But as far as visual inspection goes. I do this at least once a month . Check all cables for loose cables, breaks, etc. Its me that will get a whack if faulty.
But as far as visual inspection goes. I do this at least once a month . Check all cables for loose cables, breaks, etc. Its me that will get a whack if faulty.
Nice one and true.PATs, MOTs - same thing. It was satisfactory on the day of the test. The brakes may well sieze or fail on your way home from the test centre!
I know the feeling, I did this just the other day, they were 'flamergasted' you may not find that in the dictonary, but I guess you know what I mean. They also went very much on the defensive, in the sense,'sure what can we do to help make sure your diso goes without any hickups'However, I ALWAYS make a point of asking the person in charge of the venue about their fire safety policy and evacuation instructions as its a condition of my PLI that I am seen to do so as part of a health & safety assessment. My word does that bring about some funny looks!! It's almost like I speak to them in mandarin!!
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PAT testing is definitely to be encouraged.
Its fine unless someone claims against you.
If you look like you havent tried to be safe then you could be in serious trouble.
I PAT test my own equipment being an electroncis engineer so I have to self certifcate which is a bit odd.
At the end of the day I want to be safe myself so I would always make sure the equipment was up to the job.
A PAT test doesnt guarantee anything. Simply fitting a wrong fuse could cause serious problems. I am gobsmacked at the amount of low current equipment with 13 amp fuses in it. 13 amps going down a thin earth wire could fuse the earth wire before the fuse goes and kill someone.
Originally Posted by nigelwright7557
can you explain that one please
Of course, there is another side to the matter. Safe electrical equipment only remains safe if the socket it is plugged into is also safe. If you connect perfect equipment to a faulty wiring installation the whole set-up is dangerous.
The DJ should ask to see the Venue's "Certificate of Periodic Inspection and Test" (to BS7671 - 16th edition Wiring Regulations) just as much as the venue should ask for the DJ's proof of PAT testing.
It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that the fixed wiring is tested regularly. Faulty equipment connected to a safe installation should trip the installed RCD, while a socket with a faulty earth can make the whole set-up dangerous.
Electrical safety needs to be a PARTNERSHIP between the DJ and the venue.
Always carry my own RCDs to avoid the necessity.
That's good practice... I think most of us do. However, an RCD will not protect against the scenario (ok... unlikely, but nowhere near impossible) of:
Phase / Neutral reversed
Break in Circuit Protective Conductor ("earth wire")
Phase / Earth short circuit (socket screw through live wire)
That's why the venue needs R2 or R1+R2 to be checked regularly. (Ie "Loop Test")
I issue all our DJs with socket testers as well as RCDs: before anything else gets plugged in, the sockets are tested. If a socket fails a test, we won't use it.
Yep. We got one of those too. Suppose I should've added it to the previous post
Electrical safety should be more about continuous testing rather than relying on a yearly test. Every time a lead is used it should have a quick visual check to make sure it is not damaged.
Electricity is the same as any other risk assessment, the severity and likelihood need to be reviewed. The chance of one of my extension leads suddenly having the Live and Natural swapped is very low but the chance of the cable being caught and damaged in a flight case is medium.
The sockets testers should be used both to check the building supply as it is surprising how often an earth is missing. In addition I have one in my mixer flight case. This constantly checks the wiring up to this point and will detect a earth wire failure.
At an extreme example I have had to test a widow maker. In theory this passes all the tests on the machine but is one of the most lethal pieces of kit.
Companies hide behind PAT testing due to a lack of understanding.
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