Mains outside - safety

[Adrian Brentnall]

HI Folks

As part of a week-long Food Festival out here in South-west Ireland, we're holding a family-fund-day-cum-open-air-market event.

As part of the 'craft' attractions, I'm hoping to be able to demonstrate my stained-glass work.

If all goes to plan, my stall will be backed up against the wall of a building with mains power, so I was hoping to sneak an extension lead in through a window and get my mains that way.

As the building in question is Council-owned, there's a good chance that there may be 'elfin-safety' discussions - so - to avoid being scuppered by these - what's the consensus on how best to show that the temporaty installation is safe ? Something simple like a plug-in RCD at the 'inside' end of the cable ??

Power requirements are tiny - 80W for a soldering iron and maybe 100W for a small grinder.. Providing an earth at the outside end of the cable might be a challenge as it's a tarmaced car park!

Thanks Adrian

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yes.

[Clot]

A covered stall?

As someone involved in an annual carnival on council property, the Elfins go OTT here and stipulate all sorts of nonsense in a contract we have to sign prior to the event, which we do comply with!. If you ask them, they are likely to stipulate that all equipment be PAT tested and comply to BSXYZ (or local equivalent).

"Sneaking" in a lead with the RCD seems a suitable solution since it is not critical to your stall.

If asked during the event, feign innocence!

[Adrian Brentnall]

Thanks!

[Adrian Brentnall]

Yes - standard 'slot together' market stall with ginormous tarpaulin (back end supported by a handy Morris Traveller!) - and probably attached to the woodcarving guy who's next in line...

Let's hope they don't want that done - though the grinder is CE-marked and double-insulated, one of the soldering irons is running on 110v and is USA-approved rather than CE-approved. They'd probably have a field day with my somewhat ad-hoc 240 - 110 transformer.... - maybe best to hide it in a box!

Anyway - the powered kit isn't accessible to the public ..... and I do have my 6.5-million-euro public liabilty insurance..

I always go for ignorance, myself Thanks

[Owain]

You'll probably need a hot work permit, fire extinguisher, and safety goggles for everyone within 20 yards. And a licenced skip for metal waste. And fume extraction for the soldering.

Then again, you are in Ireland, so maybe not.

Shouldn't need one if you're against the building, you can rely on the exported building earth.

Owain