A problem with many

installations, particularly
domestic, is that

very man and his dog has had

hand in it 1
The domestic electrical installation
• likely to have been originally installed
by competent electrical contractor

• additions/alterations possibly undertaken

by unqualified persons.
• periodic inspection and testing to ensure
continued safety is unlikely.
2
To what standards should an
electrical installation conform?

The Institution of Electrical

Engineers Wiring Regulations

3
First Edition of the Regulations

Issued in 1882 and entitled

‘Rules and Regulations for the
Prevention of Fire Risks
Arising from Electric Lighting’

4
What about risk of electric shock
and death by electrocution?

5
Jointly owned by the Institution of
Electrical Engineers and B.S.I.

BS Latest edition
76
7 1: Came into effect
20
01 1st January 2002

6
Are these regulations statutory?

No, but they can be used as

evidence of compliance with
statutory regulations
limited value within the domestic
installation in terms of enforcement

7
Very few enforceable regulations
apply to domestic installations

8
The commercial or industrial electrical
installation usually under the control
of competent persons.

Statutory measures in place to

ensure a safe working environment.
This includes the electrical
installation and electrical equipment

9
Failure to comply with statutory regulations
within the workplace can lead to criminal
prosecution

10
Other Interested Parties

11
 Two organisations concerned with the
quality and safety of all aspects of electrical
installation work in including domestic

12
The Electrical Contractors Association
E.C.A.

National Inspection Council for Electrical

Installation Contracting
N.I.C.E.I.C.

13
Organisations only concerned with the
competence and quality of work for
those electrical contractors who
are members of their organisation

14
What happens if an electrical contractor
carries out work in an unsatisfactory
manner?

If the contractors are members of the ECA

or NICEIC, then appropriate action can be
taken
If not, the trading standards office, or local
authority may be able to help
15
With many domestic installations there is
little or no maintenance undertaken to
ensure continued safety

In many cases, the integrity and safety of

the installation is reduced by the D.I.Y.
person!

16
The need for Inspection and Test

17
Installations should be inspected and tested

• before being put into service -

(initial verification)

• at regular intervals thereafter -

(periodic)

• on completion of any alterations or

additions 18
The Initial Verification

19
For an initial verification

BS 7671:2001 states:

• installed equipment to an appropriate

standard, i.e. BS, BS EN etc.
• correctly selected and erected

• not visibly damaged or defective as to

impair safety
20
The periodic installation inspection

BS 7671:2001 states

Periodic inspection and testing of an

electrical installation shall be carried out to
determine,so far as is reasonably
practicable, whether the installation is in a
satisfactory condition for continued service

21
Generally, the main reason for undertaking
an inspection and test is to ensure that the
installation is safe to use

22
What are the likely reasons for an
installation failing to be safe?

• Age
• Wear and tear - may be considerable in
rented accommodation
• Botched work by incompetent persons, or
unscrupulous contractors

23
 Periodic Inspection Report

Where is it required?

• expiry of current certificate

• change of ownership or use
• as a result of damage - flood, fire, etc
• mortgage/insurance purposes

24
 Factors affecting the safety

some common factors will include:-

25
Damage to equipment or accessories
Poorly installed equipment/accessories
Loose connections giving rise to shock/fire
Overloaded circuits
Inadequate protection of circuits against
overcurrent
Circuit cables inadequate to safely carry
load current
Inadequate earthing arrangements
26
The visual Inspection

27
For reasons of safety the supply
should preferably be switched off
prior to conducting the inspection

28
Checking fixings of accessories
and cabling

29
Loose connections may result in

electric shock
fire
30
circuit connections may be dislodged by
movement of the socket outlet .

terminations should be checked before

socket is secured

remember, loose
connections may
give rise to fire
and shock
31
 Be ndA
for
an se e
cu r e
y a rin -
cc g
es
so 32
 Th
es
m u upp
iso s t ly
lat eb
ed
33
circuit connections may be dislodged by
movement of the joint-box
34
.
That’s assuming they bothered to use
a joint box in the first place.

