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Zs, to test or calculate?

A large contractor working on our site have told me yesterday that it is their policy not to live test final circuits where they cannot use a plug? In order to reduce risk, they will now only calculate Zs, on circuits where they would have to open an enclosure, such as FCU's and light fittings.
The control measures we insist are in place, are IP2X equipment, GS38 leads, two man rule with second man having resus training, among others. So I feel the risk has been reduced to as low as reasonably practicable. An d my instinct tells me that a measured Zs reading must be more accurate than a calculated one, since it will include all parallel paths under test.
The contractor is happy to live test distribution circuits, so it seems they want to pick and choose.
They also state that this is how things are now, and have worked at many different sites, Cross Rail, Heathrow, various MOD sites etc, and that they al accept this as common practice.

I like some opinions to find out what's going on out there on other sites. 
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  • I am not convinced that the loop test does not measure impedance. Yes, the current used is DC but, as I understand it, a very short pulse is used so inductive effects should be measured too.

    I have also had great difficulty measuring the earth loop impedance of a main incomer, say 400A, because the dip in voltage caused by the brief current pulse was so small that it was masked by the normal spikes on a supply. I tried averaging several successive readings but as some of these were negative, I didn't trust the results. 

    I suspect that, to get a proper result, I needed a much beefier bit of test kit, the sort that would take 2 people to carry it.
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  • I am not convinced that the loop test does not measure impedance. Yes, the current used is DC but, as I understand it, a very short pulse is used so inductive effects should be measured too.

    I have also had great difficulty measuring the earth loop impedance of a main incomer, say 400A, because the dip in voltage caused by the brief current pulse was so small that it was masked by the normal spikes on a supply. I tried averaging several successive readings but as some of these were negative, I didn't trust the results. 

    I suspect that, to get a proper result, I needed a much beefier bit of test kit, the sort that would take 2 people to carry it.
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