Portable appliance testing, also known as simply PAT or PAT Testing, is a type of inspection process used in the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. During this process, electrical appliances are subject to routine testing or checking for safety. The industry specific term for the PAT inspection process is known as ‘in service inspection and testing of electrical equipment.’
As a mobile DJ you know that having your DJ equipment in the best possible shape is vital to your business, which is why you take excellent care of all that expensive equipment. However, a lot of the equipment you use is electrical in nature and not all electrical problems show themselves immediately. Undetected equipment problems can cause you and your business a lot of headaches, problems, and even loss in revenue resulting in disappointed clients, and even serious injury to you, your clients or their guests, and the venue itself. One step you can take to make sure that each piece of electrical equipment you use is in good working order is to get your equipment PAT tested on a regular basis.
Having your equipment go through portable appliance testing is not all that expensive and having that PAT certificate along with the assurance that your equipment is electrically sound has many benefits for you as a DJ. Here are just some of those benefits.
Save Money By Finding Small Problems Early
One of the major advantages of portable appliance testing is that small problems may be found during the testing process that may not be noticeable. Finding these problems early and having them repaired can help to prevent the problem from worsening in and causing serious problems to your equipment that could end up in more expensive repairs or you having to replace that piece of equipment.
PAT Certificate Can Get You More Gigs
Even though there is no legal requirement to have your equipment tested, many venues do require that portable appliance testing is done prior to you bringing your equipment into their venue. With out that PAT certification your equipment will be barred from certain venues. In addition, even if the venue does not require PAT certification, being able to show your clients this certification will impressed them with your professionalism and attention to detail. By being able to tell and show your potential clients that all of your equipment have PAT certification you are demonstrating that you are not only concerned with bringing them great music, but care about their safety as well. It may not seem like much, but every selling point you can present your clients with works to your favour in securing those all important gigs.
May Save Your Reputation
Having your DJ equipment PAT certified can actually save your reputation. Think of what can happen if your equipment fails do to an electrical problem. Best case scenario would include disrupting the event you have engaged to preform for which can spoil the evening for all of the people attending the the event and resulting in negative publicity for your DJ business. In the worst circumstances, failing electrical equipment can result in one of the guests, or you yourself being seriously injured or even a fire starting if something shorts out. This could ruin your career and leave you financially broke.
Since PAT testing only takes an hour or two and has so many benefits, there really is no reason that you shouldn’t take advantage of getting this certification.
