What this is
What is a Site Acceptance Test Record?
What is a Site Acceptance Test Record?
A Site Acceptance Test Record is the evidence that equipment performs correctly once installed at your site, with your services connected and your product running through it. It is completed before the equipment is handed over to production, and it is what starts the warranty clock and the maintenance plan. Unlike a FAT, it tests the installation as well as the machine.
Does a passed FAT mean the SAT is just a formality?
No. A Factory Acceptance Test proves the machine as built, on the supplier's services and often on water or a simulant. A Site Acceptance Test proves the same machine as installed, on your services, your product and your shift pattern. Installation deviations, service mismatches and product behaviour differences only show up at SAT, which is why it carries its own acceptance criteria rather than repeating the FAT's.
What does accepting a Site Acceptance Test actually start?
Acceptance starts two things at once: the supplier's warranty period, recorded against Warranty Start Date, and the asset's ongoing maintenance plan, confirmed by PM Plan Loaded. Accepting with an unresolved punch list or an unloaded PM plan starts both clocks on an asset that isn't actually ready to be maintained.
Scope
When is a site acceptance test record required?
This record proves the equipment as installed and running on your site. Using it to repeat the factory test, or to record the physical installation build, blurs work that belongs to the templates either side of it.
Use this template when
- Equipment with a closed, or explicitly tracked, FAT punch list has been installed and connected to site services
- A new record is needed; each one gets its own ID in the form SAT-2026-000
- You are running the Capital Projects and Commissioning programme and this is the pre-handover step
- The Pre-Commissioning Checklist (MNT-067) has confirmed the installation is safe to energise and run
- A linked record needs this one to exist: links Asset, Vendor
Do not use it for
- Pre-Commissioning Checklist, which confirms a new installation is complete and safe before it is energised or run, ahead of any SAT testing.
- Factory Acceptance Test Record, which records testing of new equipment at the supplier's site before it ships, not after it is installed.
- Project Handover Record, which records the formal handover of the whole project to operations, not the acceptance test of one asset.
- Installation Progress Record, which tracks the physical build on site, not the performance test that follows it.
- Anything outside KnowMaintain, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Compliance mapping
Which ISO 55001 cl.8.3 requirements does this satisfy?
ISO 55001 cl.8.3 expects assets to be verified against acceptance criteria before being relied upon in service. For a SAT that verification has to happen with the asset actually installed and running.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | The asset, its FAT record and its pre-commissioning checklist are cross-referenced before site testing begins | Header |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | Installation is verified against supplier requirements and services are confirmed before performance testing starts | Installation verification |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | Each test is checked against a stated acceptance criterion and a pass or fail recorded, witnessed by production | Tests |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | Output, quality and duration are proven with real product under real operating conditions, not a short demonstration | Production trial |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | Cleaning and, where relevant, allergen removal are validated on site rather than assumed from the FAT | Cleaning and hygiene validation |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | Training, spares, documentation and the maintenance plan are confirmed in place before handover | Handover readiness |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | A scored outcome and an explicit in-service decision close the record and set the warranty start date | Outcome |
What it does not cover
- Sustained Run Achieved, which recorded under an hour of running for equipment later found unstable over a full shift.
- FAT Punch List Closed, which was marked Partly with no record of what remained open or who owned it.
- Cleaning Validated By Swabbing, which was answered No with no ATP Swab ID attached to explain why.
- PM Plan Loaded, which was answered No while Accepted Into Service was marked Yes.
- Operator Training Delivered, which was answered Partly with no plan recorded for closing the gap before go-live.
Global
Site Acceptance Test Record requirements by country
A Site Acceptance Test sits at the point where machinery safety regimes, food hygiene rules and warranty terms all meet on your own premises.
Regulation (EC) 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs
Requires food business operators to ensure equipment and installations are suitable for their purpose and can be adequately cleaned, applied at the point the equipment enters use.
Cleaning Validated By Swabbing and Allergen Removal Validated are where that suitability is actually demonstrated on site, rather than assumed from the equipment's design.
Regulation (EC) 852/2004 as retained in UK law, enforced via the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and equivalents
Carries the same equipment hygiene and cleanability requirements into UK law post-Brexit, enforced by local authority food safety officers.
A SAT that skips swab validation leaves the site with no on-site evidence to show an inspector that new equipment actually meets the hygiene requirement, not just the supplier's design claim.
FDA Food Safety Modernization Act preventive controls, 21 CFR Part 117
Requires food facilities to control hazards, including those introduced by new equipment, as part of their food safety plan.
Rated Output Achieved On Site and the cleaning validation fields are the evidence a preventive controls plan would expect before new equipment is treated as validated for production use.
