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Introduction to
Electrical Installation
Work
Compulsory Units for the 2330 Certificate
in Electrotechnical Technology Level 2
(Installation Route)
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Introduction to
Electrical Installation
Work
Second edition

Compulsory Units for the 2330 Certificate in

Electrotechnical Technology Level 2
(Installation Route)

Trevor Linsley

. . .
AMSTERDAM BOSTON HEIDELBERG LONDON NEW YORK OXFORD . .
. . .
PARIS SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SINGAPORE SYDNEY TOKYO . .
Newnes is an imprint of Elsevier
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Newnes is an imprint of Elsevier

Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK
30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington MA 01803, USA

First edition 2007

Second edition 2009

Copyright © 2009 Trevor Linsley. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The right of Trevor Linsley to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988

Permission may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights
Department in Oxford, UK: phone (
44) (0) 1865 843830; fax (
44) (0) 1865
853333; email: permissions@elsevier.com. Alternatively you can submit your request
online by visiting the Elsevier website at http://elsevier.com/locate/permissions,
and selecting Obtaining permission to use Elsevier material

Notice
No responsibility is assumed by the publisher or the author for any injury and/or
damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or
otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or
ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical
sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages
should be made

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

ISBN 978-1-85617-620-0

For information on all Newnes publications visit our website

at www.books.elsevier.com

Printed and bound in Slovenia

09 10 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Contents

Preface xiii

1 Working Effectively and Safely in

an Electrical Environment 1
Laws and Safety Regulations 2
Statutory Laws 4
1. The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 4
2. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 5
3. The Electricity Safety, Quality and
Continuity Regulations 2002 5
4. The Management of Health & Safety at
Work Regulations 1999 5
5. Provision and Use of Work Equipment
Regulations 1998 6
6. COSHH Regulations (2002) 6
7. Personal Protective Equipment
Regulations (PPE) 6
Non-Statutory Regulations 8
The IEE Wiring Regulations, the
requirements for Electrical Installations
(BS 7671) 8
Health and Safety Responsibilities 9
Safety Signs 10
Warning Signs (these give safety
information) 11
Advisory Signs (these also give safety
information) 11
Mandatory Signs (these are ‘MUST DO’
signs) 12
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vi Contents

Prohibition Signs (these are ‘MUST

NOT DO’ signs) 13
Accident and Emergency Procedures 13
Emergency Procedures – Fire Control 14
Emergency Procedures – Electric Shock 17
Emergency Procedures – First Aid 19
Emergency Procedures – Electrical
Isolation and Lock Off 23
Organisations having Electrotechnical
Activities 27
Services provided by the Electrotechnical
Industry 32
1. Lighting and power installations 32
2. Emergency lighting and security
systems 32
3. Building management and control
systems 32
4. Instrumentation 33
5. Electrical maintenance 33
6. Live cable jointing 33
7. Highway electrical systems 33
8. Electrical panel building 33
9. Electrical machine drive installations 34
10. Consumer and commercial
electronics 34
Roles and Responsibilities of Workers
in the Electrotechnical Industry 34
Design Engineer 35
Estimator/Cost Engineer 35
Contracts Manager 35
Project Manager 35
Service Manager 36
Technician 36
Supervisor/Foreman 36
Operative 37
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Contents vii

Mechanic/Fitter 38
Maintenance Manager/Engineer 38
People Definitions 39
Professional Bodies supporting
Electrotechnical Organisations 39
The IET (The Institution of Engineering
and Technology) 40
The ECA (Electrical Contractors
Association) 41
The National Inspection Council for
Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) 42
Trade Unions 43
Communications 43
Sources of Technical Information 44
Site Plans or Layout Drawings 45
As-fitted Drawings 48
Detail Drawings and Assembly Drawings 48
Location Drawings 48
Distribution Cable Route Plans 49
Block Diagrams 49
Wiring Diagrams 50
Circuit Diagrams 51
Schematic Diagrams 52
Freehand Working Diagrams 52
The Positional Reference System 53
Assessment Questions 55
Multiple Choice Assessment Questions 57

2 Basic Principles of
Electrotechnology 65
Basic Units used in Electrotechnology 66
Electrical Theory 68
Electron Flow or Electric Current 70
Electrical Cables 70
Three Effects of an Electric Current 71
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viii Contents

Ohm’s Law 73
Resistivity 74
Series Connected Resistors 76
Parallel Connected Resistors 77
Component Parts of an Electrical Circuit 80
Connecting Voltmeters and Ammeters 82
Magnetic Fields and Flux Patterns 82
Basic Mechanics and Machines 84
Power 86
Efficiency 88
The Simple Alternator 89
Electrical Transformers 91
Electrical Power on the National Grid 93
Safe Electrical Systems 95
Principles of Electric Shock Protection 96
Basic Protection 96
Fault Protection 97
Protective Equipotential Bonding
Coupled with Automatic Disconnection
of the Supply 97
Electrical Tools and Equipment 98
Safe Working Practice 102
Assessment Questions 107
Multiple Choice Assessment Questions 110

