In July this year the Institution of Engineering and Technology IET) published the first amendment to the 17th Edition wiring regulations and in the process set out the national standard for which all new electrical installations are to comply. William Davies, Area Engineer, NICEIC, explains:
It is this desire to harmonise electrical standards that necessitates the need to constantly update the regulations. However, incorporating new standards into their work is nothing new for electricians. The regulations have been in place for more than 100 years now and are constantly being updated or changed in accordance with new standards. In such a fast moving industry where new products and technologies are being launched on to the market every day, the need to update regulations has become vital to ensure best practice.
Ultimately the regulations are in place to protect and enhance the safety of customers, and as professional electricians and electrical engineers, the regulations ensure standards are maintained and everybody involved stays on top of their game when it comes to implementing them.
What do the new changes mean?
The first amendment to the 17th Edition is the latest update to BS 7671 and will become effective from 1st January 2012. Anyone involved in the design, erection and verification of electrical wiring systems will have to get acquainted with the new regulations if they are to comply with future building standards.
One of the most significant changes to BS 7671 will be the introduction of the new 'Electrical Installation Condition Report' or EICR, which will replace the current Periodic Inspection Report. The name has been changed 'to make it more meaningful to recipients and contains a new list of schedules aimed at making the process easier for householders to understand. It will also provide a framework that enables inspectors to report more clearly and comprehensively on the condition of an electrical installation.
This new reporting procedure has an easy to understand coding system and has been split into two areas - the first relating to domestic or similar installations up to 100A, and the second for larger installations, greater than 100 A.
The classification codes to be used for each recorded observation have been made clearer and more direct, as follows:
- Code C1 - Danger present, risk of injury, immediate remedial action required
- Code C2 - Potentially dangerous, urgent remedial action required
- Code C3 - Improvement recommended.
The condition of an electrical installation must be reported to be unsatisfactory if any observation is classified as C1 or C2.
As with the existing Periodic Inspection Report, the new Condition Report consists of a two-page summary recording, who the report has been produced for details of the installation inspected and the extent and limitations of the inspection; a summary of the condition of the installation, and the recommended remedial actions, together with the observations made that require action, together with their classification codes and whether or not each item requires further investigation.
New sections:
In addition to this, the amended regulations introduce a number of new sections relating to electromagnetic disturbances, devices for protection against overvoltage, medical locations and operating and maintenance gangways.
Section 444 - Measures against electromagnetic disturbances
This new electromagnetic disturbances section provides recommendations to avoid and reduce Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). Electrical installations which include sources of electromagnetic disturbances could be transformers, welding machines, electric motors, fluorescent lighting and where switching of inductive loads could cause EMI.
Recommendations also cover installations where EMI may disturb or damage IT systems/equipment and electronic circuits and components.
Section 534 - Devices for protection against overvoltage
This amendment includes requirements for the installation of Surge Protection Devices (SPDs) and filters to limit transient overvoltages and divert damaging surge current away from sensitive equipment such as computers and electronic circuits. Although surge protection devices have been around for a few years, it is only now that they have become a formal requirement.
Section 710 - Medical locations
This section involves the safety of patients likely to be subjected to the application of electrical medical equipment in medical locations such as hospitals and dental practices. This includes shock protection and secure supplies for life support.
Section 729 - Operating / maintenance gangways
Mainly concerning electrical switch rooms and restricted areas. This amendment ties in with Regulation 15 of the Electricity at work Regulations and includes requirements for working space, gangway width, operational access, emergency access, and emergency evacuation.
These then are the main changes to the regulations. Anyone involved in the design or installation of new electrical systems will have to get up to speed with them pretty quickly to ensure that the work they do is compliant and, most importantly, is carried out in a safe and appropriate manner.
For more information about NICEIC and electrical standards in the UK log on to www.niceic.com