How to complete it
How to complete a site acceptance test record, step by step
A record with every field answered Yes is not the same as a record that will hold up once the asset is running production week after week. These are the calls that decide whether it does.
Sustained Run Achieved is the field most likely to be scored generously under go-live pressure. A full shift catches thermal drift, product build-up and fatigue failures that a demonstration run never will — treat anything short of that as an incomplete trial, not a passed one.
FAT Punch List Closed scoring 'Partly' should stop the SAT, not just get noted. An item deferred at FAT and never revisited at SAT is an item nobody currently owns.
Cleaning Procedure Trialled proves the procedure can be followed; Cleaning Validated By Swabbing proves it actually removes what it's supposed to remove. Accepting the first as a substitute for the second is common and wrong — they answer different questions.
Accepted Into Service allows a conditional pass, but Warranty Start Date should reflect what was actually delivered, not the calendar date convenient for the project plan. A warranty clock started on an asset with known open items burns warranty time against faults that were already known.
What auditors find
Most common site acceptance test record findings
Patterns that show up across SAT records once you compare enough of them.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Sustained Run Achieved is scored 'Full shift' on a run that was actually a few hours | ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | Require the actual run duration to be logged against Trial Batch Reference or Result before Sustained Run Achieved can be marked Full shift. |
| FAT Punch List Closed is marked Yes with no reference back to the actual punch list items | ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | Make the FAT Record ID link mandatory before FAT Punch List Closed can be scored, so the claim can be checked against the source record. |
| Cleaning Validated By Swabbing is answered Yes with no ATP Swab ID on file | ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | Require ATP Swab ID whenever Cleaning Validated By Swabbing is Yes; treat a Yes with no reference as unverified. |
| Accepted Into Service is marked Yes while PM Plan Loaded or Spares On Site are still No | ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | Gate Accepted Into Service on Handover readiness fields scoring Yes, or Partly with a closure date, not on the production trial alone. |
| Warranty Start Date is set to the planned go-live date rather than the date the record was actually accepted | ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | Populate Warranty Start Date from the signature date, not from the project schedule. |
| Quality Meets Specification is scored against a visual check rather than the linked quality inspection | ISO 55001 cl.8.3 | Require a Quality Inspection ID reference before Quality Meets Specification can be scored Yes for anything with a quality hold point. |
Case in point
Case in point: the SAT that started a warranty clock on a machine that wasn't clean
A filling line's Site Acceptance Test recorded Cleaning Procedure Trialled as Yes and Cleaning Validated By Swabbing as Yes, with no ATP Swab ID attached to either. Accepted Into Service was marked Yes, Warranty Start Date was set to the go-live date, and the line was handed to production the same day.
Three days later a routine swab from the quality team came back over limit on the same equipment, triggering a hold on finished product and a retrospective cleaning validation that should have happened before acceptance, not after. The warranty clock was already running, so the cost of the extra validation and the held stock fell on the site, not the supplier.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
7 sections
- Reference
- MNT-069
- Archetype
- Record
- Record ID
- SAT-2026-000
- Scoring
- Pass or fail
- Direction
- High is good
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- ISO 55001 cl.8.3
- Links
- Links Asset, Vendor
- Tags
- Commissioning, Lifecycle
- Sections
- 7
- Fields
- 55
- Follow up fields
- 3
- Repeating sections
- 1
- Links out
- 8
Header
13 fieldsRecord ID*
Auto sequence. Format SAT-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Raised By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Area
The area within the site.
Exact Location
Drop a pin for anything hard to find.
Asset*
Asset ID*
Format AST-0000.
Links to FDN-002 Asset ID
FAT Record ID
Links to MNT-068 Record ID
Pre-Commissioning Checklist ID
Links to MNT-067 Checklist ID
Supplier Present*
- Yes3 pts
- No1 pt
Installation verification
3 fieldsFAT Punch List Closed*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Installed Per Supplier Requirements*
- Yes3 pts
- Minor deviation1 pt
- No0 pts
Services Verified*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Tests
Repeats6 fieldsTest Description*
Acceptance Criteria*
Result*
Passed*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Witnessed By Production*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Evidence
Production trial
6 fieldsTrial Run With Real Product*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Rated Output Achieved On Site*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Quality Meets Specification*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Trial Batch Reference
Links to External system reference
Quality Inspection ID
Links to QUA-014 Inspection ID
Sustained Run Achieved*
Running for an hour proves less than running a full shift. Ask for the shift.
