Do you mean like integrated fridges, washing machines etc? 

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A fixed appliance is an appliance that is hard wires into a spur in the wall, usually it has a neon light and a switch attached. 

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It's often overlooked by business owners but is as important as PAT Testing (although doesn’t need doing as often) integrated fridge freezer will need fixed appliance testing Inspection of Fixed Electrical Equipment.

Fixed electrical equipment is more difficult to inspect and test because of how it is attached to the mains supply and the building itself; usually via an isolator or connection unit. This doesn’t mean that only a visual inspection is sufficient, but they should also receive full combined Inspection and Test (PAT) at regular intervals. Testing of fixed appliances will require disconnection of the equipment from the mains. Test of fixed equipment is best carried out during the periodic electrical inspection and testing (EICR) of the mains installation, and should be repeated inline with this, or every 5 years from install (assuming its risk assessment suggests this PAT testing frequency. It may also be appropriate to carry out more frequent visual inspections on appliances, dependent on their use and potential risk of damage occurring, such as hand dryers, fixed hair driers, etc.

Fixed Appliance Testing – what you need to know PAT Testing is done regularly in all workplaces around the UK because maintaining safe electrical equipment is so important. Portable appliances can get damaged easily and so need regular checks by a competent person to make sure they’re ok to continue using. However, it’s not just portable appliances that need checking. There are appliances in almost every workplace that continue to get overlooked by business owners, landlords etc. These are called fixed appliances. These require regular, if not as frequent, fixed appliance testing. Fixed appliances are often overlooked Fixed Appliance Testing is something that doesn’t happen enough, mainly because business owners are not aware of it. This is because for a long time there has been confusion over who is responsible for carrying out the task – electricians say it’s the role of the PAT tester because they test appliances, whilst the PAT tester says it should be the electrician because its work on the wiring. Now, it has been recognised as an issue, so as long as you are a competent in safe isolation procedures, you are ok to test fixed appliances. Fixed appliances are electrical appliances that have been secured to the building’s main wiring via connection unit in the wall (like a socket but without the bit for the plug); usually a white plastic box with a switch on, a fuse and perhaps a red light. Fixed appliances such as cookers, hand driers and storage heaters are commonly used in businesses across the UK, and as a society we take their safety for granted, because since they are installed (unless they are maintained by a specialist company) they will have never been checked. It is possible that these appliances deteriorate over time, although the risk is a lot lower than a portable appliance, as they are usually fixed to the wall or hard to move, but they do still require checking. You are as much responsible for checking the electrical safety of a fixed appliance as you are a portable one.

Ness Side PAT Testing feel it is important that fixed appliances are not ignored, and so when we complete your PAT Test we will assess what fixed appliances you have and inspect them visually, initially. We will talk to you about your options for what to do next. What do you need to do? You need to be sure your electrical equipment is safe. In regards to a fixed appliance it should have been installed by a competent person, such as an electrician, and you should have paperwork to confirm that. That may suffice, but it is up to you to make sure you have documentation to confirm the appliance is safe. The appliance may also get maintained, by the installation company or another, and again you need to make sure you have paperwork for this; does the maintenance include checking the electrics? You need to visually inspect the appliance. What can we do? If you have contracted us to do your PAT testing, it is not our place to test all your fixed appliances too, but what we do do is check any appliances that would have been supplied with a plug which are now hard wired. This includes white goods like fridges and washing machines, heaters on walls, Televisions, projectors, extractor fans, ovens etc. We will visually inspect them, and run an earth continuity test on them. (We do not do checks on appliances that wouldn’t have had a plug originally, as these are outside our scope and usually will be maintained by specialist companies, such as air conditioning, escalators, toilet hand driers, etc). We can’t do tests for insulation resistance or check the wiring without turning off the power and opening the spur; as you have not contracted us to do that, we are not insured to do so, but we can arrange it for another time. After our initial assessment we will recommend further action; if the appliance has not been tested since it was installed, and that was 3-5 years ago, we will recommend a full test be carried out. We can do this for you or you can get an electrician to do it. Usually its done on the same frequency as your EICR. This can only be done when the power can be turned off, because the wires for the appliance need removing to conduct the tests.

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If you have any more questions just call us!