UK Electrak

[steve cooper]

Hi everyone, I am a removal man and I build office furniture. The company that I work for has based me at one of there clients buildings which happens to be a bank. My role there is to assist with moves and changes building the office furniture. Here is my problem, they have told me that part of my job role will be to move floor boxes via a tap off into the electrak. They have a company on site called CBRE who are supposed to do these works but my project manager says that they work too slow and has been making me do the work. The electrak is live when I have been moving the tap offs and I have been shocked on a few occasions when the tap off plug has accidentally touched the metal busbar. I am not an electrician and have had no training in this. When I questioned the project manager, he just laughed and said its only a plug and to just get on with it. Something doesn't sit right with me. Could some please tell me if this is a breach of health and safety and does anyone know the policy for doing this work? Surely the busbar should be turned off first?

 

[westward10]

Is there is still IT equipment plugged into them?

 

[steve cooper]

Sometimes yes and Sometimes no

 

[westward10]

It is possible to get a tingle if you touch the pins after unplugging with IT equipment plugged in, unpleasant but not harmful. Aside from that it should be perfectly safe even if the track is still live.

 

[steve cooper]

It is possible to get a tingle if you touch the pins after unplugging with IT equipment plugged in, unpleasant but not harmful. Aside from that it should be perfectly safe even if the track is still live.

Thanks for the reply. I'm talking about the tap off pins touching the metal of the busbar. I done this and was blown about 3 feet

 

[westward10]

What do you mean by metal of the busbar you shouldn't even be able to see the busbar.

 

[steve cooper]

What do you mean by metal of the busbar you shouldn't even be able to see the busbar.

The metal track on the floor that you plug the tap off into.

 

[westward10]

I can only imagine you are getting a tingle from the IT equipment plugged into it and it shouldn't be directly harmful. Your company however should take be taking any complaint you make seriously.

 

[steve cooper]

I can only imagine you are getting a tingle from the IT equipment plugged into it and it shouldn't be directly harmful. Your company however should take be taking any complaint you make seriously.

But should this track not be turned off before anybody touches it and shouldn't it be done by an electrician. Like I said before, something is not right.

 

[James]

as a general rule, busbar systems like that are designed to be plugged and unplugged by users who are not electrically trained, just the same as plugging and unplugging a normal 13A plug to a wall socket.

If you have been blown 3 feet when connecting or disconnecting something then something has gone wrong, i would expect the people in the office to be asking what the big bang was.
I would also expect a good portion of the office to be without electricity.

If this was indeed the case then a written report to your manager should be completed and also it should be reported to the HSE as a dangerous occurrence.

are you sure it was 3 feet? I have known people die and not been thrown anywhere near that distance.

 

[oscar21]

Maybe the track itself is live, are they metal units, I'd be getting it tested properly