Why US?
Australian Standard - AS/NZS 3760:2003
The importance of portable appliance testing cannot be underestimated, This is why an Australian / New Zealand standard was introduced.
Accidents occur every year due to faulty electrical equipment.
Adapt understands the needs of continually testing of appliances in Australia.
This is why we use the very latest in the industry, which provides confidence to all our customer.
So if you are in need of a practical solution register with us
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What's portable appliance testing?
In the Australia, Portable Appliance Testing is a process by which electrical appliances are routinely checked to see if they are safe.
When people work with electrical appliances, Health and safety regulations say the appliance must be safe.
Testing should be carried out at regular intervals to ensure continual safety; the interval between tests depending on both the type of appliance and the environment it is used in.
Many people will have seen evidence of portable appliance testing in the little labels stuck to power cables around their offices.
Many people assume (incorrectly) that all appliances have to be tested every year, but this is not the case.
In Australia the law requires that all appliances are safe and guidance is gained from the AS/NZS 3760 and the Health and Safety Legislation which reccomends intervals for inspection and testing, ranging from 3 months to 5 years.
Portable Appliance Testing is abbreviated to 'PAT.' The phrase 'PAT Testing' is in fact a tautology in the same way that some people say 'LCD Display' However, the phrase is commonly used in the industry even though most people realise it is incorrect. The correct term for the whole process is 'In-service Inspection & Testing of Electrical Equipment'.
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What's microwave leakage testing?
Introduction
The lodging of the microwave oven patent in 1945 by Percy Spencer heralded a dramatic change in the way that food was going to be cooked in homes across the world. However, it was not until 1967 that an affordable and compact microwave oven was readily available for domestic use. The obvious cooking advantages provided by the microwave oven ensured that its uptake would be rapid and extensive with up to 90 percent of the western world’s households currently owning one. Public concern over leakage from the microwave ovens was present from the very beginning with many people believing that radiation leakage was similar to atomic radiation that could lead to serious health problems, including cancer.
Earlier microwave ovens relied on accurate engineering of the oven door and metal-to-metal contact where the door closed. This type of design allowed higher levels of leakage that increased when the door/oven interface became dirty or distorted. During the 1970s door design changed to incorporate a quarter wavelength choke that effectively created a short circuit at the door/oven interface that prevented any leakage. The use of a quarter wavelength choke did away with the requirement for clean metal-to-metal contact and allowed small gaps at the door interface.
The general consensus from authorities around the world concerned with microwave oven leakage is that leakage levels from ovens in good working order are low and that they do not pose a health hazard. Both anecdotal reports and scientific surveys support this view.
0.8% of ovens leak microwave radiation in excess of the 5 mW/cm2 limit.
The Radiation Health Committee retains the role of setting the allowable limit for microwave leakage from microwave ovens (50 W/m2 at 0.05m) (5mW/cm2 at 5 cm).
“The microwave leakage at any point 50mm or more from the external surface of the appliance shall not exceed 50W/m2 (5mW/cm2).”
“The power density of microwave radiation emerging from any microwave oven used in a restaurant, a canteen, a hospital, a self service heating unit, a home and the like shall not exceed 5 milliwatts per square centimetre at any point 5 centimetres or more from the external surface of the unit.
“Exposure to sufficiently high levels of microwaves will cause heating. In the case of human tissue, excessive heating could have serious health effects, such as deep tissue burns and hyperthermia. The purpose of the Australian Standards is to avoid all adverse health effects by limiting exposure levels to levels below those at which heating occurs.”
“This Standard applies to ovens designed for domestic applications, even if used in a workplace.”
“Worksafe Victoria recommends that employers comply with the relevant standards, such as Australian / New Zealand Standard and the National Health & Medical Research Council Standards, in order to demonstrate that they have met their general duty of care under the Act.”
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