Basic insulation exposed in electrical outdoor meter box.

It would have to be part of a subsequent amendment ... but if the discussion in the industry never happens, we won't ever see any proposals.

I did try to advise earlier in the discussion, that the concept of preventing access to ordinary persons by limiting access only 'by the use of a key or [a] tool' is a concept that has a long history in electrotechnical standards for both products and installations ... a bit of background that's important to consider if we want to change these words in some standards.

My twopennethworth.... I don't think the intention is to prevent access by ordinary persons - after all access to keys is often driven considerations other than electrical safety (e.g. protecting property from theft or information from unauthorised access) and every Tom, Dick and Harry has a screwdriver. Rather, I suspect, the intention is to prevent accidental or unthinking access - along similar lines to access only being available after a 'deliberate action' we see elsewhere in the regs. If someone takes a screwdriver to an obviously electrical box, on their own head be it, it's more the innocent passers-by with not a clue of the dangers and weren't attempting to carry out any electrical work that deserve the protection.

So I think the problem arises when people expect to be able to open an enclosure and not expect an electrical hazard to result.

So I'd suggest that the 'by the use of a key or tool' bit is fine, but the general concept of an enclosure should be limited to a dedicated electrical enclosure - i.e. something that would only need to be opened to carry out electrical work on what it contains and for no other reason. So a socket or switch or joint box or CU would be fine. But something that people could genuinely expect to open for other purposes - a plumber opening a screwed down bath panel, or an ordinary person opening a meter box to take a meter reading, or a locked cupboard the caretaker also kept his brooms and cleaning materials in, or an entire building that happened to have a lock on every external door, would all be out.

There perhaps could be an alternative option of labelling, to draw attention to the electrical hazard, to cover any corner cases where an electrical enclosure also needs to be opened for other purposes and there's no interlocking or similar protection.

   - Andy.

AJJewsbury said:

So I'd suggest that the 'by the use of a key or tool' bit is fine, but the general concept of an enclosure should be limited to a dedicated electrical enclosure - i.e. something that would only need to be opened to carry out electrical work on what it contains and for no other reason

This concept might be OK for private dwellings, but it is an issue for premises in which the Electricity at Work Regulations applies ... including, perhaps electrical laboratories and workshops.

Personally, I wouldn't object to such a rule for domestic installations, but it would make some provision of BS 7671 more complex.

I would further add, that there's nothing to stop any other enclosure using "meter box" or "lamp post key" in any type of installation ... and such keys are readily available.

AJJewsbury said:

So I'd suggest that the 'by the use of a key or tool' bit is fine, but the general concept of an enclosure should be limited to a dedicated electrical enclosure - i.e. something that would only need to be opened to carry out electrical work on what it contains and for no other reason

This concept might be OK for private dwellings, but it is an issue for premises in which the Electricity at Work Regulations applies ... including, perhaps electrical laboratories and workshops.

Personally, I wouldn't object to such a rule for domestic installations, but it would make some provision of BS 7671 more complex.

I would further add, that there's nothing to stop any other enclosure using "meter box" or "lamp post key" in any type of installation ... and such keys are readily available.