EICR and PAT Testing Packages: Combined Compliance for Manchester Workplaces
If your business has an Electrical Installation Condition Report but no PAT testing programme, or portable appliance testing but no EICR, you have a compliance gap. Each test covers a different part of your electrical safety picture, and neither replaces the other. Yet many Manchester businesses still treat them as an either-or decision, leaving one half of their electrical compliance unaddressed.
This guide explains why combined EICR and PAT testing is the standard your business should meet, what each test covers, how a combined approach saves time and money, and what Manchester workplaces need to budget for complete electrical safety compliance.
What EICR and PAT Testing Cover: The Complete Picture
Understanding the distinction between these two tests is fundamental. They are complementary, not interchangeable.
EICR: Your Building's Fixed Electrical Installation
An Electrical Installation Condition Report assesses the permanent, fixed electrical infrastructure within your building. This includes:
- All fixed wiring — from the incoming supply to every socket, switch and light fitting
- Distribution boards and consumer units — the central hub that distributes electricity to all circuits
- Earthing and bonding systems — the safety infrastructure that protects against electric shock
- Protective devices — RCDs, MCBs and fuses that disconnect circuits in fault conditions
- Fixed electrical equipment — permanently connected items such as hand dryers, boilers, electric heaters and water heaters
- Cable routes and containment — trunking, conduit and cable tray carrying your wiring
Frequency: Every 5 years for standard commercial premises. Every 3 years for higher-risk environments. Every 5 years for residential rental properties.
PAT Testing: Your Portable Electrical Equipment
Portable Appliance Testing assesses every electrical device that connects to the fixed installation via a plug. In a typical office, this includes:
- Desktop computers, monitors and laptop chargers
- Printers, scanners and copiers
- Kettles, microwaves and toasters in kitchen areas
- Desk fans, portable heaters and air purifiers
- Phone chargers and power banks
- Extension leads and multi-socket adapters
- Portable power tools
- Test and measurement equipment
- Floor-standing water coolers and coffee machines
- Desk lamps and portable lighting
- Vacuum cleaners and floor polishers
- Any other device with a mains plug
Frequency: The testing interval depends on the type of equipment and the environment:
- Office IT equipment: Every 2 to 4 years (low risk, minimal handling)
- Kitchen appliances: Annually (heat and moisture exposure)
- Portable power tools: Every 6 to 12 months (heavy use, mechanical stress)
- Extension leads and adapters: Annually (frequently moved, connector wear)
- Equipment used by the public: Annually (higher duty of care)
- Construction site equipment: Every 3 months (extreme conditions)
Why Your Business Needs Both Tests
The Compliance Argument
No single test satisfies all electrical safety obligations for a workplace. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 together require employers to maintain safe electrical systems. This encompasses both the fixed installation (assessed by EICR) and the equipment connected to it (assessed by PAT testing).
If an employee is injured by an electrical fault and the HSE investigates, they will ask for evidence of both tests. Having one but not the other demonstrates incomplete risk management and weakens your defence.
For landlords, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 mandate EICR compliance. PAT testing is not explicitly required by these regulations, but if you supply electrical appliances with the property (furnished or part-furnished lets), you have a duty of care to ensure those appliances are safe.
The Safety Argument
A building with a satisfactory EICR but untested portable appliances is a building where faulty equipment can still cause injury. The most common sources of workplace electrical incidents are:
1. Damaged extension leads and adapters (PAT) 2. Faulty appliance cables (PAT) 3. Overloaded socket circuits (identified during EICR when combined with usage analysis) 4. Deteriorated fixed wiring (EICR) 5. Absent or defective RCD protection (EICR)
Items 1 and 2 are the most frequent causes of workplace electrical fires. An EICR will not detect a frayed kettle cable or a cracked plug on a desk fan. Only PAT testing catches these.
The Insurance Argument
Many business insurance policies contain clauses requiring both fixed installation testing and portable appliance testing. The specific wording varies, but the principle is consistent: your insurer expects you to have tested all electrical systems and equipment in accordance with relevant standards.
If a fire starts from a faulty extension lead and your insurer discovers you have no PAT testing records, they have grounds to reduce or deny the claim. The same applies in reverse — if a distribution board fault causes a fire and you have no EICR.
How Combined EICR and PAT Testing Works
When you book EICR and PAT testing as a combined package, both assessments are carried out during the same site visit (or across coordinated visits for larger premises). This offers several practical advantages:
Single point of coordination. One provider, one booking, one point of contact. You are not managing separate contractors, separate schedules and separate invoices.
Reduced disruption. Our engineers are already on site for the EICR. Adding PAT testing to the same visit means your team is disrupted once, not twice. For offices where staff need to vacate an area during testing, a single visit is significantly less disruptive.
