Bonding

[auto]

Hi
Quick question on bonding. Customer has asked for the stainless steel food preperation surfaces to be bonded in a factory canteen. Not to sure if these need bonding but some are already done and he wants the rest bonded to the nearest socket outlet as a supplementry bond.
Thanks
Auto

 

[Spudnik]

In a word, yes, any metalwork should be bonded.

 

[Guest123]

Hey there.

There is no requirement in ol' red, to supp bond metal tables that dont form part of electrical eqipment.

 

[chocolate]

The purpose of bonding is to prevent the possibility of getting an electric shock between two tables whilst touching them simultaneously. It is good practice to bond these items by linking them together. You will need to ensure that one end is linked to a guaranteed earth connection.

 

[beaver74]

how exactly are you going to get a wac of a table that is not an elactricalitem ,yes years ago it was the case but common sense provailed i think

 

[Spudnik]

how exactly are you going to get a wac of a table that is not an elactricalitem ,yes years ago it was the case but common sense provailed i think

Its possible that an item of food processing equipment could have a damaged lead etc and could make the table live etc.

At the end of the day its all about reducing the risk, and we all know how much lawyers love a good case.

 

[pushrod]

Are the tables fixed or movable? I would be surprised if portable tables were bonded.

 

[Guest123]

Hey.

With regard to the damages leads scenario, If I remember correctly it states something like where there is risk of damaging flexes on portable equipment then alll circuits should be 30mA RCD protected.

Apparantly the requirement to supp bond sinks and metal furniture in both domestic and commercial kitchens went out in the 15th edition.

 

[desertbootz]

What if the ccts are NOT protected (as they might not be if installed to previous edition) I've bonded the knackers out of various places just because they MIGHT become live under fault conditions. Too risky if there's portable equipment, conducting work surfaces and slop jockeys in the mix. As ever, concede I might be wrong... just don't tell the ex-wife :O)

 

[electro]

Hi


If the customer has asked for the bonding why not install them.. but let him/her know the Kitchen is not identified as a location of increased risk hence it does not require supplementary bonding. If the installation complies with a older edition of the electrical regs you can reduce the risk of electrical shock by installing the bonding.


regards

 

[Guest123]

Hey

Agree with Electro there, if they've asked for it and are willing to pay for it then why not install it.

IMO it's down to the discression of the installer at the end of the day, if he/she feels that there is an increased shock risk present then bond away.

But as it's not required by BS 7671 and if there was no elevated shock risk, I wouldn't include it on the tender for a job for the sake of it, as that couple of quid extra could be the difference between wining and losing the contract, especially in the current climate.

 

[auto]

Hi
Thanks for the replies. We are going to install the bonding but not put installed to BS 7671 on the quote.
Thanks again
Auto

 

[hughesy]

how exactly are you going to get a wac of a table that is not an elactricalitem ,yes years ago it was the case but common sense provailed i think

I aggree wth jason 6930,and also when you have metal surfaces in say a school canteen some large electrical items are bolted to the surface making it an extraneouse conductive part

 

[Bernieg]

Can I bring the 'Electricity at Work Regulations 1989' to your attention. As you are aware these regulations are statutory and it is a criminal offence if you have not taken reasonalbe steps to comply.

Regulation 8 states as follows; "Precautions shall be taken, either by earthing or by other suitable means, to prevent danger arising when any conductor (other than a circuit conductor) which may reasonably foreseeably become charged as a result of either the use of a system, or a fault in a system, becomes so charged; and, for the purposes of ensuring compliance with this regulation, a conductor shall be regarded as earthed when it is connected to the general mass of earth by conductors of sufficient strength and current-carrying capability to discharge electrical energy to earth."

So the metal table which is a conductor must be earthed if a piece of electrical equipment is intended to 'sit' on the table.

Sorry this reply is drawn out but it is important that these regulations are followed in addition to the IEE Regs.