35
 Blimey he’s even left
the screwdriver bit
in the terminal block

potential fire/shock risk due to mechanical

damage or loose connections 36
Shock risk
37
Overheating due to loose connections

38
39
Correct connection of single-way switch

surface box secure

earth wire sleeved

terminations secure

40
Basic one-way lighting circuit

switch
P

Lamp

41
 switch
P

lamp

42
Switch connections
for two-way lighting

43
P

44
P

45
P

46
P

47
P

48
 When converting one-way
to two-way lighting the earth
wire used as live conductor

Very dangerous practice

49
When installing socket outlets

50
• accessory secure
• correct amount
of sheath
• terminations
secure
• appropriate
standard BS
1363
• correct cable size

51
Fuses and Circuit Breakers

52
The purpose of a fuse or circuit breaker
device is automatically to interrupt circuit
current in the event of fault or overload
conditions

53
 Excessive current may flow as a result of:

• overload (excessive connected load)

• short circuit between live and neutral

• earth fault (live or neutral to earth)

54
 Overload
(excessive connected load)

55
Under normal circumstances the fuse or
circuit breaker should operate before the
circuit cables reach a dangerously high
temperature

56
 If the fuse or circuit breaker is to high for
the circuit, the cables may reach a dangerously
high temperature resulting in fire

57
re
mo
re vin
mo g
ve ex
s t ce
he ssi
pr ve
ob lo
lem ad
58
 Short circuit
Phase and neutral conductors touching

Phase
Large to
fault
neutral
current
‘short’
flowsresulting
- fuse orfrom
circuit
loose connections
breaker should
at a socket
operate
outlet
59
Result of electrician fitting circuit breaker
to live board
60
61
 Combined main switch and r.c.d.

Least sensitive of the two devices and protects

circuits feeding fixed equipment.
62
 Earth fault
a fault condition that exists between live
conductors and earth

Excess current should cause fuse or

circuit breaker to operate 63
 rewirable fuse -
most widely abused

64
 Most likely reason for
device failing to operate

Incorrect size of element

65
fuse element too large66
a fuse failing to operate under
fault conditions may well
result in fire

67
The Rewirable fuse is an antiquated
device. even with the correct
rating of fuse element it may not safely
interrupt high levels of fault current

68
 Cartridge fuses to BS 1361
• scattering of hot metal particles
contained within cartridge thus
reducing fire risk during
operation
• operates much closer to its
current rating when compared
to
the rewirable fuse

69
• has the ability to interrupt high levels of fault
current
• less likelihood of premature failure due to
oxidisation when compared to the rewirable
70
71
Selection of fuses used in consumer units

72
73
Circuit-breakers to BS EN 60898

• most widely used type of

overcurrent protective device,
particularly for domestic applications
Thermal-magnetic operation
• thermal - overload
• magnetic - short circuit conditions
Older ‘miniature’ circuit breakers to
BS 3871
74
Circuit-breakers to BS EN 60898
rating (A) application
3 bell transformers
6 lighting circuits
16 immersion heaters
20 13A socket radial
32 13A socket rings
32 13A socket radial
45 cooker/shower circuits
75
The Residual Current Device (r.c.d.)

