Our Voltimum Experts answer your questions on a daily basis in our Technical Expertise area. This Question of the Day, about a transportable catering unit with genset, and the protective measures against electric shock to be adopted, is answered by SELECT:
Question: We have been asked to carry out a periodic inspection and test on a transportable catering unit where the supply is a small generator set situated outside the unit, supplying a consumer unit inside the catering unit where the main switch is a 30mA RCD. A 6mm2 main protective bonding conductor has been connected to the vehicle chassis to the main earth bar in the consumer unit, which is connected to the star point of the generator.
Can you advise whether this is a suitable installation method and, if so, would the protective measures against electric shock be Earth Free Equipotential Bonding? Please advise.
Answer: It appears that your arrangement is satisfactory as long as all exposed conductive parts of separate equipment are bonded together. The protective measure against shock will be 'Automatic Disconnection of Supply' (ADS).
For further reference, see Section 551 of the Regulations and BS7430 (Code of Practice for Earthing).
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