Yes, if you have the PPE gear available it makes sense to use it but I was wondering if lack of suitable PPE would be a reason to not pull the main fuse from a modern cutout.
In other words which would be the greater risk on a modern domestic installation. Working inside a consumer unit with its main switch turned off but still live at the input side or pulling the main fuse after switching off the consumer unit main switch.
On your own installation its an easier call, since you probably know the history of the install, and what CUs there are, and how they are powered etc. With a bit of experience you will also learn to recognise the various types of main cutout in use, and which ones are inadvisable to play with.
e.g. one should be wary of old metal clad things like :
If in any doubt about whether you have removed all the load, then sticking a clamp meter round one of the meter tails will soon tell you.
Depends on what you mean by working inside. If you were replacing the CU or doing other significant work, then yup isolate it first. If just doing work on one circuit - say disconnecting it for testing or isolation, then you can usually safely work with the power on as far as the incomer of the main switch.
What can easily catch people out on old metal clads (pre-war Isco era) is that the ceramics used in them can have close to zero tensile strength. Just pulling a not-tight fuseholder can be enough to cause major disintegration. This can be partially mitigated by squeezing the ceramic when pulling it.
NT
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