THE 5 GOLDEN RULES, TEMPORARY GROUNDING

JUAN FABER BOLAÑOS FERNANDEZ

INSTRUCTOR FERNANDO SANCHEZ

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

SENA CENTER OF ELECTRICITY AND INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION CEAI

INDUSTRIAL ELECTRICITY TECHNOLOGY
CALI
2018
CONTENT

INTRODUCTION
1
1. THE 5 GOLDEN RULES
2-4
2. TEMPORARY GROUNDING SYSTEM
5
CONCLUSIONS
6
BIBLIOGRAPHY
6
 1

INTRODUCTION

This work is intended to educate and make known electricians and service providers to
personalize their safety and comply with these basic but effective rules before, during and
after any electrical risk work and avoid accidents, both personal and materials.

2
 1. THE 5 GOLDEN RULES

The golden rules constitute the most common procedure for working without tension in
electrical installations. They are widely accepted among professionals in the electrical
sector, and are regulated by national regulations (Colombia) and procedures of electrical
companies.

Strict compliance with these five rules guarantees safety when working on electrical
installations, especially when they are to be carried out by personnel without electrical
knowledge.

 Carry out visible cutting of all sources of tension.

Once the work area has been defined, all possible voltage sources that feed the electrical
installation of said area will be disconnected.

By means of switches and disconnectors, so as to ensure the impossibility of their untimely

closure. In those devices in which the cut cannot be visible, there must be a device that
guarantees that the cut is effective.

 Condemnation or blocking.

If possible, cutting devices. Signage on the controls of the devices indicating “Do not
energize” or “no maneuvering” and removing the fuse holders from the circuit breakers.
“Locking or blocking” of a maneuvering device is the set of operations intended to prevent
the maneuver of said device, keeping it in a certain position.

3
  Verify absence of voltage in each of the phases.

Once the isolation points have been opened and blocked (effective cutting and blocking and
signaling), the absence of voltage in all active conductors of the electrical installation in the
work area will be verified. It is essential to do it with appropriate instruments, since
electricity "cannot be seen, cannot be smelled, cannot be heard", and can only be detected
with instruments.

With the appropriate voltage detector at the nominal voltage level of the network, which
must be tested before and after each use.

 Grounding and short circuiting of all possible voltage sources that affect the
work area.

It is the operation of joining together all the phases of an installation, using an equipotential
bridge of adequate section, which has previously been connected to ground. As long as they
are not effectively grounded, all conductors or parts of the circuit are considered to be
energized at their rated voltage. The commissioning teams

4
Ground must be handled with insulated poles, maintaining safety distances from the
conductors, until the installation is completed.

 Mark and delimit the work area.

It is the operation of indicating, using signs with phrases or symbols, the message that must
be followed to prevent the risk of an accident. The work area must be delimited by fences,
manilas or reflective bands. When working at night, fluorescent cones or fences must be
used, as well as light signals. When working on roads that do not allow traffic to be
blocked, the crew vehicle must be parked behind the work area and signs must be posted on
both sides of the road.

5
 2. TEMPORARY GROUNDING SYSTEM

The purpose of temporary grounding equipment is to limit the current that can pass through
the human body. Temporary grounding equipment must meet the following minimum
specifications, adapted from IEC 61230 and ASTM F 855:

a. Electrode: Hole with a minimum length of 1.5 m.

b. Staples or clamps: The type of staple must be appropriate according to the geometry
of the element to be connected (it can be flat or with teeth).
c. Extra flexible copper cable, cylindrical and with a transparent or translucent cover
that allows visual inspection and whose gauge supports a minimum fault current of:
At high voltage 40 kA; in medium voltage 8 kA and in low voltage 3 kA effective
in one second with a final temperature of 700 °C, smaller gauge grounding cables
can be used, provided that the calculated fault current is lower than the
aforementioned values and the clearance time is such that the temperature in the
conductor does not exceed 700 ºC.
d. The producer must provide an installation, inspection and maintenance guide.
 Installation requirements.

Temporary grounding must be installed in accordance with the following requirements:

a. The assembly should be done in such a way that the lineman's feet are at ground
potential and that the conductors connecting to the lines have the shortest length and
impedance possible, as shown in Figure 15.6, adopted from IEEE guide 1048 .
b. The assembly sequence must be from ground to the last phase and to dismantle it it
must be done from the phases to ground.
c. In the event that the line is or is likely to be interrupted in the structure, it must be
grounded on both sides of the structure.

6
CONCLUSIONS

When carrying out this work we identified the basic rules that are (the 5 golden rules) in
electricians, for any work that is going to be carried out in the distribution networks of both
medium and low voltage, a little about the installation is also explained. On temporary
ground, the elements necessary to carry out this test, the rules that govern, and the care that
must be taken are made known.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
«RESOLUTION NO.9 0708 of AUGUST 30, 2013. TECHNICAL REGULATION OF ELECTRICAL
INSTALLATIONS (RETIE). ARTICLE 18. WORK ON DE-ENERGIZED NETWORKS. 18.1 Golden
Rules» .

RETIE