I did installs and maintenance for fast food outlets, for a couple of years, hence the response I got back then (around 2014/5/6) with regards to the exemption for certain fast food outlets. I queried it back then, because I notice that none (not one) of the fast food outlets 3 phase socket outlets were connected to ELU.
I am yet to hear of a court case for anything, I have been doing this for a loooooong looooong time.
I hear these threats all the time, I have even had certain members of an organization, that are suppose to be approved by the DOL, threaten me directly, tell me another electrical industry joke.
Electrical contractors cant even fill out association approved digital COC, you worried about getting caught for not putting a couple 3 phase sockets on an ELU.
Lets try something, Lets get one of the fast food franchises to allow us access to any of their stores ( I get to choose) to very that their 3 phase socket outlets are connected to a 3 phase ELU, I will even do the test for free
As you pointed out, the rule has been around for as long as I have run this business, but do people actually follow rules, especially ones like the silly plug rule.
Let me ask you this question, if you going to change just the socket to an isolator, why not connect them to an ELU, will the isolator kill less people?
Nothing else will change except the means to isolate, creating a huge inconvenience to the customer because now they cant do deep cleans as you pointed out, nor take the appliance away for repairs without getting an electrician to disconnect and reconnect.
The circuit breaker will be the same, the wires in the conduit will still be the same, the length of cable from the DB to the isolator will still be the same, the cable from the isolator to the appliance will still be the same. what changes to make the circuit safer, if you dont connect and ELU?
At least with a socket outlet, you could pull hard enough which could remove the plug top if the appliance was on fire, or someone was getting electricuted while standing ankle deep in water washing the floor or appliance, you cant do that if it is connected to an isolator.
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