Holistic assessment. When the same engineering team inspects both the fixed installation and the portable appliances, they can identify systemic issues that separate inspections might miss. For example, if the EICR reveals that a circuit is close to its maximum load, and the PAT audit shows that five high-power appliances are connected to that circuit via extension leads, the combined report flags the overloading risk.
Consolidated documentation. You receive a complete compliance package — EICR report, PAT testing register, appliance labels and a summary of any remedial recommendations — in a single handover.
Cost efficiency. Combined packages are typically 15 to 25 per cent cheaper than booking EICR and PAT testing separately, because site mobilisation costs, travel time and administrative overhead are shared.
Cost Guide: Combined EICR and PAT Testing Packages
Pricing depends on the size of the premises, the number of circuits (for EICR) and the number of appliances (for PAT). Here are indicative costs for Manchester workplaces:
Small office (up to 10 staff, single phase)
- EICR: £200 to £350
- PAT testing (30-50 items): £60 to £150
- Combined package: £220 to £420
- Saving vs separate: approximately £40 to £80
- EICR: £350 to £600
- PAT testing (50-150 items): £100 to £375
- Combined package: £380 to £830
- Saving vs separate: approximately £70 to £145
- EICR: £500 to £1,000
- PAT testing (150-400 items): £300 to £1,000
- Combined package: £680 to £1,700
- Saving vs separate: approximately £120 to £300
- EICR: £200 to £450
- PAT testing (20-60 items): £40 to £150
- Combined package: £200 to £510
- Saving vs separate: approximately £40 to £90
- EICR: £350 to £800
- PAT testing (40-100 items): £80 to £250
- Combined package: £365 to £890
- Saving vs separate: approximately £65 to £160
- EICR: £400 to £1,200
- PAT testing (50-200 items): £100 to £500
- Combined package: £425 to £1,445
- Saving vs separate: approximately £75 to £255
What Happens During a Combined Visit
A typical combined EICR and PAT testing visit for a medium office proceeds as follows:
08:00-08:30 — Arrival and setup. Our engineer reviews the distribution board layout, confirms the scope of both the EICR and the PAT inventory, and discusses the day's schedule with your facilities contact.
08:30-12:30 — EICR inspection. The engineer works through the fixed installation circuit by circuit, conducting visual inspections, dead testing (insulation resistance, continuity, earth fault loop impedance) and live testing (RCD trip times, polarity, prospective fault current). Each circuit is temporarily de-energised during dead testing — typically 10 to 20 minutes per circuit.
12:30-13:00 — Break and preliminary review. The engineer reviews the EICR findings, identifies any circuits that need immediate attention, and prepares for the PAT testing phase.
13:00-16:00 — PAT testing. The engineer systematically tests every portable appliance in the agreed inventory. Each item undergoes a visual inspection (cable condition, plug wiring, damage) and electrical testing (earth continuity, insulation resistance, touch current). Items that pass receive a dated test label. Items that fail are identified and the user is advised to remove them from service.
16:00-16:30 — Documentation and handover. The engineer compiles the EICR report and PAT testing register, discusses the findings with your contact, highlights any items requiring remedial action, and provides your complete compliance documentation.
For larger premises, the visit may extend over two days, with EICR on day one and PAT testing on day two.
Managing Your Combined Compliance Calendar
Once you have both EICR and PAT testing in place, maintaining compliance becomes a calendar management exercise:
EICR: Mark the expiry date (5 years from the satisfactory report date, or 3 years for high-risk environments). Set a reminder 3 months before expiry to schedule the next inspection.
PAT testing: Schedule according to the risk-assessed intervals for your equipment. For most offices, an annual PAT test is appropriate. Set calendar reminders accordingly.
New equipment: When you purchase new electrical equipment, add it to your PAT testing register. New items do not need immediate PAT testing (the manufacturer's quality assurance covers them initially), but they should be included in the next scheduled test.
Equipment disposal: When equipment is disposed of, update your register to remove it. This keeps your inventory accurate and avoids charges for testing items that no longer exist.
Staff changes: When staff join or leave, their personal equipment (chargers, fans, desk lamps brought from home) should be added to or removed from the register. Equipment brought from home by employees is the employer's responsibility to test once it is used in the workplace.
Manchester Compliance: Your Single Provider for EICR and PAT
Manchester Compliance provides combined EICR and PAT testing packages for workplaces across Greater Manchester. One booking, one visit, one invoice, complete compliance.
Call 0161 706 1360 to discuss your requirements and receive a combined quotation.
Email: Info@manchestercompliance.co.uk
NICEIC registered for EICR inspections. Competent PAT testing engineers trained to the IET Code of Practice. Fully insured. Serving Manchester, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Oldham, Rochdale, Trafford and all surrounding areas.
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