Provides protection against earth faults in

terms of:

• electric shock, and

• fire of an electric origin

76
Why bother with an r.c.d. when a fuse or circuit
breaker can provide protection against earth fault
conditions?

77
an r.c.d can operate in the region of milli-amps

in fact a r.c.d. rated at 30mA can provide

protection against electrocution

78
fuses and circuit breakers require relatively
high currents in order to operate

for example, for a 30A rewirable fuse requires

approximately 200A to operate within a safe
time period

79
Types of r.c.d.

80
 Socket outlet incorporating r.c.d. protection

High level of personal

protection against shock,
particularly when using
portable electrical
equipment outdoors
81
Domestic consumer unit with two r.c.d.’s

Extensively used in conjunction with an earth

electrode earthing system
82
 Providing personal protection

Second r.c.d. has greater sensitivity and is

used to protect socket outlet circuits
83
Combined r.c.d. circuit breaker (RCBO)

single device provides

protection against both
overload, short circuit and
earth fault currents

84
Combined r.c.d. circuit breaker (RCBO)

An r.c.d. is a device which can provide protection

against:
• fire resulting from earth faults
• earth faults where circuit resistance is too high
for protection by conventional devices, i.e.
circuit breakers or fuses
• where greater protection against electric shock,
for example socket outlet circuits likely to
supply portable equipment outdoors
85
fuses and circuit breakers are totally unable to
provide this level of shock protection

86
 Th
e
sin b
e
ce st
sli th
c e in g
d
br
ea
87
d
What rating of r.c.d. are generally available and
where would they be used?

as a guide

88
30mA for personal protection
socket outlet circuits

100mA or above for protection

against fire

89
 verification of polarity

most importantly, at socket

outlets

90
correct polarity
is essential

91
socket outlet correctly wired
the earth pin of the socket
connects directly to the
exposed metalwork of the
appliance

N
92
What happens
when the phase
and earth
connections are

reversed?

incorrect polarity can lead to death by

93
electrocution
The phase and c.p.c. reversed
the phase conductor is
directly connected to the
exposed metalwork of the
appliance

From
supply

94
 Correct polarity

Edison-screw

Correct polarity of Edison-type screw

fittings essential if shock is to be avoided
95
 P

Centre contact must always be connected

to the phase conductor of the supply
96
neutral

phase

97
 Phase

Neutral

Phase and neutral connections reversed

98
 Reversed polarity

A person removing an Edison-screw lamp

could receive a serious electric shock if
they touched the lamp thread before it
had completely been removed from the
fitting

99
Verification of polarity can be quite
a complex affair and generally only
undertaken by competent persons

100
However! If common sense is applied
rudimentary testing may be undertaken
at socket outlets by using a socket tester

101
The socket tester

useful but limited in its application

102
All lights green indicates correct polarity
103
red - red -green indicates P-E 104
reversed
wo
rst
po
ss
ib l
ec
on
d it
io n

105
The socket tester will INDICATE

THE PRESENCE OF SUPPLY

IDNETIFY THE CORRECT POLARITY OF THE

PHASE CONDUCTOR

THAT SOME FORM OF EARTH CONNECTION IS

PRESENT AT THE SOCKET OUTLET

106
The socket tester will NOT INDICATE

A HIGH RESISTANCE EARTH PATH

A REVERSED NEUTRAL
EARTH CONNECTION

107
 AND ABOVE ALL

NEVER USE A SOCKET TESTER TO PROVE

THAT A CIRCUIT IS ISOLATED, (dead).

108
Earthing

In order to prevent electric shock the exposed

metalwork of electrical appliances, metal
conduit etc should be earthed.

In the majority of cases the earthing facility is

provided by the local electricity supplier.

109
Inadequate earthing arrangements may lead
to electric shock or death through electrocution

110
Earthing arrangements

111
Typical domestic intake

meter
consumer unit

earth
terminal

service cutout

main incoming earth

112
Earth connection is obtained from suppliers
sheath (main incoming cable)

This method of earthing is still widely used

and is reliable 113
Modern earthing arrangement where the earth
is connected to the incoming neutral at the
service head

Rapidly becoming the most widely used

supply arrangement 114
Widely used in agricultural/rural areas.
Earthing relies on earth electrode (rod/spike)

Gradually being phased out wherever possible

115
Earth rod and typical enclosure

116
Problems with earth electrodes

• generallydoes not provide a very good

earth return path

• liable
to corrosion and mechanical
damage

117