:24:00.000Z

Withing your work place you will use portable electrical appliances - a kettle, PC, drill? Health and Safety Regulations require these appliances to be maintained. Pat Testing is the best way to do this and with many faults or weaknesses within your electrical installation or portable appliances going undetected, in the event of a fault there can be a serious risk of a fire or in the worst cases death.

Each year the Health and Safety Executive have approximately 1000 accidents at work reported to them involving electric shocks or burns. Around 30 of these are fatal.

DRA Electricals based in Seaham and Wallsend, has recently launched the new look website and is offering the chance to be entered into an exclusive prize draw. All you have to do is join the newsletter through the website, and you'll be automatically entered into the quarterly draw. The winner gets £50 worth of free PAT Testing*.

DRA Electricals cover the whole of the North East

*£50 off the invoice of a booked job. If you've already had your testing done by us we'll take this off your next invoice.

Carrying out the PAT Test

2011-01-24T21:58:00.000Z

This can be done by hiring an external company such as DRA Electricals to test all the electrical products in a business or it can be done in-house by someone who has had some PAT training, either by an official qualification or by attending a health and safety course offered by some electrical health and safety companies.

Personally, we would recommend you use us, but of course we would say that!

The following steps are taken when testing a business' electrical equipment.

Who can PAT Test?

2011-01-24T21:56:00.000Z

It is not a legal requirement to have attended a course or gained a qualification in order to PAT Test. If you are a competent person and have a basic knowledge of electricity then you can be perfectly capable of testing appliances for electrical safety. It is, however, recommended that an individual wanting to PAT Test attends a course related to the subject matter. There can be much confusion on what needs PAT Testing, what class an appliance is (and therefore which areas to test), and how often appliances legally need to be tested.

Proof of a company competence in PAT Testing is usually found in the form of a course certificate or qualification. A formal examination process for the topic is operated in collaboration with City and Guilds (the awarding body) under the authority of the QCA (The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) who validate and authorize the qualification.

PAT Testing - the legals

2011-01-24T21:54:00.000Z

Portable Appliance Testing, abbreviated to PAT. The phrase PAT Testing is in fact a tautology, in the same way that some people say "LCD Display". However, the phrase is commonly used, even though most people realise it is incorrect. The correct term for the whole process is “In-service Inspection & Testing of Electrical Equipment”.

The Electricity at Work Regulations (1989) requires "All electrical systems shall be maintained so as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any danger". This is interpreted as covering the fixed electrical installation as well as portable and transportable equipment connected to it. The Regulations also state "It is the duty of every employer and self employed person to comply with the provision of these Regulations."

British law (the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 in particular) requires that all electrical systems (including electrical appliances) are maintained (so far as is reasonably practicable) to prevent danger. Guidance from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET, published under the IEE brand) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) suggest initial intervals for combined inspection and testing that range from three months (for construction equipment) to one year for inspection and, in many cases, 4 years for testing (certain types of appliance in schools, hotels, offices and shops).

Electrical systems refer to the installation as well as all the appliances connected to it. A qualified electrician or someone that has PAT testing training must inspect the installation annually in any public building and/or a place that people work, private houses do not need this test. The maintenance of the appliances can largely be carried out in-house in many organisations. This can result in cost savings and more flexibility in when PAT testing is carried out.

The European Low Voltage Directive governs the manufacture or importation of electrical appliances. Compliance to this has to be declared and indicated by the display of the CE mark on the product. The responsibility for this lies with the manufacturer or the importer and is policed by the Trading Standards.

However, it is important to have a maintenance regime for electrical appliances. The Electricity at Work Regulations (1989) requires that electrical appliances be maintained so that they remain safe during use. The implementation of this is up to employers. The HSE or the local authority is responsible for the policing of this.

For more information check out the legals on our site

PAT Testing

2011-01-24T21:42:00.000Z

In thе workplace PAT Testing οr a Portable Appliance Test hаѕ become a nесеѕѕity. Thе safety аnԁ well-being οf workers ѕhουƖԁ bе a top priority fοr аnу employer аnԁ electrical appliances used іn thе workplace ѕhουƖԁ bе regularly inspected аnԁ tested tο maintain a good safety standard. Tο avoid legal implications thе HSE encourages employers tο comply wіth аƖƖ thе regulations thаt hаνе bееn рυt іn рƖасе tο ensure a safe working environment.

AƖƖ thе inspections, testing аnԁ checkups hаνе tο bе systematically executed. Thеѕе testings аrе not compulsory іn businesses whеrе portable electrical appliances аrе utilized but are advised, however you see it. Places thаt hire, service οr supply appliances аrе required tο hаνе thе inspection done οn thе premises.

