In our Interview feature Angelina Ritchie talks to Intersafe managing director Adrian Pendle about Portable Appliance Testing

FMJ - Can you give an example of how facilities managers can benefit from the database approach?
AP: For example, a customer told me of a situation where one of his laboratory assistants had asked him to order six new pieces of laboratory equipment worth several thousand pounds each. The customer conducted a search on the PATGuard Elite database we had created for him and found they already had several of the same items on site. The database showed him the location of the items and he emailed the users to discover that three were simply “sitting in cupboards”. The customer saved more than £10,000.00 by just making a search of the database that only took a few seconds.

FMJ - So you are not keen on paper based record keeping?
AP: Absolutely not. I often see how impractical paper based records are in reality. When visiting potential customers I ask how many items they have to test. They invariably head for a bookshelf and take down a huge file and say: “I really don’t know without counting each page”. With a good database they would know instantly how may items they have. They could also break it down by department or floor if they wanted. Using the software there would also be no problem in sending a PAT report to a colleague or a Health and Safety auditor. They just export the required information into an Excel spreadsheet file and email it to the relevant person.

FMJ - Isn’t the database approach more costly?
AP: It need not be. At Intersafe we encourage organisations to make more use of our paperless testing system so we provide a free copy of the PATGuard database software if they have more than 3000 items to test. This software would typically cost £495.
With the use of the latest technology we can supply facilities managers with all the possible information necessary to comply with the Electricity at Work Act and help facilities managers manage their assets more easily.
The software can provide you with information such as:
• Which make of machine costs the most in repairs.
• Which department uses the most machinery.
• How many electrical appliances fail the Portable Appliance Test first time.
• Which Department's machinery costs the most in repairs/servicing.
• Does any equipment go missing?
And much more...
This information enables facilities managers to assess the real cost of each asset over its lifetime and make more informed buying decisions. Also it helps detect possible misuse of equipment by personnel and the information it provides will satisfy the most zealous of Health and Safety inspectors. All this at the touch of a button. The simplicity of the approach is what attracts our customers such as Motorola, Sony, Honda, Gillette, Waitrose and American Express.

FMJ - Are any other savings possible?
AP: We recently conducted a PAT and Asset Tracking project at the same time. Quite simply after logging the details of the PC, monitor and such like at each desk we also log the chair, desk, partition and so on. In many organisations these tasks are done separately which leads to duplication and waste. Intersafe also offers Periodic Testing & Inspection and Thermal Imaging.

FMJ - Is one of the problems associated with PAT testing the disruption it can cause to implement?
AP: We recognise that, particularly in office environments, testing during the day can disrupt a business by interrupting the working patterns of busy staff. If it takes 20 minutes to complete testing at each desk then for a largish office containing, say 400 employees, that means more than 130 working hours could be lost. Out-of-hours testing is the solution. Intersafe no longer makes extra charges for testing out-of-hours.

FMJ - What does the future hold for PAT?
AP: We see the cost of PAT reducing. This reflects the increased competition in the market place and also the innovative PAT test equipment that the likes of Seaward Electronic has introduced in recent years.
More organisations should consider implementing a risk assessment study prior to testing. By scheduling testing more efficiently for both high risk and low risk items money can be saved and disruption reduced.

FMJ - Thank you