Electrics - Health & Safety Legislation

Airwolf1

Hi,

I'm just wondering if high voltage boxes in industrial units should have decent sized warning stickers/signs nearby, or would the small yellow ones suffice? When I was at Howdens, we had all sorts of H&S signs near the electric meter etc, but at an industrial unit yesterday there was minimal warning signs.

If anyone does know current legislation, or are in the trade and know of any suitable links, please let me know.

withabix

Depends what you mean by 'high voltage'.

110, 220/240 and 415/440v are classed as low voltage and require small signs/labels. Switchboards can be padlocked.

High voltage, such as 6kv, 11kv and more are required to be enclosed in transformer rooms/fenced compounds with secure locks.

In any case, electricity isn't going to jump out and grab you if you get too close.

moonrakerz

withabix wrote: »

In any case, electricity isn't going to jump out and grab you if you get too close.

Yes it is !!! Your statement is a very dangerous generalisation.

Airwolf1

withabix - you're making assumptions here...I actually need to know due to a course I'm doing, and I was looking for breaches of Health and Safety. I'm not at Howdens now, but inspect a lot of properties with my job.

withabix

moonrakerz wrote: »

Yes it is !!! Your statement is a very dangerous generalisation.

I meant in the context of the OP's question and being where you should be and doing things you should be doing, not where you shouldn't be and doing things you shouldn't.

To say that electricity WILL jump out and grab you IS a generalisation and causes unnecessary fear.

Sure, if you are stupid tw*t and are inside a transfomer compound, up an electricity pylon, waving a conductive long thing close to a bare overhead conductor, throwing something over railway catenary conductors and similar, trying to steal copper or aluminium cables or trying very hard to touch the bus bars in a switch panel or poking around inside electrical equipment, then yes, it will 'jump out and grab you'.

The arcing distance from bare HV conductors is an issue, but you will never be at risk unless you are a tw*t. We regularly have people and equipment such as cranes and piling rigs working close to bare overhead EHV (132KV and higher) conductors, in controlled conditions, with the power ON. Depending on atmospheric conditions, it can be a lot closer than you think, but I'm not going to divulge that level of detail.

Receiveing an electric shock via arcing ('jumping out and grabbing you') is an extremely rare event and will require you to have taken an extreme and stupid risk to cause it to happen. Otherwise 11kv overhead bare uninsulated conductors wouldn't typically be 7 metres off the ground on wooden poles.

Insulated conductors and being outside an electrical switchboard etc are not a hazard unless you do something stupid.


Going back to the OP's question, the Electricity at Work Regulations are what you are looking for, as well as Part P (I think) of the Building Regs.

moonrakerz

withabix wrote: »

To say that electricity WILL jump out and grab you IS a generalisation and causes unnecessary fear.

Depending on atmospheric conditions, voltages as low as 300 VAC can jump across a gap.You say "I'm not going to divulge that level of detail":- presumably because you do know how low that voltage can be !
You also quote that you are involved in working close to 132kV +, then you caveat that by saying "in controlled conditions". You know what that means, so do I - some "tw*t" who read your first statement won't !

A touch of fear is a very healthy thing to have around electrics - except I would call it a "healthy respect "!