A portable appliance іѕ defined аѕ аnу equipment weighing under eighteen kilograms thаt uses electricity аnԁ mау οr mау nοt bе mονеԁ whіƖе іn usage. Thіѕ includes amongst others toasters, vacuum cleaners, hair dryers аnԁ air conditioners. Employers hаνе tο ensure thаt thе equipment is suitable fοr thе purpose thаt іt іѕ used fοr аnԁ аƖѕο mаkіnɡ sure thаt іt іѕ іn ɡοοԁ working condition.

Get more information on PAT Testing through our website www.draelectricals.co.uk

To celebrate the launch of the new-look website...

2011-01-19T11:39:00.000Z

I thought I'd start doing some PAT testing related blogs; well ok I've already done some, but let's do some more. After all this blog is about DRA Electricals, what the company does, as well as what Richard does.

So, first question that needs answering; What is PAT Testing?

That is a good question to start with... PAT testing stands for Portable Appliance Testing. It is also referred to as PAT, and the full term In-service inspection and testing of electrical appliances.

However, the term PAT Testing is used now rather than the full term Portable Appliance Testing, becuase, put simply, an appliance no longer needs to be portable. It just has to have a plug.

PAT testing is used in the United Kingdom to check electrical appliances on a regular basis to ensure that they are safe for use. Obviously, the purpose of PAT testing is to protect the people who work with these devices. If many electrical devices and appliances aren't tested on a regular basis, there is a chance that they can run into problems and ultimately injure someone, which is an event that employers want to avoid.

After PAT testing is performed on an electrical appliance, a label is attached to it to show that it has undergone testing. Depending on the results of the test, the label can be a green Passed label, a blue Visual inspection, or a red FAILED - DO NOT USE label.

According to the Electricity at Work Regulations, 1989, “All electrical systems shall be maintained so as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any danger”. This is interpreted as covering the fixed electrical installation as well as portable and transportable equipment connected to it. The Regulations also state “It is the duty of every employer and self employed person to comply with the provision of these Regulations.”

New Look Website

2011-01-17T21:19:00.000Z

Tomorrow, 18th January 2011, our new look website will go live, can't wait. It's been a long hard slog getting it ready but thanks to our designers at DH1:Design we are almost there. There's still a number of pages that need adding but we're going to go with what we have for now and I'll add the rest when we're ready. So keep a look out for the new look dra electricals. Exciting times

In addition to that I've been PAT Testing at Westminster today - how great's that??

New Contact details

2010-12-27T21:10:00.000Z

We now have a new contact telephone number, our old number (my mobile) is still very much valid, and if you have that you can continue to use it, but we now also have a landline for your use; 0191 500 65 62

so pop it in your phone book and use it when you want a specialist business to do your PAT Testing or Periodic Testing

Work life balance - holidays ARE important

2010-12-27T21:07:00.000Z

We may work alone or as part of a team, but we must remember "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy", well in my profession, taking time off is pretty much dependant on my clients, but when my clients are all businesses the added bonus is 9 out of 10 close for Christmas, which means I can too. So this year I finished on the 23rd December and return on 4th January.... so, why am I writing this when I am off? GUILT... yes, I am guilty for trying to forget work, plus for anyone who owns their own business they will know it is impossible to switch off totally. But it does mean I can do fun things such as update this blog, play around with my facebook and do SEO reading. It also means I can go away.

Tomorrow I'm off to London for a few days with my partner, Donna, we're going to see a couple of shows and really just switch off and relax. Of course my emails will still be read on the phone, and calls may still come through but as I say, most clients and prospective clients are on holiday too so the chances of that happening are slim.

However, despite this time off it's still important to keep the business ticking over, and as blogs are good for business in an SEO sense I get a small feeling of achievement knowing I have done some work tonight.

Good client bad client

2010-12-23T07:39:00.000Z

How do you know when a client is a bad client? Payments are late? Poor communication? Blocks communication?

We have a client, who today (1 day before Christmas) sent us an email saying "Please remove me from your mailing list, do not contact me again" - all I sent was an email saying "Merry Christmas". I replied, apologising and said it's not a mailing list, just a message for the holidays to my clients, to which he replied, "if that's the case then I'm no longer your client!" Well fair enough, you win some you lose some, no great loss. Disappointing yes, but to lose someone who had to be chased for payment isn't a bad thing.

I'd like to say that ALL of my other clients are brilliant, I've never had a problem before, I don't inundate them with emails that's for sure.

Merry Christmas everyone

Don't fall for a time waster

2010-12-02T16:05:00.000Z

I heard a shocking story today, from someone who is not yet a client, but said they will be using my services in future.

