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Use of RCD protection in industrial and commercial installations

Andy
Hello All

We all know the benefits of RCD protection and how the regulations are changing regarding domestics. I am constantly being asked if RCDs are required for normal switched socket circuits in industrial installations apart from the obvious use of RCDs for areas likely to cause a reduction in resistance (sockets that could conceivably be used out side). So are RCDs required for general office circuits, for dedicated IT equipment (computers etc), work areas such as clean dry packing areas and so on.


Given RCDs require testing regularly and the results recorded which causes disruption to production equipment, IT equipment, Data centers etc are RCDs really required especially if they are installed within steel conduit or steel trunking on walls or under floors?


Any advice welcome


Andy
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    If a particular circuit is critical for safety services or business functions, surely socket-outlets would not be the preferred option, to prevent accidental "unplugging".



    But on the the other hand BS 1363 &  BS EN 60309 sockets are often preferred for more mundane practical reasons - as it allows authorized (but not electrically skilled) personel to move things about when required (especially in (business) "emergency" situations), and indeed allows such personal to install new equipment that'll usually come with a conventional plug pre-fitted - especially at lot of the smller kit that needs a 'wall wart' supply that can only (practically) be plugged into a 13A socket. I've worked in many a small office "machine room" and 13A sockets are certainly the norm. Big data centres where everything is racked might be a different kettle of fish (but even then it's not unusual for a rack to be supplied via BS EN 60309 devices.


    For a small office machine room kind of situation where access is limited, I would have thought that it should be reasonably straight forward to come up with a risk assessment that, along with a few basic precautions written into the site rules, that 30mA RCD don't provide a significant safety benefit and so may safely be omitted.


       - Andy.
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  • 0

    If a particular circuit is critical for safety services or business functions, surely socket-outlets would not be the preferred option, to prevent accidental "unplugging".



    But on the the other hand BS 1363 &  BS EN 60309 sockets are often preferred for more mundane practical reasons - as it allows authorized (but not electrically skilled) personel to move things about when required (especially in (business) "emergency" situations), and indeed allows such personal to install new equipment that'll usually come with a conventional plug pre-fitted - especially at lot of the smller kit that needs a 'wall wart' supply that can only (practically) be plugged into a 13A socket. I've worked in many a small office "machine room" and 13A sockets are certainly the norm. Big data centres where everything is racked might be a different kettle of fish (but even then it's not unusual for a rack to be supplied via BS EN 60309 devices.


    For a small office machine room kind of situation where access is limited, I would have thought that it should be reasonably straight forward to come up with a risk assessment that, along with a few basic precautions written into the site rules, that 30mA RCD don't provide a significant safety benefit and so may safely be omitted.


       - Andy.
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