The inspector asks for one drill's history
Your insurer, a large trade customer or an auditor asks to see the test and inspection history for a particular 110 volt SDS drill. You know it was PAT tested because the sticker is on it. The results are in the tester's own software on the workshop laptop, exported to a spreadsheet once a quarter. The last service is in the workshop book. The post-hire checks are ticks on a paper sheet that went in a box.
Getting the full picture for one tool takes an hour. For fifty tools it would take a week.
Why the records end up in pieces
- Portable appliance testers store results in their own software, keyed by asset number that may not match the hire system.
- Post-hire checks are done on paper at the return bay.
- Servicing and repairs are recorded by the workshop in a separate book or spreadsheet.
- Items with lifting or pressure components may have separate inspection schedules and certificates.
- The hire system tracks availability, not whether an item is due for a check.
Each record is kept. The problem is that none of them talk to each other, and none of them can stop a tool being hired.
What scattered records cost
Time spent pulling records together whenever someone asks. The risk of an item going out past its next check date because the counter could not see it. Tools pulled from hire unnecessarily because nobody is sure whether they were done. And a workshop that cannot plan its week because the list of items due is not in one place.
One record per tool, built from what you already collect
- Every serial-numbered tool gets a single record, matched to its asset number in your hire system and in the tester's software.
- PAT results are imported from the tester's export or sync, so a new test appears against the tool without retyping.
- Post-hire checks move from paper to a tablet at the return bay, using a short checklist for that tool type.
- Workshop services and repairs are logged against the same record.
- Your schedule for each check type is set per tool type, and the record shows when each is next due.
- When a counter staff member picks an item that is due or overdue a check, they see a warning before it goes out, and the item can be put on hold for the workshop.
- A weekly list shows the workshop what is coming due, so testing can be planned instead of rushed.
Test intervals and what each inspection involves are set by you, your competent person and any relevant guidance. The record keeps track. It does not decide what is safe.
Where each record comes from
| Record | Source today | How it arrives |
|---|---|---|
| PAT result | Tester's own software | Imported by asset number |
| Post-hire check | Paper sheet at return bay | Tablet checklist |
| Service and repair | Workshop book | Logged against the tool |
| Hire history | Hire system | Read from contracts |
| Next due dates | Nowhere, or someone's memory | Calculated from your schedule |
A history you can show in minutes
When someone asks for a tool's records, you print or send one page. The counter sees warnings before an item that is due goes out. The workshop plans testing days from a list. And when a tool fails a check, it is flagged against its record and cannot be hired until it is cleared.
Is this your workshop?
- Test results live in a different system from your hire records.
- Post-hire checks are done on paper.
- You cannot quickly show the full history of one tool.
- Items due a check have gone out because nobody saw the date.