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PAT Testing for Event and Hire Equipment: What Actually Applies

There is no law called PAT testing. What the law actually requires, who it applies to, and why venues keep asking for stickers anyway.

~7 min read · Updated August 2026 · By the Stage Supply team

In this guide:The actual duty · Intervals · In practice · Venues · Picks · FAQ

Every venue asks for it, everyone calls it PAT testing, and almost nobody can point at the rule that requires it. That is because there is no regulation of that name. What exists is a duty to keep electrical equipment in a safe condition, and inspection and testing is the normal way of demonstrating that you have.

Understanding the difference matters, because it changes what you should actually be doing and how often.

What the law actually says

The relevant duty in Great Britain sits in the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, which require that electrical systems and equipment be maintained so as to prevent danger, so far as is reasonably practicable. The Health and Safety Executive publishes guidance on how that duty is usually met for portable equipment.

Two things follow from that wording, and both surprise people.

  • There is no fixed legal interval. The regulations do not say annually, or any other period.
  • Testing is not the only evidence. A documented regime of user checks and formal visual inspections, with combined inspection and testing where appropriate, is what the guidance describes.

The phrase “PAT testing” is industry shorthand for that regime, and it has come to mean a sticker on a plug.

Where the intervals come from

Intervals are risk based, and the risk is a function of the equipment, the environment and how it is used. Guidance sets out example frequencies for different situations rather than a single rule.

  • Equipment in a benign, fixed environment can go a long time between formal checks.
  • Equipment that is moved constantly, plugged and unplugged nightly, coiled into a truck and rained on is at the other end of the scale.
  • Hire equipment is generally treated as higher risk, because it leaves your control and comes back having been used by someone else.

That is why event and hire stock is typically inspected far more often than office equipment, and it is a defensible position rather than an arbitrary one.

The scope of this page

This guide explains what the duty is and how the industry normally satisfies it. It is not legal advice, and inspection and testing itself is work for a competent person with the right instrument and training.

What good practice looks like on the road

  • User checks before every use. Looking at the plug, the cable and the case takes seconds and catches most faults.
  • Formal visual inspection on return from hire, which is where damage shows up.
  • Combined inspection and test at an interval you can justify for the equipment and its use.
  • Records kept. The register matters more than the sticker, because it is what shows a pattern of maintenance.
  • Faulty items removed from stock rather than left in the rack with a note on them.

Why venues ask, and what to give them

Venue duty managers ask because they carry their own duty for the people in the building, and asking for evidence is the simplest way to discharge part of it. They are usually asking for a document, not an argument.

What satisfies most venues is a current inspection record for the equipment being brought in, held either as certificates or as a register you can produce on a phone. Stickers help at the door, but the record is what stands up.

If you are also being asked about temporary power distribution rather than individual appliances, that is a different standard and a different conversation, covered in event power distribution.

Frequently asked questions

Is PAT testing a legal requirement?

Not by that name. The legal duty is to maintain electrical equipment so as to prevent danger. Inspection and testing is the standard way of showing you have done so, which is why it is universal in practice.

How often does event equipment need testing?

There is no fixed legal interval. It is risk based, and equipment that tours, gets moved constantly and goes out on hire is normally inspected far more frequently than static office equipment.

Do new items need testing?

New equipment should arrive safe and CE or UKCA marked, so it does not need a test on day one. It should be recorded and brought into the regime from then on.

Can I do it myself?

Visual checks, yes, and they catch most problems. Combined inspection and testing requires a competent person with the right instrument and the knowledge to interpret the results.