Is 17th edition law or guideline

[DanBrown]

Hi everyone, just a quick general question regarding 17th edition.

Is 17th edition law or just advisory.
What we have is a pricing issue, regarding fitting overload protection to ventillation motors, as our customers are questioning this protection. The regs say that any motor over 0.375KW must have suitable overload protection. Fitting this type of protection to our motors is in around £100 mark per fan, and we need to basically know if we can get away with this.

Thanks for any responses.....

 

[rumrunner]

Hi everyone, just a quick general question regarding 17th edition.

Is 17th edition law or just advisory.
What we have is a pricing issue, regarding fitting overload protection to ventillation motors, as our customers are questioning this protection. The regs say that any motor over 0.375KW must have suitable overload protection. Fitting this type of protection to our motors is in around £100 mark per fan, and we need to basically know if we can get away with this.

Thanks for any responses.....

HI
Question 1 ,no the regulations are not law as you put it.

Question 2 , if it in the regs ,then you should comply with it ,the customer is being a little short sighted if they are quibbleing about a mere trifle such as an overload.

ask them how much a replacement motor and down time will cost

atvbitwww

 

[Shakey]

Quite Rum

the regs are non-statutory, but are seen as best practice.

You would not be prosecuted for contravening BS7671, but for a higher level document such as the EAWR's or HSAW.

If you design a better solution than is suggested in the regs, you are quite entitled to use it, but just ignoring safety reccomendations on a cost issue, you are setting yourself up for a fall!

 

[tony.towa]

Shakey is right, the regulations are non statutory and are for "guidance". In a court of law, if there is a problem, they will refer to the IEE regulations as being the correct way to carry out work and it is very difficult then to justify any other method used. It can be done however it will require expert witnesses who are prepared and able to prove that the method used was equal to or better than that prescribed by the IEE.

 

[ian.settle1]

Quite Rum

the regs are non-statutory, but are seen as best practice.

You would not be prosecuted for contravening BS7671, but for a higher level document such as the EAWR's or HSAW.

If you design a better solution than is suggested in the regs, you are quite entitled to use it, but just ignoring safety reccomendations on a cost issue, you are setting yourself up for a fall!

As Shakey has said they are non-statutory but can be used in a court of law as a standard for not complying with the EAWR and HSAW. Told this by two different people when taking different courses.