3 Health and Safety Application

and Electrical Principles 121
Health and Safety Applications 122
Avoiding Accidents in the Workplace 122
Risk Assessment, the Process 125
Safe Manual Handling 128
Safe Working above Ground Level 129
Safe Electrical Isolation and Lock off 136
Electrical Installation Principles 139
A.C. Theory 139
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Contents ix

Electrical Machines – Basic Operating

Principles 147
Fluorescent Luminaires 147
Building Regulations for Energy
Efficient Lamps 149
The Electrical Relay 150
D.C. Motors 151
A.C. Motors 154
Transformers 155
Types of Transformer 158
Generation, Transmission and
Distribution of Electricity 160
Balancing Single Phase Loads 164
Protecting Electrical Equipment, Circuits
and People 165
Shock Protection 165
Basic Protection 165
Fault Protection 165
Bonding Safety and other Trades 167
Overcurrent Protection 168
Assessment Questions 175
Multiple Choice Assessment Questions 177

4 Installation (Building and

Structures) 189
Regulations and Responsibilities 190
Electricity at Work Regulations
and Codes of Practice 190
IEE Regulations (BS 7671) 192
On-Site Communications 193
Time Sheets 194
Job Sheets 194
Daywork Sheets 196
Delivery Notes 198
Reports 198
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x Contents

Electricity Supply Systems 199

Cable Sheath Earth Supplies
(TN-S system) 200
Protective Multiple Earthing Supplies
(TN-C-S system) 200
No Earth Provided Supplies
(TT system) 202
Wiring and Lighting Circuits 203
Fixing Positions of Switches and Sockets 206
Wiring and Socket Outlet Circuits 207
Radial Circuits 208
Ring Circuits 209
Additional Protection for Socket Outlets 209
Socket Outlet Numbers 210
Cables and Enclosures 212
New Wiring Colours 213
Size of Conductor 214
Wiring Systems and Enclosures 215
PVC Insulated and Sheathed Cable
Installations 216
Conduit Installations 219
Steel Conduit 220
PVC Conduit 220
Flexible Conduit 221
Trunking Installations 221
Metallic Trunking 222
Cable Tray Installations 222
PVC/SWA Installations 224
MI Cable Installations 224
Special Installations 225
Bathroom Installations 225
Zones for Bath and Shower Rooms 227
Supplementary Equipotential Bonding 229
Temporary Installations
(Construction Sites) 231
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Contents xi

Agricultural and Horticultural

Installations 234
Hazardous Area Installations 235
Support and Fixing Methods for
Electrical Equipment 238
Cable Clips 239
Plastic Plugs 240
Expansion Bolts 241
Spring Toggle Bolts 242
Girder Fixings 242
Electrical Installation, Inspection and
Testing 244
1. Continuity of Protective Conductors
Including Main and Supplementary
Equipotential Bonding 245
2. Continuity of Ring Final Circuit
Conductors 246
3. Insulation Resistance 246
4. Polarity 246
Safe Working Environment 248
Correct Disposal of Waste Material 249
Assessment Questions 252
Multiple Choice Assessment Questions 254

Solutions to Assessment Questions 267

Index 273
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Preface

The second edition of Introduction to Electrical

Installation Work is, as the title implies, a first book of
electrical installation practice. It is designed to be a sim-
ple introduction to electrical theory and practice and,
therefore, does not contain any difficult mathematics or
complicated electrical theory.

The book will be of assistance to students taking a

first year electrical course, particularly those taking
the City & Guilds 2330 Level 2 Certificate in Elec-
trotechnical Technology.

Introduction to Electrical Installation Work provides a

sound basic knowledge of electrical practice which will
also be valuable to the other trades in the construction
industry who require a knowledge of electrical installation
work, particularly those involved in multi-skilling activities.

This book incorporates the requirements of the latest

regulations, particularly:

◆ The 17th Edition IEE Wiring Regulations

(BS 7671:2008)
◆ New Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005
◆ The New Work at Height Regulations 2005
◆ The New Part P Building Regulations (Electrical
Safety in Dwellings) 2005
◆ The New (Harmonised) Fixed Cable Core Colours
(2006)

The City & Guilds course is in four units which corre-

spond to the four chapters in this book. Each chapter
concludes with Assessment Questions in preparation
for the City & Guilds On-Line Assessment.
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xiv Preface

This book features three small cartoon characters

that appear in the margin depicting:

◆ IMPORTANT INFORMATION which identifies

important safety information
◆ FOLLOW THIS MATHS reminds students to follow
each step of a mathematical solution carefully
and
◆ TRY THIS is a student activity which readers may
like to respond to by making notes in the
margin.

I would like to acknowledge the assistance given by

the following manufacturers and organisations in the
preparation of this book:

Crabtree Electrical Industries Ltd

R.S. Components Ltd
The Institution of Electrical Engineers
The British Standards Institution
The City & Guilds of London Institute
Stocksigns Ltd
Wylex Electrical Components

I would also like to thank the many college lecturers

who returned the questionnaire from Elsevier and the
proposal reviewers for their suggestions and advice
during the preparation of this book.

I would also like to thank the editorial and production

staff at Elsevier for responding to the very short time
scale created by the publication of the 17th Edition of
the IEE Regulations.

Finally, I would like to thank Joyce, Samantha and

Victoria for their support and encouragement.

Trevor Linsley
2008