Q & A of the Day - Must these hotel consumer units in shower room be moved?

Question: I'm working on a hotel complex and aside from the job that I am doing, I've come across three separate shower rooms with consumer units in them. One is in a poorly padlocked cupboard directly adjacent to a shower cubicle above the toilet, the next is boxed in (in 3mm ply above the basin), and the third is above a fibreboard ceiling. All are old fuse boards with 3036 fuses inside.

Must they be moved from there current locations and be updated, or just updated and made more secure? Obviously there are no RCDs fitted.

Also, there is a fourth bathroom that has a cupboard housing five or six sub-main switches - I have yet to work out what feeds what. Should these be moved?

The client wants everything to be made safe of course, but with the minimum of hassle etc.....of course!

Answer: So long as the enclosures (cupboards) effectively limit the zone, they can stay where they are. However, it sounds as though the cupboards require considerable improvement.

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