Designing for the 17-18th Edition

Bill Allan of N.A.P.I.T. looks, in this very useful and informative article, at designing electrical installations so that they meet the requirements of the 17th Edition:

After all the speculation and debate and rumour, it's here. BS 7671:2008 - the 17th Edition - has now been published and takes exclusive effect on July 1st (Amendment coming in July 2011). Whether we like them or not, whether we agree with them or not, these are the new rules and we have to comply with them. In this article, we'll jump right in with both feet and consider how to design a typical domestic premises to the 17th Edition.

Electricity at work act.

 
Places a legal responsibility on employers and employees, as duty holders, to ensure that electrical systems used at work under their control are safe.
Legal Requirements:
 

To achieve compliance with the legal requirements of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 requires proof that an electrical system is safe, which involves amongst other things, proper inspection and testing of a system by competent people and the creation and maintenance of records.

 Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 is law in the United Kingdom. 

 Electricity At Work Regulations 1989 (EAWR)

Electrical-quality-and-safety-regulations1

Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 2665

The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002.

© Crown Copyright 2002

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17th Edition, 18th edition + ammendments is now out.

Now that the UK electrical industry has finally seen the latest changes to the 17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations (BS 7671), Alan Roadway, Product Manager for ABB's Low Voltage Distribution Products business, explores the new mandatory use of Residual Current Devices (RCDs) and the consequent effects:

Amendment 1 comes into force January 2012

Whilst residual current devices (RCD) have been in use for many years, the new 17th Edition requires electricians to consider the use of RCDs in many more applications than the current standard requires in order to improve building protection.

The basic function of an RCD is to trip and disconnect the supply of electricity in the event of an earth fault in order to prevent electric shock and fire risk. It does this by detecting the imbalance of currents between the live and neutral lines caused by a fault to earth. Drawing attention to the importance of using RCDs in the right context and with the right equipment, the IEE Wiring Regulations provides guidance on how RCDs should be incorporated in new builds.

SWA as a CPC

THE USE OF THE ARMOUR OF STEEL WIRE ARMOURED CABLES AS A PROTECTIVE CONDUCTOR

The Problem Encountered:

In my daily work as an electrical surveyor inspecting and testing electrical installations in domestic, commercial and industrial premises I find Steel Wire Armoured Cables (SWA) with the following arrangements for the provision of the circuit protective conductor (CPC).