Electrical Safety Rules for Industries under Indian Electricity Rules 1956/2020

General Electrical Safety Rules: To install electrical equipment or work on any electrical equipment safely in the workplace, general electrical safety rules must be followed according to Indian Electricity Rule 1956, revised in 2020, to prevent electrical incidents.

Electrical Safety Rules for Industries

 Electrical Safety Rules for Industries under Indian Electricity Rules 1956/2020

Electrical Safety Rules for Industries

If you are an electrical engineer or safety practitioner, you must have knowledge of the legal obligations related to electrical safety. Reading the full rules under Indian Electricity Rule 1956 is a tedious job and you may not have enough time, which is why we have extracted the important legal requirement and identified the most important things that help you become an expert in electrical safety.

 

Statutory Requirements under Indian Electricity Rules 1956

Important statutory rules covering electrical safety are reproduced below. For details one must refer to full text under Indian Electricity Rules 1956.

Indian Electricity Rule-29

All electric supply lines and apparatus shall be of sufficient ratings.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-30

Power supply lines, wires, accessories and devices must be kept in a safe condition and suitable in all respects for the supply of energy and free from any danger.

Lines located underground or accessible must be insulated and protected so as to be secure under all ordinary conditions against electrical, mechanical, chemical or other damage to the insulation.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-32

The earthed and grounded neutral conductor and the position of switches and circuit breakers must be appropriately identified.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-33

A suitable earth terminal must be provided and maintained in an accessible position at or near the start point of the supply.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-34

Wherever bare conductors are used, they should be inaccessible and fitted with switches in an easily accessible position to make them dead whenever necessary.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-35

A danger notice in Hindi or English and the local language with a skull and bone sign (as specified in IS No. 2551) must be permanently affixed on all medium, high and very high voltage installations.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-36

Anyone working on an electrical power line or device or both must be provided with tools and safety devices such as gloves, rubber shoes, seat belts, ladders, grounding devices, helmets, line testers, hand lamps, etc. to protect it against mechanical or electrical injury. These tools and devices must always be maintained in healthy and efficient working conditions.

No one shall work on a live electrical power line or device and no one shall assist such a person on such work, unless he is authorized to do so.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-37

All overhead cranes to which power is supplied from an external source must be equipped with an appropriate cut-off switch to cut off all voltage in a single operation. The entire structure of this equipment must be properly grounded.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-38

Flexible cables must not be used for motors, generators, transformers, rectifiers, electric drills, electric sprayers, welding stations or any other portable or transportable device, unless they are strongly insulated and adequately protected against mechanical damage.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-39

All pipes, conduits to which the power supply line may have been drawn must be effectively sealed at their entry / exit point in any street box.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-40

Street boxes should not contain gas lines and precautions should be taken to prevent any influx of water or gas. All street boxes should be inspected regularly for the presence of gas.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-41

Any power plant, substation, junction box, pillar or supply pole in which a circuit or device is located must be distinguished from one another by means of a permanent identification.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-41A

Any installation comprising a substation, bipolar, structure, quadrupole structure or any other structure having more than one power supply must be distinguished from other installations by means of a permanent identification.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-42

All circuits and electrical devices must be arranged in such a way that there is no danger of accidentally charging any part of them to a voltage beyond the limit for which they are intended. If the AC and DC circuits are installed on the same support, they must be arranged / separated and protected so that they do not come into contact with each other when energized.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-43

Adequate arrangements for fighting electrical fires must be installed and maintained. A first aid kit and personal protective equipment must be available in sufficient quantity.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-44

Instructions for catering for people with electric shock should be posted in English or Hindi and the local language in prominent places. An artificial respirator must be provided and maintained in good working order in each inhabited high voltage or very high voltage power plant.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-44A

Any accident related to the production, transport, supply or use of electricity that has resulted in the loss of human or animal life or injury to a human being or an animal must be reported to the authorities concerned within the 48 hours in the prescribed form no. XIII. The fatal accident must be reported by telegram within 24 hours, then in the prescribed form no. XIII within 48 hours.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-45

Contractors licensed by the state government should only be deployed to perform all electrical installation work, including additions, modifications, repairs and adjustments to existing installations.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-46

All electrical installations should be tested and inspected at periodic intervals not to exceed five years by a licensed electrical inspector.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-61A

An earth leakage protection device should be provided wherever necessary.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-67

All non-current-carrying metal parts associated with high voltage and very high voltage installations must be effectively earthed to an appropriate earthing system.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-90

All metal supports and all reinforced and prestressed cement concrete supports of overhead lines and attached metal accessories must be permanently and effectively earthed.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-91

Any overhead line erected on any part of a street or other public place must be protected by an appropriate device.

 

Indian Electricity Rule-92

The ground wire of any surge arrester should not pass through any iron or steel pipe, but should be conducted as directly as possible from the surge arrester to a separate earth electrode, avoiding bends where possible.

 

 

All above Important statutory electrical rules covering electrical safety are extracted from Indian Electricity Rules 1956, latest revision 2020. For details, you must refer to full text under Indian Electricity Rules 1956. 

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