They have just had their PAT testing done by a company they have used for many years, and always had great service. The company have always charged them per hour which they have always been happy with, and normally the work has taken 60-90 minutes.

This time the work took 3 hours! And for how many items? 23....

That's shocking. Even if the engineer went into great detail and checked every single plug, did every test in full it wouldn't take that long, that's almost 8 minutes an item - we are talking hair dryers, clippers, etc. Most plugs can't be checked inside as they are sealed so I don't know what's been going on.

The engineer even told them an overhead blow dryer had been wired wrong and was an accident waiting to happen - it was installed 7 years ago and has passed every test since! Also, he passed a broken dyson hoover that was waiting to go to the skip, which had failed last year. Not much consistency there.

In addition he stuck the labels on the handles of the hair dryers and clippers - less than 4 hours after the work was done most of the labels had come off - users of the equipment generally have wet or sticky hands.

When applying labels in salons either put the labels on the plugs, wrap them around the cables or use cable - ties.

I explained my policy, pricing, etc. and he said the work was mine from now on - that's not just one small job but a number of shops in a large chain.

I know exactly why it took so long - if you're being paid by the hour you will drag it out. 23 items should take 90 mins max, the engineer saw an opportunity to make more money thus swindling the client. ALWAYS, always pay per item, NOT per hour.

You could suffer the same fate. Contact us for a quote before going ahead with any work.

Is it tested?

2010-11-24T21:38:00.000Z

That's always a big question... has the item been PAT Tested? We're not saying has your company had it's PAT testing done, we're asking; are you sure everything has been done?

Being a PAT Tester I know it is possible to miss the odd item, of course we all want to make sure every item has been tested, as that one that was missed could be what causes all the problems.

When you get your PAT Test done the best way to help us is either;

Get everything out ready before we come or give us freedom to check all cupboards and drawers for items that could be missed. We're not being nosy, and we're not interested in reading your documents, we just want to make sure you're safe.

Before you use an item that's kept at the back of the cupboard just check it - is there a PASS label on it? If not, get it checked before you do.

Just imagine what could happen...

Imagine if this grinder is not safe? Not only is it fastened by a belt to the lady but it is in operation - are the guards in place? If it's insulation is faulty she is attached to it, and there is no way she can get it off if she gets a shock!

Sometimes the most obvious can be forgotten about

Thanks to Sarah Porteous for allowing us to use her photo

PAT Testing - costs less than you think

2010-11-24T21:24:00.000Z

We're all in business for different reasons, whether it be money, people, success, knowledge, whatever it is we're still in business. It's important for us all to remain in business, especially in a recession. It's just as important for us all to remain secure, to continue to make money and to safeguard the health and lives of our staff and customers. In addition we want to protect the assets of our business too.

So many business owners forget about these important factors - where would we be without customers, staff and assets? What would we do if one or all were taken away? They are good questions to ask.

Consider these (worst case) scenarios:-

1. There is a fire at your property and your building is destroyed; the fire officer says it was started by a faulty electrical appliance. You make a claim on your insurance, and when the insurance investigator visits you they ask to see proof that you have done everything to ensure that appliance was safe... in other words, they ask to see your PAT test certificate.

Or consider this; you're most valuable member of staff is shredding some paper, and get an electric shock, it shoots them across the room and they end up in hospital. The doctor says they have severe burns, are lucky to be alive and will need a few weeks off work. That's really bad for you as you're now losing money by them not working, and paying sick leave. Furthermore, the shock of knowing they could have been killed, leads them to seek legal advice and they sue you for negligence. The insurance investigator comes to visit, or the Health & Safety inspector following the accident at work, and they ask - "did you know it was faulty?" Can you prove it wasn't? Let us see your PAT certificates.

In either of these instances, do you know if you can't show these certificates it is very likely your insurance would be deemed null and void and thus you would not be protected, and not receive a payment or cover.

The outcome

Scenario 1: Your building destroyed and no money to rebuild - a good chance your business will close.

Scenario 2: The average fine for corporate manslaughter in the UK is in excess of £100K - there is a very good chance your business won't recover from this.

And why has your business closed? Because you didn't want to pay a few quid for a PAT test.

PAT Testing - costs less than you think

www.draelectricals.co.uk email: pattesting@draelectricals.co.uk

NECC Member 2 Member offer

2010-11-22T14:26:00.000Z

In the NECC December "Contact" publication we have a 15% off the per item fee for members of the NECC. That's 15% off our standard rate of £1.50, which is £1.27 per item. For the average small office with 200 items, that is a saving of £43.70.

To take up this offer, contact us here for a quote, quoting "NECC M2M offer".

We give a FREE no obligation site visit, count & quotation on all requests.

