20kv Switchgear Safety - December's Question of the Month

Question: When working on 20kv switchgear e.g.. resetting tripped breakers etc., should there be a second electrician present who is trained in high tension practices?

Answer: This query is not covered by anything in ETCI's Wiring Rules as these rules relate to LV only. However this question does have an answer when considered under statutory requirements (refer to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application Regulations) 1993 (S.I. 44, 1993, Part VIII - Electricity)) under two headings as follows: Is the work classified as 'live work' or 'work on or near any exposed live parts'? (see regulations 46 and 48 of S.I. 44 of 1993 and see also ETCI's publication 'The Management of Electrical Safety at Work ET206:2000'). The HSA guide to the regulations recommends that:

• 'where high voltage live working is being carried out another person should be present at all times' and
• where work on or near a live part is unavoidable, the system of work used should:
  - allow only a person who is competent (see regulation 48) to work on or near exposed, live conductors. Such a person should be accompanied by a second person who is trained and able to act in an emergency, e.g. switch off power and give first aid treatment for electric shock'
  - 'indicate the extent of the live work'
  - 'indicate what levels of competence apply to each category of work' and
  - 'incorporate procedures under which the person carrying out the work will report back if the limits specified in the system are likely to be exceeded. This usually requires detailed planning before the work is started'
• Where the work is not 'live work' or 'work on or near any exposed live parts', then it's your 'risk assessment' that should guide you towards having the necessary controls in place to ensure that the work can be carried out safely.

In general:

• 'With properly installed and maintained equipment that is rated for the intended operating conditions (i.e. is suitably covered/insulated/screened, is rated to make or break fault currents and has properly designed control and protection systems), there is minimum risk to the person operating this equipment and therefore such an person could safely undertake this work while alone.
• If your risk assessment showed that it was unsafe for a person to work alone, would two or more persons not also be in danger in such circumstances
• Whenever and wherever possible it is best to operate switchgear remotely. Local operation should only be a last resort. That said, quite an amount of switchgear is manually operated and is so designed to be safely operated in this way.

Note: All references to regulations in the above question are to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application Regulations) 1993 (S.I. 44, 1993, Part VIII - Electricity).

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Electro-Technical Council of Ireland Ltd, ETCI Offices, Unit H12, Centrepoint Business Park, Oak Road, Dublin 12, Ireland Telephone: 01-4290088 Fax: 01-4290090

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Source: ETCI FAQ