To show a trend, you need to be able to view last reading, with software I used that was only shown in the office when new results were uploaded which was to my mind a bit late, by that time already passed.
The software also high lighted items due for testing, seems good, until you try and use it, kettle in lab office needs testing number L115 so you go to Lab, where's your kettle it needs testing, and then you find a brand new kettle, you don't know what happened to old one, you assume scrapped, only for it to turn up in the workshop 3 months latter.
No one will tell you when they buy new, or when they scrap items, so you make out the equipment register as it tells you to, but it is never updated, as to quarantine, you try locking failed items away until repaired, and that did cause fines in one place I worked, where there was a lack of signs telling people this is a quarantine area nothing must be removed.
Some one had gone into a fitters locker and taken a faulty extension lead unknown to fitter, some one got a shock, as laid down they went to hospital for observation, they told HSE, who in turn visited the factory, and the fitter was fined for not having a lock on his locker or sign to say quarantine area.
Lucky my end the room was always locked, and there was a sign, and every item had been logged into the repair register. You will note most places have a cage for the electricians, this is not because we are beasts that need caging up, but so we can lock a door to stop people removing items before repaired and tested, and so should an electrician be injured it can be seen help is required.
Remember whole reason for PAT testing is to satisfy HSE, they are not unreasonable, but simply putting on a failed label is not enough. Although new items don't really need testing, once a year old it is too late to return as faulty, so best to test then if there is a fault they can be returned.
It is the mechanical side I found a problem with, your given a angle grinder to test, it passes electric wise, but has a chipped wheel, or missing guard, putting a passed label on is not really what you want to do, I in many places removed the wheel, then up to person fitting new one who needed a licence, to decide if guard OK or not.
It was also the rules where item is OK to use at home, but not OK at work, missing Class II label, or no auto off when power lost, again grinding wheels, I would fit active RCD's to supply, cheapest and easiest way to stop auto restart after a power cut.
And combination tools, the mag mount drill, where the drill is Class II but mag mount Class I so easy to test whole as Class II, and stickers on computers to show fitted with isolation transformer being fitted inside the case, today very few computers are made from parts, but early days making sure labels were fitted was a problem.
The plugging into PAT tester is the easy bit, what we did was all new items first test by an electrician, once the schedule of tests had been logged into the system, then electricians mate could do PAT testing, however the
2004 Emma Shaw case changed that, I like many foreman felt that a semi skilled guy was well able to push buttons and record what the meter said, any odd result, like OL would alert me to find out why, I never even considered an electricians mate would fudge up some results if the meter showed some thing like OL.
It has always been let the courts decide, but did not expect that result, after that electricians mates could not be used without supervision, so you need to prove to a court you have the skill, the C&G 2391 exam for installation testing is very strict, with quite a high failure rate, but the PAT testing exam both parts are rather easy to pass, until there is a court case, we don't know if it is enough, they were originally designed as an extra for an electrician not stand alone, they have for years been used to train semi-skilled, but also for years we used electricians mates to plug in a tester press button and record reading. Until some one is killed by an in-service electrical appliance which was passed as OK by some one semi-skilled and it goes to court we don't know what the court will decide.
Personally I would not take the risk, but there is no qualification to be an electrician, because of the EU and freedom of movement there are too many qualifications around Europe to list what is required to call yourself an electrician, but not really a problem for you, in fact it helps you, and gives you a get out of jail free card, it's your boss who could have a problem.
