Working in and on electrical installations can be dangerous to life. Please observe the following five safety rules of the German standard series DIN VDE 0105 to prevent electrical accidents!
Work according to the Five Safety Rules
The 5 safety rules at a glance
1. Disconnect completely
Meaning that the electrical installation must be disconnected from live parts on all poles.
2. Secure against re-connection
Reliably prevent an accidental re-connection of an installation where work is in progress. This is achieved by just replacing the unscrewed fuses in the low-voltage system by lockable lock-out devices.
3. Verify that the installation is dead
Is the installation in fact dead now? Use a suitable measuring / test equipment such as a voltage detector to verify on all poles that the installation is dead. Check the correct function of the voltage detector prior to using it.
4. Carry out earthing and short-circuiting
If the installation is dead, connect the cables and the earthing system with short-circuit-proof earthing and short-circuiting devices. Important: The relevant parts must be earthed before they are short-circuited!
5. Provide protection against adjacent live parts
According to the five safety rules, adjacent parts are parts located in the vicinity zone. If parts of an electrical installation in the vicinity zone of the work location cannot be disconnected, additional precautions must be taken before work starts. In this case use insulating protective shutters or covering material as protection against accidental contact.
