John was looking for clarity on how to classify the electric showers used in a hair salon. Richard Atkins, Technical Standards Engineer at NICEIC, had the answer.
This Q & A is one of thousands posted in our Technical Expertise area, and answered on a daily basis by our Voltimum Experts.
Question:
I have a query regarding electric showers. I check and sign off electrical certification and have been asked an unusual question by an electrician who has carried out an EICR to a hairdresser salon, He has asked if particular areas within the hairdresser salon would be classed as special locations?
The areas in question are around a few electric showers which have been fitted to walls above porcelain sinks which are used to supply handheld shower heads which are operated in various positions to wash some one's hair. Every electric shower is solely used to wash customers hair and therefore myself and the electrician are a bit unsure as to whether the areas should be classed as special locations or not, as there are obviously no shower basins or wet areas present?
The electric showers do have RCD protection but there are sockets within 3 meters of the sinks without RCD protection (C3 code given for a separate observation), although the sockets are of a distance where splashing from the shower heads was unlikely to occur. Do you know if the areas around each electric shower should be treated with zones similar to Section 701 of BS7671?
If so, how do we define the correct distances of each zone around each sink, as section 701 only describes zones around baths, shower basins and fixed water outlets, which would not apply to this situation? The shower head would be not classed as a fixed water outlet due to it being held in the hand and operated in the areas around each sink. Fig e) in Fig 701.1 (Examples of zone dimensions plan) does show a shower with a fixed water outlet, which is the nearest guidance I can see, although as stated this is not the case with this situation.
Answer:
Section 701 supplements or modifies the general requirements of BS 7671. Whilst it is not mentioned within Section 701, the purpose of this section is to protect persons who are bathing and/or for hygiene purposes. Therefore, section 701 does not directly apply to a hairdresser’s saloon as the person(s) may be considered are not themselves taking a bath or having a full shower with full body immersion and, therefore, their body(s) do not have the same reduction in resistance.
However, the design of the electrical installation will still have to consider the additional risks associated with the proximity of water to the electrical installation. For example, the designer will have to take due account of Regulation 132.5 (Environmental conditions), 132.7 (Type of wiring and method of installation),
These conditions should also be taken into consideration when carrying out an Electrical Installation Condition Report.
