Isolation switch position for warehouse roller door

[warehouse7]

Hi,

I am not an electrician and looking for some electrical advice.

We have had a new electric roller door installed at our warehouse.

The door opening is 4.5m high and the motor for the door is at this height.

The electrician has put 3 phase power supply and isolation switch at ground level for obvious safety reasons.

The wire and plug for the motor is only 1 – 1.5m long currently and the door installation company want the isolation switch placed higher up so that the plug will reach the power socket / isolation switch.

If the isolation switch is placed 3m above the ground no-one will be able to reach it unless they had a ladder.

The door installation company say that they can extend the plug and wire to meet the current isolation position but it wouldn’t be legal.

Is it right that extending the plug to meet the current isolation switch position would make the installation illegal?

 

[westward10]

I don't know the full ins and outs of roller shutter rules but normal practice from what I have seen is isolation at an accessible point with the socket outlet at high level.

 

[James]

I have also seen many a socket mounted high level for the door fitters to plug in to.

it is an isolator for safe mechanical or electrical maintenance

 

[brianmoooore]

The isolation switch is for safe working on the door motor, so it needs to be under the sole control of anyone working on that motor. A switch provided for safety reasons, to enable anyone to stop the doors movement, is a different thing altogether, and is not covered by electrical regulations.
Having said that, the isolator is allowed at a lower level if it is of a type that can be locked in the off position by a lock with only one key. There is nothing to stop the cable being extended, as long as this is done properly, but the simplest solution would be to fit two isolators in series, one high and one low.
Edit: If the motor cable has a plug on it, the plug and socket at high level is acceptable for isolation, with a switch at the lower level.