Where does the responsibility end

[Isetech]

At the terminals or the isolator or the plug socket.

We take about point of consumption and all that type of stuff.

In reality this is something that can become rather interesting, especially if you do domestic, commercial and industrial work.

An easy example, a light fitting on commercial sites. It simple, you install 5 amp plug tops and the fitting is supplied with a plug top (not longer than 3 m) and everyone is happy.

But then you get installations where the plug top is cut off and the 0.5 mm or 1 mm wire (seen both) is used to connect the light to a junction box, then it gets interesting or does it.

Then we have the isolator on the wall for industrial machines, drill presses and other types of equipment connected to the electrical installation.

You install a cable for a new piece of equipment, sized according to information, the machine arrive on site and then you realise the cable from the DB to the machine is too small. You have a big problem or do you, if your cable supplied is protected by the correct sized breaker and the information shared was within the cable you supplied spec, I dont see what you could have done wrong. This is why it is so important to get the equipment details and preferably a screen shot of the machine name plate with all the details, VAC, Current KVA. When you start dealing with big machines, many are rated to 220 VAC 3 phase, supplied with a 400/220 VAC transformer.

Then we have another scenario, you install a 16 mm wire from the DB to the wall isolator. The machine arrives and the max demand is (400VAC) 8 kva, fitted with a 4 mm or 2.5 mm x 4 core+E. Do you replace the cable with a 16 mm from the isolator to the machine or do you just connect the 2.5 mm cable to the wall isolator?

Same thing with a geyser, I see this on many old installations. The old wiring is 4 mm in a steel pipe using the steel pipe for the earth conductor, connected to an old NWI metal isolator. The insurance company sends out their insurance approved plumber/electrician, who replaces the geyser and the old sprag between the isolator and the geyser terminals, with 2.5 mm twin+E. Now it gets interesting when it is time to do an inspection report. It is generally a lot worse, but hey maybe the contractor has a little pride in his work.

We have to consider the point of consumption and a list of regs.

[GCE]

The definitions in SANS 10142-1 covers that

3.55
point of consumption
point of outlet, or the supply terminal of machinery that is not connected to a
point of outlet and that converts electrical energy to another form of energy,
provided that in the case of machinery that has been installed for any specific
purpose as a complete unit, the point of consumption is the supply terminals
that have been provided on the unit of machinery for that purpose