Safety Instructions

For fitting a mains plug uh-huh..


No mention of  what type of  PPE, carrying a fire extinguisher  and completing and filing a risk assessment then.


If it is supposed to be that hard to fit a mere plug, I can see why folk don't always bother and sometimes just stick the wires in.


Something about cutting the wires to the right length and not damaging the insulation would have been more relevant, even using proper tools, not junk about IP ratings and method of earthing.


The German reader in me is  ganz erstaunt,  as it is basically a translation of the same crap.


What is classic zeroing in this context - is this grounded neutral / PNB ?


This Dokumentation is not fit for purpose, it may make fractionally more sense if it was accompanying a consumer unit.

Even so its main effect is to fail to release the supplier from their legal obligation to provide reasonable instructions. (as these are not reasonable instructions)

mapj1:


What is classic zeroing in this context - is this grounded neutral / PNB ?

That was my first question also . . . it looked like something that had got a little lost in literal translation!


Seems that in Germany they call the use of a PEN klassische nullung or classic nulling whilst they call the used of separate PE and N conductors moderne nullung or modern nulling where the term nulling can be read as earthing.


de.wikipedia.org/.../Nullung


I'm wondering is this related to electrical installations in the former East Germany, where they might have had the former Eastern Block habit of using PEN conductors in final circuits?

I believe that the German version is the original, "5 Sicherheitsregeln" is very much a catch phrase. Nulling is grounding the Neutral however the Swiss interpretation is a little different. You are allowed to use a PEN conductor larger than 10mm2 in an installation.




In any case not much use if you are fitting an unearthed plug to an appliance ?


Best regards


Roger

Roger Bryant:


In any case not much use if you are fitting an unearthed plug to an appliance ?

 

Yes - I would say that the little instruction card with a wiring diagram on it that is supplied with a BS1363 plug is infinitely more useful an end user than the entire page of words provided with the Europlug is! ?

Those German five rules

seem to relate to working on things at  HV, at least  in terms of locking off to ground and so on..


For our HV lab her some folk like the abbreviation SIDE  which is similar but does  not recommend hard earthing until discharged.


Switch off  (i.e. remove the power supply)

Isolate       (i.e. make it hard to re-energize)

Discharge (remove stored energy, but slowly via resistance)

Earth        (with a near zero impedance)



I'm not a great believer in trippy mnemonics personally , as it tends to stop people actually thinking about what they are doing, and at least in a lab context like ours there are so many experiment specific variations that a single method fails to cover it.


This is about a 2 pin plug for 0.75mmsq flat flex or less.

 maker's data for that plug is more sense.


And Conrad charge ~ £2.50 for one.  (2.85 swiss francs)


The UK plug is cheaper, as well as having 3 pins and a better cord grip.


Not cheaper from Conrad mind you... UK plug from Conrad, 4.55 swiss francs.

The rules are used generally in work on distribution systems, LV and 16kV certainly, probably also higher voltages. The requirement for earthing and short circuiting is to cover coupling from nearby circuits (painful and distracting but not directly fatal) and systems where there may be hidden/unknown connections. Once you have the system volt free make sure it stays there. Isolating at all points should cover this but belt and braces is good especially when a consumers local generation system decides to back feed.


Most things are more expensive in Switzerland ?


Best regards


Roger