PAT Testing for Homeworkers has been a point of contention since the Covid-19 pandemic. Years on, now things have changed in the workplace and far more people either operate a hybrid homeworker policy, or have gone fully remote. This leaves many health and safety questions wide open, one of the main ones is around portable appliance testing and whether or not it applies to homeworkers.
Do I need to do PAT testing for homeworkers?
In short, yes you do need to conduct PAT for your employees that work from home. As a general rule, if you were conducting PAT in your office, or continue to do so for your in office equipment, then you should be conducting this for workers at home too.
As an employer, your legal obligations do not change just because an employee conducts their duties from home. This means PAT still falls within the Electrical Safety At Work Regulations 1989, even with your employees now working from home.
Is PAT a legal requirement for homeworkers?
No, PAT is never a legal requirement. However, for you to comply with relevant employment legislation, you should be conducting checks on your electrical equipment regularly. The best way for you to ensure your equipment is checked thoroughly is to use a Portable Appliance Testing contractor that uses City & Guilds qualified PAT Engineers. If you perform no checks on your electrical equipment, whether that be home or office workers, you may be in breach of your legal obligation to comply with the Electrical Safety At Work Act.
How often should I PAT test homeworkers?
There is no one size fits all approach to PAT. What works for a company that has employees come to the office once a month might not work for a company who rarely or never meet in person. That’s why we always advise taking a risk based approach. That means a thorough assessment of the risk to your employees equipment.
As a general rule, we would recommend testing all home working equipment at least every 2 years and ideally every year. It is important to remember this decision is ultimately yours as the duty holder or employer, a PAT company can only advise you on best practice and work inside the HSE guidelines. There are no fixed rules or legislation in England that determine the frequency of your portable appliance testing.
Risk to homeworkers electrical equipment
Whilst many people assume the risk of damage to electrical equipment is lower with the introduction of homeworkers, in fact the opposite is true. There are many hazards that pose risk to electrical equipment that your staff use that you wouldn’t ordinarily find in the office. Things like pets, small children and even exposure to the outdoors are all things your electrical equipment won’t face in a normal office but will face at home.
On top of this it is also important to consider the transporting of equipment and the possible damage that faces. An employee drops a laptop, or somebody trips over their wire in a coffee shop. Again these are factors to consider when asking yourself whether you should implement a strict PAT policy for homeworking equipment or not.
Homeworker PAT Testing Rules
- If you conduct PAT in your office, you should conduct it for your homeworkers too.
- Equipment supplied by you as an employer is your responsibility as an employer.
- The Electrical Safety at Work Act applies even when employees work from home.
- Ensure you have a regular, auditable trace of either user checks or full PAT for your homeworker equipment.
- Check with your insurance company if they require PAT to include homeworkers
Get in touch for homeworker Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)
At PowerPlug, we always have and always will take a risk based approach to your PAT. It is not one size fits all and we can definitely help you to understand your obligations as well as create a cohesive and thorough PAT schedule for your homeworkers.
Call us for a free no obligation quote on 01908 983 580 or contact us at contact@powerplug.co.uk