Why is there not space provided for the "Earth to Earth" resistance measurement and the "Phase+Neutral to Earth" Insulation resistance? Something that could considered more useful for safety reasons then all the other time wasted information needed to fill in the certificate.
These resistance readings change from one appliance to another or at least they do with televisions and video tape recorders. When the insulation test passes the legal limits, there is no way one would know if the insulation is breaking down or to put it another way in the failing stage, unless you took the appliance apart to check, or looked at the circuit diagram, a right time consuming pain in the neck exercise at most times, is that what the EWRB (Electrical Workers Registration Board) would of expected us to do if we passed an appliance that was in the failing stage with a safety certificate and a customer got a shock from it after the fault condition got worse?

  Why? The law says both measurements have to pass set figures, Let´s say for example someone checks the insulation, it passes the test, the appliance is returned to the customer and put back into service, the insulation starts to break down, the appliance faults again (maybe a couple of years later) the appliance is sent in for repair, the service workshops repairs it and checks the insulation again, and it still passes only just, the appliance goes back into service, the insulation continues to break down to a point were it would now fail if tested again, and someone gets a electrical shock from the fault appliance, ignoring whether it was a fatal shock or not.

   Now as I see it and I am sure you will too, whoever signed the last certificate could end up in deep poo with the EWRB, why should they be? If the insulation figure was put on the first certificate and fixed to the appliance, Then on the second insulation test, the person would notice the next new reading was lower than the first one, this would indicate one of two things either the insulation is breaking down in the appliance or the test instrument is beginning to fault giving wrong readings. If it just turns out to be the insulation breaking down in the appliance, then we could save someone from getting a electrical shock and of course all electrical shocks have the potential of been fatal, I would of thought that is what the EWRB is all about?

   So why not include the Earth to Earth resistance measurement and the Phase+Neutral to Earth Insulation resistance results. A mains male plug with just two pins could be put down as N/A (Not Applicable) for the earth to earth resistance measurement. Sometimes I find the molded on plug has been removed and replaced with a three pin plug, then find the Earth to Earth resistance measurement is over range, In which case I unscrew the male plug, and if I find a two wire mains lead, then I write "2-wire" on the safety certificate. In fact I am beginning to think taking the replacement plug apart is a good idea, Once I unscrewed a replacement plug I found one wire going to Phase pin and the other wire going to the Earth pin instead of the Neutral pin, while it would still work (all things going well) and a accident waiting to happen, it is a good reason why the home handy person should not be allowed to fiddle with electrical wiring.
   The Phase+Neutral to Earth Insulation test with no reading on a two pin plug could be written down as O/R (Over Range).

   My point is I once worked for a company that had dodge practices, I often wondered, was this deliberately done so when things went wrong, the bosses could choose who they were going to discipline. One would have to be a little bit paranoid to think the EWRB would operate the same as the company I once worked for, but never the less a innocent person just might get the blame through no fault of themself. Could this happen here if we ignore this problem and turn a blind eye to it?



From Eric Richards.