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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. 
Parents
  • You could be testing for a minor works certificate for alterations to an existing installation, an installation certificate for a new installation or circuit, or it may be an electrical installation condition report for an existing installation.


    The original poster has a quandary, site cabins have been delivered and connected to a new installation. If these cabins have been delivered with a full set of dead test results they can be used along with the dead test results from the new installation to do some calculations to determine the Zs. But you cannot the RCD test times, so unless you are going to accept pressing the test button on the RCD device as the only RCD testing required you are going to have to get someone to do some live testing somewhere.


    So the first question is what certification is required from the contractor? Obviously they need to provide a installation certificate for the supply to the cabins, but what about the cabins themselves? Did the cabin come with a test certificate? If so, the certificate can only have dead test results, so what, if any live tests need to be carried out by the contractor on site within the cabins and what certification should be provided by whom? The whom may be the cabin manufacturer, the cabin owner such as a hire company or the contractor powering them up.


    Andy Betteridge.
Reply
  • You could be testing for a minor works certificate for alterations to an existing installation, an installation certificate for a new installation or circuit, or it may be an electrical installation condition report for an existing installation.


    The original poster has a quandary, site cabins have been delivered and connected to a new installation. If these cabins have been delivered with a full set of dead test results they can be used along with the dead test results from the new installation to do some calculations to determine the Zs. But you cannot the RCD test times, so unless you are going to accept pressing the test button on the RCD device as the only RCD testing required you are going to have to get someone to do some live testing somewhere.


    So the first question is what certification is required from the contractor? Obviously they need to provide a installation certificate for the supply to the cabins, but what about the cabins themselves? Did the cabin come with a test certificate? If so, the certificate can only have dead test results, so what, if any live tests need to be carried out by the contractor on site within the cabins and what certification should be provided by whom? The whom may be the cabin manufacturer, the cabin owner such as a hire company or the contractor powering them up.


    Andy Betteridge.
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