- Full shift4 pts
- Several hours2 pts
- Under an hour0 pts
Cleaning and hygiene validation
5 fieldsCleaning Procedure Trialled*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Cleaning Validated By Swabbing*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
ATP Swab ID
Links to QUA-033 ATP ID
Allergen Removal Validated
- Yes3 pts
- Not applicable3 pts
- No0 pts
Sanitation Schedule Updated*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Handover readiness
6 fieldsOperator Training Delivered*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Maintainer Training Delivered*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
PM Plan Loaded*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Spares On Site*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Documentation Complete*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Commissioning Record ID
Links to MNT-042 Record ID
Outcome
16 fieldsItems Assessed*
Excludes anything marked N/A.
Items Failed*
Score Percent*
Calculated on submission. High is good. N/A items leave the denominator.
Result Band*
- Pass3 pts
- Caution1 pt
- Fail0 pts
Completeness Percent*
How much of the template was actually answered. A high score on a half completed form is not a high score.
Punch List Items Remaining*
Accepted Into Service*
- Yes3 pts
- With punch list1 pt
- No0 pts
Warranty Start Date
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Engineering*
Signature*
Production Manager*
Second Signature*
MNT-069 · record IDs look like SAT-2026-000 · Links Asset, Vendor
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The form is the easy part. Confirming the trial ran long enough, the cleaning was actually validated, and handover conditions were met before the warranty clock starts is the work that actually slips.
Holds the Site Acceptance Test Record against the asset, cross-references it to the FAT and pre-commissioning checklist, and loads the PM plan the moment the asset is accepted.
Tracks the cleaning and swabbing evidence behind a SAT and flags an accepted asset with no ATP Swab ID reference on file.
Confirms operator and maintainer training records actually match what Handover readiness claims was delivered, before the asset goes live.
Chases outstanding sign-offs and punch list items across every open SAT, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowMaintain — asset maintenance. Work orders, planned maintenance, calibration, reliability and shutdowns.
Meet KnowMaintain→Glossary
Site Acceptance Test Record definitions and key terms
- SAT
- Site Acceptance Test. Testing carried out after installation at your site, proving the machine as installed and running your product.
- Sustained run
- A production trial held for long enough, ideally a full shift, to expose faults that only appear under continuous operation.
- ATP swabbing
- A cleaning validation method that measures residual organic matter on a surface as a proxy for how thoroughly it was cleaned.
- PM plan
- The preventive maintenance plan for an asset, covering scheduled tasks and intervals, that should be loaded before the asset enters service.
- Warranty start date
- The date from which the supplier's warranty period is measured, which should reflect actual acceptance rather than a planned go-live date.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about site acceptance test record
What is the Site Acceptance Test Record template based on?+
It is built against ISO 55001 cl.8.3, which covers verifying assets against acceptance criteria before they are relied upon. ISO 55001 is the international standard for getting value from physical assets across their whole life, and it underpins the maintenance templates in this library.
What sections does the Site Acceptance Test Record contain?+
There are seven sections: Header, Installation verification, Tests, Production trial, Cleaning and hygiene validation, Handover readiness, and Outcome. Together they hold 55 fields, 41 of which are required.
How often is a Site Acceptance Test Record raised?+
A new record is raised once equipment is installed and connected to site services and ready to test before handover to production. Each one is given an ID in the form SAT-2026-000, cross-referenced back to its FAT Record ID and Pre-Commissioning Checklist ID.
Which programme does the Site Acceptance Test Record belong to?+
It is part of Capital Projects and Commissioning, the programme that carries equipment from specification through to a post-project review, so it arrives with its procedures, training and spares rather than after them.
How is a Site Acceptance Test Record scored?+
Scoring is pass or fail, with high scores good throughout. Fields like Sustained Run Achieved and Cleaning Validated By Swabbing carry more weight than a bare Yes or No, because they distinguish a trial that proves something from one that only looks complete.
Can the Site Acceptance Test Record template be changed?+
Yes. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to the Asset, Vendor, FAT and Pre-Commissioning Checklist records come with it. Most teams install it as it is, run it through one project, then adjust the handover readiness fields to match their own training and spares process.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Capital Projects and Commissioning
Management of Change
Makes sure a change to equipment, materials, people or process is assessed before it happens rather than after
Pre-Commissioning Checklist
Confirms a new installation is complete and safe before it is energised or run
Factory Acceptance Test Record
Records testing of new equipment at the supplier's site before it ships
Shutdown Plan
Plans a planned outage, covering scope, sequence, resources, permits and restart
Capital Project Safety Review
Reviews a capital project at each stage for safety, hygienic design, access and maintainability before money is committed
Equipment Specification Record
Holds the specification a new machine must meet, covering performance, safety, hygiene, energy and maintenance access
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- ISO 55001:2014 cl.8.3 — Asset management systems, Operation
- Regulation (EC) 852/2004 — Hygiene of foodstuffs
- 21 CFR Part 117 — FDA preventive controls for human food
- Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.