Seaward Testers Clean Up at Pressure Washer Manufacturer

A manufacturer of industrial cleaning equipment has specified Seaward portable appliance testers to ensure its commercial activity complies with important electrical safety requirements.

Part of the world's number one cleaning technology provider helping businesses worldwide to achieve outstanding cleaning results every day, Kärcher UK Ltd provides a range of pressure washers, scrubber dryers, vacuum cleaners and more to contract cleaning and facilities management companies across the UK, operating in different target sectors. Clean Sweep Hire, part of the Kärcher group provides specialist hire of a wide range of Kärcher industrial cleaning equipment throughout the UK.

As part of its contractual obligations to customers, the firm must ensure the electrical safety of the equipment it supplies and therefore deploys a nationwide field service team, whose responsibilities cover in-service safety checking and testing of tens of thousands of appliances located at hundreds of sites across the UK and Ireland.

This is part of an ongoing asset management and maintenance programme Kärcher has implemented, which reflects a robust approach to safety management, linking test schedules with equipment identification and maintaining comprehensive test records for all items tested.

To ensure requirements are met accurately and reliably, the company has been a long term investor in Seaward PAT testing equipment, currently using the PrimeTest 250+ with PATGuard 3 testing software to ensure compliance with electrical safety regulations such as IET 5th Edition Code of Practice. This covers the in-service inspection and testing of electrical equipment including RCD trip time, protective conductor current and touch current.

With a large user display and push button operation, the portable PrimeTest 250+, together with supporting test and tag printers, are carried by the field service team from site to site to undertake comprehensive checks including 3-phase leakage test and a 250V DC insulation test. The testers also feature ‘zap’ circuit to ensure accurate and reliable earth continuity testing.

The incorporation of an internal memory supports data handling needs, enabling test records to be downloaded and transferred directly on a regular basis to a central database that is managed by Kärcher’s field service team leader – North East, Steve Laidlaw, who administers PAT testing operations. The use of these features is completed with the production of important test certificates and test reports to demonstrate full compliance with in-house safety management protocols.

Steve Laidlaw, who also oversees the field service team, says Kärcher has been using Seaward testers for more than 10 years due to their reliability, robustness and accuracy. He said: “The safety of the equipment we provide is paramount, so continued investment in the very capable PrimeTest 250+ and other Seaward technology provides us with peace-of-mind – I know that the products we supply to our customers are safe to use and comply with important safety standards.

“Reliability is a key requirement and PrimeTest’s robust, rugged and portable design ensures we don’t have any issues in this respect. It’s a very capable all-round tester that our engineers really value, allowing them to undertake their service responsibilities efficiently. The ability to access test data records and share these quickly, is a great feature that’s also appreciated by our customers who may require information from time-to-time.”

He says it’s also important to note that all his engineers are highly trained, completing several Seaward courses in the use of the PrimeTest 250+ and associated practical tests to ensure they are fully certified to undertake PAT testing.

The PrimeTest 250+ and PATGuard 3 test results management software forms part of a comprehensive range of Seaward PAT instruments, accessories and software that have been specifically designed to meet the needs of electrical safety duty holders in all workplaces.