Maintaining portable electrical equipment

31 March 2023

​It’s a widely held myth that every portable electrical appliance in the workplace needs to be tested once a year. The regulations simply require an employer to ensure that electrical equipment is maintained in order to prevent danger. They do not say specifically how this should be done or how often.

For example, the maintenance of portable electrical equipment usually includes:

• regular user checks, for example, daily or before use
• formal visual inspections by a suitably trained person
• combined inspection and tests, which can include PAT testing, by an electrically competent person

Employers should take a risk-based approach, considering the type of equipment and what it is being used for.

Maintaining portable electrical equipment