Testers / Meters - Provided by employer? CAT rating requirement?

[I^2R]

For an electrical contractor, what is the consensus on who supplies test equipment (meters) for basic voltage testing (primarily for verifying an ESWC).
Most of our electricians have their own. I'm considering instituting a policy regarding CAT rating of equipment (probably requiring a minimum of CAT III or CAT IV). I want to weed out the radio shack crap meters.
This got me thinking that perhaps the company should be supplying the meters in the first place.
Thoughts on mandating a CAT rating and also company vs. employee supplied meters?


Thanks.

 

[PetrosA]

If you want to continue allowing employees to use their own equipment, I would draw up some guidelines about the CAT ratings you require (make them dependent on what conditions your employees will encounter), whether or not they need to be TRMS, what brands you will accept, UL listed or not, etc.

A CAT III 1000V/CAT IV 600V or better, UL listed DMM or clamp meter from pretty much any name brand with original or 1000V CAT III leads should be fine. If it were up to me to make the list of accepted brands, this would be it:

*AEMC
*Agilent
*Amprobe
Extech
Fieldpiece
Flir
*Fluke
*Gossen
*Greenlee
*Hioki
*Ideal
Klein
*Megger
Milwaukee
Uei
*Yokogawa

Starred brands are preferred choices of mine based on past experience, teardowns and/or brand performance and reputation.