ELECTRICAL SAFETY OPERATIONAL

Rev 1.0
PROCEDURES

6.0 EARTHING EQUIPMENT FOR USE ON HIGH VOLTAGE AND

LOW VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
6.1 OBJECTIVE

6.1.2 The Electrical Safety Rules require that High Voltage equipment or conductors shall
be made Dead, Isolated and Earthed before an Electrical Safety Document can be
issued to allow work or testing to be carried out.
6.1.3 The Electrical Safety Rules require that before work can take place on Low Voltage
equipment or conductors, they shall be made Dead, Isolated and where practical
locked off with Safety Padlocks.
Additionally, the Electrical Safety Rules require that when it is necessary, because of
the design of the Low Voltage system or switchboard, or because of the nature of
the work to be done, a Circuit Main Earth shall be applied.
6.1.4 The Electrical Safety Rules require that equipment for Earthing shall be of an
Approved design and that such Earthing shall be applied either through switchgear
or Earthing switches with adequately rated Earthing capacity or by Approved
Earthing leads. The Electrical Safety Rules detail the precautions and procedures
that shall be followed when such Earths are applied to High Voltage and Low
Voltage Electrical Equipment and systems.
6.1.5 This procedure specifies the Approved equipment that shall be used to carry out
such Earthing operations on High Voltage and Low Voltage equipment.

6.2 EARTHING DEVICES WITH ADEQUATELY RATED EARTHING

CAPACITY
6.2.1 CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH EARTHING FACILITIES
Circuit breakers and their associated integral Earthing equipment installed on High
Voltage electrical systems shall be capable of carrying the full rated short circuit and
earth fault current that could occur if a circuit breaker being used to Earth
equipment was closed onto a Live circuit.
6.2.2 EARTHING SWITCHES
Earthing switches installed on High Voltage electrical systems shall be capable of
carrying the full rated short circuit and earth fault current that could occur if closed
onto a Live circuit.
6.2.3 EARTHING LEADS
The Earthing leads that are to be used as Circuit Main Earths shall be of such a
cross sectional area and design to be capable of carrying the full rated short circuit
and earth current if a Live circuit was closed onto them.
6.2.4 The selection of the cross sectional area of such leads will depend on the short circuit
levels of the electrical system on which they are to be used. For safety and
standardisation reasons, the minimum cross-sectional area of Earthing leads shall be
70 mm2. Refer to appendix A for details.

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 ELECTRICAL SAFETY OPERATIONAL
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PROCEDURES

6.2.5 The choice of fittings for line and earth end clamps and the length of leads will
depend on the equipment on which the Earthing leads are to be applied.
6.2.6 Leads for use in switchyards with exposed High Voltage conductors shall be of a
length suitable to reach from the Dead conductors to the nearest switchyard Earth
bar. The line and earth end clamps shall be of a suitable design to enable an
effective connection to be made at both ends.
6.2.7 Leads for use on overhead line conductors shall be of a suitable design for applying a
line end clamp to each conductor and have sufficient length and cross sectional area
to connect to Earthing bars or to rods driven into the ground.
6.2.8 If Earthing leads are required as Circuit Main Earths on overhead lines supported
on a steel tower, then those specified for use in switchyards with exposed High
Voltage conductors can be used, providing that the line end clamps are suitable for
applying to the overhead conductors and the earth end clamps are suitable for
connecting to the steelwork of the tower.
6.2.9 When Earthing leads are applied as Circuit Main Earths, a Circuit Main Earth
Notice shall be attached.
6.2.10 When Earthing leads are applied as Additional Earths, an Additional Earth
Notice shall be attached.
6.3 IDENTIFICATION OF EARTHING LEADS

6.3.1 Each set of Earthing leads issued shall have a unique number permanently attached
so that they can be readily identified in position as Circuit Main Earths or
Additional Earths.
6.3.2 This unique number is also applied to assist in ensuring that Earthing leads are
readily identified before and after use and when maintenance inspections of such
equipment is carried out and recorded.
6.4 MAINTENANCE OF EARTHING LEADS

6.4.1 All Earthing leads shall be examined immediately prior to use to ensure they are in
good condition.
6.5 OPERATING RODS FOR APPLYING EARTHING LEADS

6.5.1 The insulated operating rods used for applying Earthing leads shall be of the glass
fibre hollow tube type. The operating rods shall be made in sections that can be
assembled to provide an appropriate operating length.
6.5.2 The operating rods shall be examined immediately prior to use to ensure they are in
good condition.
6.5.3 At six monthly intervals all such operating rods shall be tested with a hot stick tester
and maintained in accordance with the relevant maintenance instructions.

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 ELECTRICAL SAFETY OPERATIONAL
Rev 1.0
PROCEDURES

APPENDIX A

SUMMARY OF kA RATINGS AND EARTHING METHODS FOR HIGH

VOLTAGE SWITCHGEAR

kA RATING
EARTHING AND CROSS
VOLTAGE EQUIPMENT AREA MANUFACTURER
METHOD SECTIONAL
AREA
36 kA
3.3 kV Switchgear Omar Powell Lead
150 mm²
36 kA
Gas Plant Toshiba Lead
150 mm²
Gas Plant Yorkshire Truck 31.5kA
36 kA
Tanak Toshiba Lead
150 mm²
36 kA
El Ward GE Lead
150 mm²
Earthing
El Isba ABB 36 kA
Truck
Power
Magrini Integral 36 kA
Station
6.6kV Switchgear Omar Holec Integral 26 kA

El Isba Magrini Integral 63 kA

20 kV Switchgear Maleh Siemens Truck 31.5 kA

Power
Magrini Integral 31.5 kA
Station
12.5 kA
20 kV OHL All Lead 70 mm² Cu or
120 mm² Alu
12.5 kA
Power
66 kV Switchgear AEG Lead 70 mm² Cu or
Station
120 mm² Alu

12.5 kA
66 kV OHL All Lead 70 mm² Cu or
120 mm² Alu

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