Cold Calling

2010-11-21T23:42:00.000Z

Last week I attended a Business Link course "Improving your business through sales"

Why? Well, I confess regularly to being useless at sales over the phone, don't know why I'm just no good at it, so I outsource that work, but that costs, and I want to learn how to get the confidence to do it myself, so I did the course.

In addition I'm not so sure the outsourcing works - it started well but has died off, and communicating with the sales people is poor to say the least; they're not proactive in contacting me.

The course was enlightening, enjoyable and has given me hope that with practice I could be good. But can I find the time to practice? Who knows but I'm going to try. The biggest problem I have is I know I hate receiving cold calls, so I know that others feel the same, but for the business to grow it has to be done.

I wonder if there is any advice anyone can give me, or if any suggestions can be made how to market the company that I've not thought of. As business people, do you ever say yes to a cold caller?

exciting tender news

2010-11-20T12:39:00.000Z

When any job prospect comes along, and we want a part of it, we have to submit a tender, whether that be a quote, go to a meeting, present our solutions etc. I had to do just that a few weeks back, without really expecting it. Off the cuff, turn up at an office in Newcastle, and present to the client why DRA Electricals were better than all the rest for their contract, and why what we offered from a PAT Testing solution was better than what everyone else did.

It's a great opportunity, to work with an up and coming new business venture in the city of Newcastle, and one I didn't want to miss, and so much more.

Well the great news came yesterday - my tender had been accepted! I can't wait to get started next month.

Developments

2010-11-20T12:30:00.000Z

We are building a new look website, the existing draelectricals.co.uk will remain, but will be given a new look. Currently working with dh1design.co.uk designing the site, then once that is sorted we'll be adding a fully usable content management system so I can regularly update the site and add news and features. Going to link this blog to it too, well worth checking out.

The site will tell the visitor everything we do, info on the company and people involved, preferred partners, news, social networking, etc..

Also will have the domain drapattesting.co.uk which will be purely for the PAT Testing arm of the business, which is our key area.

It's exciting times and I'm really looking forward to it

Letting agents, landlords, estate agents

2010-11-18T18:28:00.000Z

I'm aware some people may have missed this offer.. I targeted many by email or post, but it's not possible to catch everyone but I don't want you to miss the chance.

When property you let out has electrical appliances in you need to get them PAT Tested. Whose responsibility that is always depends on the agreement; it could be the agency, the landlord, the agency on behalf of the landlord etc.

Did you know in the North East the average price for a property to be PAT Tested is over £60? That's shocking. But why is that.. well, it's because PAT testers offer a minimum fee to go to a site, but they don't always see the potential of property.

That rate is fine if they're going to an office to test 200 items but not when there are a number of houses in a portfolio.

DRA Electricals, PAT testing specialists, don't charge £60, or even £50. For houses we charge only £30!!

That's £30 per property, no matter whether it has one appliance (fridge for example) or is fully furnished with 20 items. What's more we will look at further discounts dependant upon timescales, property numbers etc.

I won't go into discounts too much as my competitors may read this and I don't want to give too much away; Whatever you have and whatever you need, let us know, we can have a meeting and see if we can work something out between us. Click here to email me.

Then to save you even more hassle we can sort out the periodic testing too.

New to blogging

2010-11-16T08:30:00.000Z

Blogging is very new to me so bare with me whilst I work this out; I guess it's similar to twitter and facebook, in that I post my thoughts etc. But not as often. I expect readers will want to read something of interest, or helpful. Well I can help there. I can't guarantee it is interesting, unless you are interested, but helpful - definitely! If you're in business, whether as owner, or manager, then DRA Electricals can help you.

I know hundreds of businesses will have said that to you, so why are we different? Simple... I am an honest person.

I'm not in business to be an electrician, white van man or cowboy - I don't drive a van, or ride a horse. I see my role more a part of Health & Safety than that of an electrician. I don't do re-wires or 'house bashing'. I also don't do domestic work (well, apart from little bits for favours). I specialise in PAT Testing - that is my number 1. Many people offer it as an additional service, to make a bit of cash when times are hard, but as a result their advice may not be best, and their knowledge may be weak. PAT testing is my main game and as such I have an advanced knowledge, a very professional service and many satisfied clients.

My blog, which I have created here will be updated at random times, as often as I can. I'll use it for many reasons - to tell you about changes in the company, give you useful links to sites or documents to read, offer top tips, my newsletter snippets, news on promotions, etc. etc.

The news for now is that my website is being re-designed. What I have now is outdated and needs and overhaul. As such I'm working with some very good designers who are working on a new structure and layout, to give you a whole new vision. Included will be content management so I can regularly update the site; I can't wait to get started, and link this blog to the site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you will follow my posts

Regards,

Richard