EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance Tested Labels

The wording on the labels we use do not state that they have been tested for electrical safety, this has prompted a wave of PAT testers (good old contractors) checking everything from kettles,toasters,PCs,nebulisers,patient monitors,ECG machines etc.
Has this happened anywhere else?

Paul

Only in places where the Estates Department doesn't control its contractors, I should imagine!

OK, Mate, there are plenty of stickers about that mention TESTED FOR ELECTRICAL SAFETY, or whatever. It's really a case of just picking the one you like the best.

Back in Ye Good Olde Days, Estates would have done their own electrical checking (or not, as the case may be).

I know it's going slighty off topic, but anyway...........

Here our estates department perform annual PAT testing on all non-medical devices worthy of such. However they will not perform PAT testing on new devices as 'they are new and under warranty'. So obviously new devices are never faulty!?!?!

They've obviously done their acceptance testing only the week before last (?), Scottish!

On the other hand, maybe users have complained about people coming around blowing up their new microwave ovens!

Hi,

We have found tested labels on medical equipment we have brought up for service that have been tested by electrical contractors. If you have a policy at your hospital to test at 1Amp, as we do, this can cause problems as PAT testers test at 25Amps.
I think that it a case of liasing with your estates department if you find any 3rd party test stickers on the medical equipment. Especially ones from electrical contractors.

Has there been any case recorded yet whereby a piece of medical kit was damaged by PAT the electrical contractor, and a successful financial claim made against him and his pals?

Some truth in that probably. However surely basic checks are essential if only to make sure that the new desktop fan isn't fitted with a 13A fuse.

Indeed, Scottish. I was just playing the Devil's Advocate, as usual, and as always. My real point is that as biomeds we make a great fuss about electrical safety testing, whilst "other trades" may not always be too bothered about it.

Geoff I don't know about that but I'd imaging that the number of PC's serial ports damaged after being PAT tested would be quite high. The problem is since their not supposed to be testing the items most time the problem is only found out after they've scarpered. Come to think about I'm sure a few breakdowns have been caused by medical equipment being PAT tested, but it's just a case of proving it.

I think a company called powerplus does the PAT testing here and they basically test everything with a mains lead. I'm sure if we put a mains lead up your jacksy Geoff they'd even give you a PAT test! Then again they do get paid per a item so I'm sure they'll try it on.

Question is how many items get unplugged when they shouldn't or PAT tests applied to items with patients on it, just so they can get the number of items PAT tested up!

So, these guys are just let go to roam around the hospital, testing everything in sight, then? No inventory to follow? What about the kit they miss (how hard to they look)? What happens when kit "fails" the PAT test? For all we know they could be loading half the kit into the back of their van (just hypothetically speaking here, of course). Sounds like just another load of old, er, nonsense to me! The "answer", of course, is to do PAT testing in-house. In a big firm like yours, Chris, surely that would be a full-time job for some lucky guy (…should I apply?).