Earthing - an integral part of Electrical Safety
Besides human safety risks, sensitive computers and electronics devices fail to operate properly and/or sustain damage at lower voltages which usually cannot be felt by humans, resulting in loss of productivity and expensive troubleshooting & repairs
Earthing is of utmost importance for safety of Human Life as well as animal life and also plant, equipment, property. In the absence of a well-designed effective earthing system, earth fault conditions may lead to tremendous loss of and lives and property. Earthing is fundamental to most of the practices for achieving safety. The earthing system must provide a direct route to the soil for fault current whilst minimising touch and step potentials. The secondary function is to help mitigate disturbances and serve as a common voltage reference for sensitive electronic equipment. However, with greater use of sensitive electronic equipment, particularly in Software Industries & Telecom Sectors, there is a growing awareness of the importance of the secondary function of the earthing system. This is leading to a consensus of opinion that the earthing system must be designed as an overall system such that it fulfills the safety and performance requirements.
Requirements of the Earthing System
What Are The Risks?
- 20+ fires a day are caused by faulty electrical installations
- Fires are 12 times more likely to be caused by faulty electrics than, say, by gas
- 2000+ people are injured through electrocution every year
- As per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) of India, around 15 people die every day due to electrical accidents, which account for nearly 3% of total accidental deaths.
- The majority of deaths, injuries and damage would have been prevented by an installation inspection.
- Older properties (10+ years old) are most at risk.
- The danger is increased, as it is usually out-of-sight, under floorboards, behind walls.
- The function of the earthing system is two-fold.
