Basic protection
Protection against touching live parts during normal, fault-free service. It is delivered by insulation around conductors, barriers and enclosures around terminals, and placing live parts out of reach. It is the first layer of shock protection; is the second, and an installation needs both.
Where Basic protection fits in the learning path
The Installation section covers these units:
- Wiring Systems & Enclosures
- Cable Selection & Circuit Design
- Earthing, Bonding & Consumer Units
Curriculum mapping: C&G 2365 Units 203/204/305.
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- IP RatingsInstallation
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Protection that operates when basic protection has failed and a live conductor has reached touchable metalwork. In UK practice it usually means automatic disconnection of supply: earthing and bonding hold the touch voltage down while the protective device removes the supply within its required time.
Fault protection
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Fault protection
Protection that operates when basic protection has failed and a live conductor has reached touchable metalwork. In UK practice it usually means automatic disconnection of supply: earthing and bonding hold the touch voltage down while the protective device removes the supply within its required time.
Read the Fault protection entryIP rating — Ingress Protection rating
A two-digit code describing how well an enclosure keeps things out: the first digit rates protection against solid objects, from hands down to dust, and the second rates protection against water, from vertical drips to sustained immersion. The digits are independent, and an X in either position simply means that kind of protection hasn't been tested.
Read the IP rating entrySELV — Separated Extra-Low Voltage
An extra-low-voltage system supplied from a safety source such as an isolating transformer, kept electrically separate from earth and from every higher-voltage system. Because the voltage is low and there is no path back to earth, touching one conductor cannot drive a dangerous current through you — the classic protective measure for shaver sockets and garden lighting.
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