My pet hate was the toilet hand drier.
Do you have to test these, seeing as they are usually fixed to the wall and wired to a fused spur, and therefore not portable?
Although called PAT testing, correct name is "Inspection and testing of in service electrical equipment" it does not matter how big or small it is, the demarcation is between the installation which is all the wires and distribution boxes, and current using equipment.
I would go into a room and look around, any fridge or freezer I would unplug, then do the rest, then return to fridge or freezer and hope one re-powering the motor would run. It however never tested the de-frost function. A washing machine, or a vending machine was a real problem, in the main we would take out a maintenance contract and back heal those machines.
It was once a heated talk about the maintenance contract, as it seemed the people who had the contract would respond to a break down, but did not actually do any maintenance. But my boss basic said that's their problem not mine, should anyone get injured I just refer the HSE to the firm with the contract. Not sure that would really work?
But be it a massive concrete batching plant or a nose hair cutter they all need some form of inspection and testing. Well at least an inspection, in real terms items which are class II or class III can't really be tested, other than see if they work, plugging a class II appliance into the PAT tester only really tests that the current used is within limits, the rest is just inspection, so in real terms one can do a whole room of class II in super fast time. The only problem was all my tests were electronic logged. So I would test a PC which means of course I have tested the lead set as well, but then I would still have to press the button a second time and enter the ID number of the lead, even though I clearly knew it was OK.
My boss viewed hand written tests with suspicion, with hand driers I could get away with it, as no plug and socket, the same for three phase machines, as to toilet extractor fans, well what can you test? often class II and about the only test you can do is put a clamp on ammeter around the supply lead, if the ammeter will measure that little current. So he let me get away with visual inspection only for extractor fans.
Office fans were also a point of discussion, often class I however the only place you could access the earth was the motor spindle, putting 25 amp through that could damage the bearing, so although not really IT equipment they were tested as IT equipment so as not to damage the bearing. The IT equipment test uses 250 mA instead of 25A as in some cases 25A could blow the tracks on circuit boards.
We agreed that a semi-skilled guy could re-test and inspect equipment which had already been tested and the test sequence had already been selected by an electrician, except for those marked special. But he was not allowed to inspect and test the first time, after it was found a mag mount drill had been tested as class II, there was a very clear double square on the drill showing it was class II, but the mag mount was class I and the earth wire had become detached. We argued an electrician would have realised it was class I but the semi-skilled did not have enough knowledge.
We also had a problem with electronic recording, where some one forgot to put in his code and a whole days PAT testing was attributed to the wrong guy, I corrected the problem after quickly writing a VB program to read and correct the data, the Robin software would not allow it, but it back fired as it was then realised if some one made an error he could alter the computer records to show some one else had done the testing, so after that short results were printed and signed by person doing the test. They were put in a folder with the date when they could be destroyed.
As to if the HSE has ever done anyone for not doing a proper job PAT testing I don't know, I some how don't think so, it would be so hard to show it was faulty when tested. Firms have been done for not maintaining equipment, and for not keeping records, but as to saying you tested this on xx/xx/xxxx and it was clearly faulty when tested not so sure. Has been done with fixed installation, but as to portable I know of no cases.
I have seen where firms were fined for bad equipment, in fact it happened where I worked, a private extension lead was taken out of a fitters locker and used by a worker, it was laying in water and a fault on the lead caused another worker to get a shock, he was taken to hospital to be on safe side, and they auto informed HSE, who in turn fined the fitter for having the lead in his locker. Had I know about it before hand I would have put the same notice on his workshop as on mine, which stated "This is a quarantine area, the door must be kept locked when not in use, and no equipment shall be taken out of this area without permission." The HSE guy said had some one taken it out of my workshop he would be looking at person who took the lead, but since there was no notice on his workshop it was fair to consider all equipment was safe to use.
Where I have worked in a corner of the fitters workshop, the electricians part has always been fenced off because of the quarantine of electrical equipment under repair. As to how anyone can place large three phase items in the quarantine area I don't know? I expect locking off would do. However it would need to appear in the quarantine register. I would say about one in five of items being repaired actually were entered into the register. In real terms only items which could not be repaired that shift, and yes HSE has asked to view the quarantine register.
I do think those working in heavy industry seem to get many more visits than those working in the office, so I would guess those PAT testing office equipment can get away with things which those working in heavy industry would never get away with. But the fear of HSE catching one out did keep one on ones toes, and the PAT testing was taken very seriously, even with reduced low voltage.