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What is a Portable Appliance
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Health & Safety at Work Act 1989
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What is a Portable Appliance?
For general purposes, it is any kind of electrical equipment which derives its power
source via a flexible cable and/or plug top. They may be 415 volts or below, irrespective of
age. Examples of these are:
Vacuum Cleaners, Fridges, Toasters, Computers, Hair Dryers, Lamps, etc. It also includes
equipment that is not normally/ not as easily moved, for example Photocopiers and Heaters.
More Specifically:
PAT Testing stands for Portable Appliance Testing, but the correct term is In-service Inspection
and Testing of Elecrtrical Equipment. You may be forgiven for thinking that the only kinds of appliances that need
to be tested are the "Portable" kind. Infact all kinds of electrical appliances require periodic testing
and the categories and their definitions are:
Portable appliance:
An appliance of less than 18 kg in mass that is intended to be moved while in operation
or an appliance which can easily be moved from one place to another, e.g. toaster, food
mixer, vacuum cleaner, fan heater.
Movable equipment
(sometimes called transportable)
This is equipment which is either:
- 18 kg or less in mass and not fixed, e.g. electric fire, or
- equipment with wheels, castors or other means to facilitate movement by the
operator as required to perform its intended use, e.g. air conditioning unit.
Hand-held appliances or equipment
This is portable equipment intended to be held in the hand during normal use, e.g. hair
dryer, drill, soldering iron.
Stationary equipment or appliances
This equipment has a mass exceeding 18 kg and is not provided with a carrying handle,
e.g. refrigerator, washing machine.
 
Fixed equipment/appliances
This is equipment or an appliance which is fastened to a support or otherwise secured in
a specified location, e.g. bathroom heater, towel rail.
Appliances/equipment for building in
This equipment is intended to be installed in a prepared recess such as a cupboard or
similar. In general, equipment for building in does not have an enclosure on all sides
because on one or more of the sides, additional protection against electric shock is
provided by the surroundings e.g. a built-in electric cooker.
Information technology equipment (business equipment)
Information technology equipment includes electrical business equipment such as
computers and mains powered telecommunications equipment, and other equipment for
general business use, such as mail processing machines, electric plotters, trimmers,
VDUs, data terminal equipment, typewriters, telephones, printers, photo-copiers, power
packs.
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