PRIT Service was founded in the early 1960s by Lynn Hageman. Lynn was a ComEd OAD engineer who commissioned many of the ESS’s for large industrial customers in ComEd’s Southern Division. These industrial companies began realizing the need for acceptance testing and asked Lynn if he could provide that service for them. Lynn initially performed only relay calibration and cable high-potential testing and called his new company PRIT (Protective Relay & Insulation Testing) Service.

             In 1972 Lynn’s son, Rod, graduated from Iowa State University with a BSEE degree and joined Lynn at PRIT. PRIT was incorporated in 1972 and has enjoyed steady, if conservative, growth in the ensuing years. Today PRIT employs engineers and technicians who provide a wide range of testing and analysis services. The services include maintenance and acceptance testing of power distribution equipment on systems from 345 kV down to 208/120 volt. PRIT performs power system studies for its industrial and commercial clients that include short-circuit, coordination, load-flow, arc-flash, voltage-dip analysis, motor-starting analysis, transient-stability analysis, and harmonic mitigation. PRIT is active in power quality investigations using high-quality, transient and harmonic recorders and appropriate instrument transformers to collect the information necessary to determine the root cause of equipment malfunctions.

             PRIT Service encourages its engineers and technicians to continue their education and to obtain certification such as Professional Engineering Registration and NETA or NICET Technician Certification. Engineers are encouraged to certify both as PE's and as technicians through NETA or NICET, since field work requires a combination of skills found in both disciplines.

             PRIT is an active member of the InterNational Electrical Testing Association. Active participation with NETA keeps the employees abreast of current test methods, test equipment, and testing philosophies within the industry. PRIT employees have garnered the NETA “Man of the Year” award four times, held two terms as Association President, and served on the board of directors for 12 years. PRIT presently has two employees on the Standards Review Council, a committee of six, who review all technical standards for the organization.   NETA is an ANSI standards developing body and is presently submitting NETA standards to ANSI for approval as ANSI standards.

             PRIT understands the necessity for modern calibrated test equipment. For relay testing, PRIT uses primarily Doble test equipment including their newest F-6150 and F-2253 power system simulators and the more mature Active Sources units, the F3S systems. DMMs are Fluke 87s with a variety of high quality current transformers. For more demanding work, the Fluke 97 Scopemeter including Flukeview software is used. The Dranetz 658 recorder is used for frequency and disturbance measurement and analysis, and the Dranetz 808 monitor is used for energy analysis.

             PRIT is active in employee safety both through education and equipment. PRIT employees routinely wear NOMEX FRC clothing when working in the field. Fused test leads and category III multimeters are used for low-voltage, high-energy source measurement. Frequently tested A.B. Chance phasing sticks with appropriate extension poles are used on medium voltage systems. In addition to OSHA mandated lockout/tagout procedures, PRIT requires employees to use correctly sized ASTM F855 personal portable grounding cables. PRIT personnel are trained in OSHAs Electrical Safety-Related Work Practices, 1910.331 – 1910.335, and Electric Power Generation Transmission, and Distribution Rule 1910.269, and NFPA Electrical Safety Requirements, 70E-2004. Daily “tail-gate” safety meetings are held prior to each job to review specific hazards and ways to avoid them.