What is a portable appliance?

Actest classifies a portable appliance as any electrical item with a plug using more than 40 volts A.C.

It states in the Code of Practice for In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment that a portable appliance is "an appliance of less than 18 kg in mass that is intended to be moved while in operation or an appliance which can easily be moved from one place to another." This means that an industrial washing machine, for instance, which is connected via a standard 13A Plug to a 240volt mains circuit would not need inspecting under the portable appliance test. It would also not be inspected under the fixed periodic wiring inspection (as it is not "hard wired" to the mains. In our extensive experience we have identified that such items therefore NEVER get tested… therefore if the appliance has been badly installed or damaged it would never be detected. (We have found many that have required attention to rectify poor wiring etc.) We at Actest put safety first and inspect aforesaid items wherever possible to ensure the highest standards of inspection for your site.