A Musicians Guide to the PAT Test
As a musician, you have various responsibilities when it comes to performing at a venue and it may be confusing knowing exactly what you must do but a musicians guide to the pat test may help you. It may not come as a surprise to most people that musicians, much like everyone else, are required to conform to certain health and safety legislation before they are allowed to liven up our days. If you are a musician, you are required to comply with electrical equipment safety regulations whenever you perform in public with electrical instruments and appliances. One of the most simple and effective methods of proving your compliance is having a PAT Test carried out regularly.
You may be wondering which pieces of your equipment should undergo a PAT test. Quite simply, any piece of equipment or any instrument you use in your performance needs to be tested for electrical safety. This means that microphones, speakers, amps, keyboards, lighting etc. should all be PAT tested. All electrical equipment has the potential of causing electric shocks and your equipment is no different. The best method to defend against this is to have your electrical appliances PAT tested.
It is not just the government who requires you to be safe when you are gigging. Most venues will not let you perform unless you have a recent PAT test certificate and your equipment has the “Pass” sticker on it. Venues have to ensure the safety of anyone who enters their building, whether they are venue staff, guests, audiences or musicians. This is down to legislation such as the Electricity at Work Regulations (1989) which classes gigs as your work because you, hopefully, are being paid for your art. If venues allow unsafe equipment to be used in their property, they are violating such electrical safety legislation, regardless of the amount of tests they have had on their own equipment. Venues are not going to risk a court case for your music, no matter how good you are. Remove the possibility of losing the gig by having your equipment PAT tested.
Reading our ‘A Musicians Guide to the PAT Test’ is the first step in seeking a PAT test. If you are a musician and want to continue to find regular gigs, begin the process of obtaining a PAT test by filling out our online form. My London Tradesmen will then contact companies on your behalf and return with up to 3 quotes. You will then be left to make an informed decision regarding which tradesman to employ based on the quotes you have received.
All of the tradesmen we use have received up to date training and are registered with all the necessary bodies. We only use reputable and trustworthy tradesmen.