NEW WIRING REGULATIONS

17thEditionregsandhow
In the first of a from
In this article I shall look at some of the definitions
Part 2 of BS 7671:2008 The IEE Wiring
Protective earthing
two-part Regulations, 17th Edition, the subject of much I will now look at those definitions associated with
discussion on update courses which my colleagues earthing. One of the methods used to provide fault
series, Don and I have been lecturing on. protection against electrical shock in the event of
Holmes Although many of the principles and requirements
remain the same, the words used to describe them
insulation failure is to provide protective earthing, as
illustrated in Fig 2 on page 10.
covers electric have changed or been modified. Protective earthing – earthing of a point or points
The reasons for the definitions’ section in Part 2 is in a system or in an installation or in equipment for
shock, to enable everyone to interpret the requirements in the purposes of safety. This can be achieved using a
protective same way. combination of an earthing conductor, bonding
The first definitions I will consider are those to do conductors and circuit protective conductors to
earthing, with protection against electric shock, referred to connect any exposed conductive parts to earth using
throughout the wiring regulations. a main earthing terminal. These conductors and
protective conductive parts are defined as:
bonding and Protection against electrical shock • earthing conductor – a protective conductor
connecting the main earthing terminal of an
fault Basic Protection – protection against electrical installation to an earth electrode or other means of
protection shock under fault-free conditions. This covers low
voltage installations and equipment, protection of
earthing
• bonding conductor – a protective conductor
persons and livestock from inadvertently touching live providing equipotential bonding
parts which are live in normal operation. The most • circuit protective conductor (cpc) – a
common ways of providing basic protection is by the protective conductor connecting exposed
insulation of live conductive parts, or placing live parts conductive parts of equipment to the main
in an enclosure; for example, the use of insulated and earthing terminal
sheathed cables terminated into a distribution board • exposed conductive parts – the conductive part
or consumer unit. When covers are removed it can be of equipment which can be touched and which is
seen that exposed conductive terminals have been not normally live but which can become live when
fitted with barriers to prevent them being touched. basic insulation fails
These methods of protection are definitions listed • earth – the conductive mass of the Earth, whose
below and illustrated in Fig 1 opposite. electric potential at any point is conventionally
Basic insulation – insulation applied to live parts taken as zero
to provide basic protection and which does not • earth electrode – conductive part, which may be
necessarily include insulation used exclusively for embedded in the soil or in a specific conductive
functional purposes. medium; for example, concrete, in electrical
Barrier – a part providing a defined degree of contact with Earth
protection against contact with live parts from any • main earthing terminal – the terminal or bar
usual direction of access. provided for the connection of protective
Enclosure – a part providing protection of conductors, including protective bonding
equipment against certain external influences and in conductors, and conductors for functional
any direction providing basic protection. earthing, if any, to the means of earthing.

Fault protection Protective bonding

Fault protection – protection against electric shock
under single fault conditions. This covers low voltage
installations, protection of persons or livestock,
against exposed conductive parts of equipment
which have become live under fault conditions. This is
often caused by failure of basic insulation.
When installing electrical installations in buildings and
metal work of other services such as gas, water, oil,
heating and air conditioning pipe-work, and ducting is
encountered, in order to ensure that all this metal is
maintained at substantially the same potential,
protective bonding needs to be carried out using

8 NAPIT 0870 444 1392 www.napit.org.uk

wyoushouldinterpretthem
protective bonding conductors. These terms are
defined as: Protective equipotential bonding –
equipotential bonding for the purpose of safety.
Protective bonding conductor – protective conductor
provided for protective equipotential bonding.
Protective conductor – a conductor used for
some measure of protection against electrical shock
and intended for connecting together any of the
following parts:
• exposed conductive parts
• extraneous conductive parts
• the main earthing terminal
• earth electrode(s)
• the earthed point of the source or an artificial
neutral.
Extraneous conductive part – a conductive part
liable to introduce a potential, generally Earth
potential, and not forming part of the electrical
Fig 1 Basic protection (cover shown as a cutaway)
Basic
insulation
installation. The definition is often referred to in Part
Seven Special Installations or Locations of the wiring
regulations. The following sections make particular
reference and the need to consider supplementary
equipotential bonding of any relevant extraneous
conductive parts:
• Section 701 locations containing a bath or shower
• Section 702 swimming pools and other basins
• Section 705 agricultural and horticultural premises
• Section 740 temporary electrical installations for
structures, amusement devices and booths at fair
grounds, amusement parks and circuses.
Locations containing a bath or
shower
Regulation 701.415.2 states that supplementary
equipotential bonding may be omitted where all of the
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following conditions are met: It can be seen that with these
• final circuits of the location comply with requirements now being met for most
requirements for automatic disconnection new installations in rooms
according to Regulation 411.3.2 containing a bath or shower that
• additional protection of all final circuits by means unsightly bonding clamps and Earthing
of 30 mA RCDs in accordance with Regulation supplementary bonding clamp
701.411.3.3 conductors are maybe a thing of
• all extraneous conductive parts are effectively the past.
connected to the protective equipotential bonding
as regulation 411.3.1.2. Continued in Issue 4

Fig 2 Protective earthing

10 NAPIT 0870 444 1392 www.napit.org.uk