What is the new 17th Edition Amendment?

With the amendment to the 17th Edition due to be published in July 2011, many people in the electrical industry are wondering how these changes will affect them in the real world.

To make things easier we are taking a look at each of the new sections ready for the amendment publishing date.

New sections include the following:

444 Measures Against Electromagnetic Disturbances
Lots of equipment can cause disturbances in the electromagnetic field which could damage IT equipment, components and circuits. These include items such as transformers, lifts and fluorescent lig17th Editon Training coursehting.

This new section includes information and recommendations for the prevention and reduction of electromagnetic disturbances.

534 Devices for Protection Against Overvoltage
This section details the requirements of SPDs in order to limit transient overvoltages and divert surge current away from sensitive equipment. A lightning strike or electrical switching can produce transient overvoltages to installations and these transient voltages can have a peak value of 6kV.

710 Medical Locations
With some medical patients needing sensitive care, it is vital that strict measures are needed to ensure the safety of these patients especially when the use of electrical medical equipment is vital to their continued care.

17th Editon 729 Operating or Maintenance Gangways
This new section details essential requirements for gangway width, access, emergency access and evacuation. This is to go alongside Regulation 15 of the Electricity at Work Act which requires work space, access and lighting to be adequately provided.

Appendix 6 Model Forms for Certification and Reporting
Legislation states that electrical installations need to be maintained. This means that inspection and testing is vital to avoid deterioration. This amendment replaces the periodic inspection report with an electrical installation condition report.

PASS Training and Development will be running a course based on the new amendments to the 17th Edition. Once the amendment has been published in July 2011, we will be able to provide you with more information and details on this new course.

In the meantime, contact 0845 365 39 45 if you have further questions.