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| ContactElectrical NewsBathroom SafetyAs far as electricity is concerned, the bathroom is possibly the most dangerous room in the house. Water is a very efficient conductor of electrical current which makes the combination of water and electricity potentially lethal. There are special requirements for electrical installations in bathrooms, so it is essential to check whether your bathroom meets them. The consequences of an electric shock are potentially far more severe in a room containing a bath or shower as wet skin reduces the body's resistance. Supplementary Bonding Local Supplementary Bonding must be provided connecting together the terminal of the protective conductor of each circuit (i.e. lighting circuit) and any extraneous-conductive-parts including the following:
Electrical Socket-outlets No electrical socket-outlets, other than specially-designed outlets such as those for shavers, are permitted in bathrooms. Shaver units are not splash-proof, so although they are allowed in bathrooms, they must be positioned well away from the bath or shower. Avoid splashing them. Portable appliances such as hairdryers and plugged in radios must never be brought into a bathroom, even if they are plugged in outside the room. (Fixed hairdryers, with the hot air delivered through a flexible plastic pipe are permitted.) Lights Light fittings must be well out of reach and enclosed to keep water out. Ceiling lights must be either 12 volts (SELV) or enclosed and rated to a minimum degree of water ingress of IPX4. Normal wall-mounted light switches may not be used in a bathroom as they may allow dampness or water to enter, such as from wet hands. A ceiling-mounted pull-cord switch with a cord made of insulating material is the safest option or alternatively the switch may be mounted outside the bathroom. Extractor Fan An extractor fan must be fitted with an isolator switch so as to allow safe isolation for maintenance purposes. Heaters and towel rails All electric heaters and water heaters in a bathroom must be fixed and permanently wired - none must be supplied via a plug and socket. Hot water central heating is the safest way of keeping a bathroom warm, but if you do have an electric room heater it must be out of reach of someone in the bath or shower - fixed at a greater distance than 0.6m from the bath or shower. Electric heaters should be controlled by a pull-cord or by a switch located outside the bathroom. Showers An instant demand electric shower must be wired back to the consumer unit. Electric Under-floor Heating Electric heating elements installed under the floor must be covered by an earthed metallic grid or by an earth metallic sheath connected to the local supplementary bonding. Washing Machines If a washing machine is installed in a bathroom it must be located at least 0.6m from the bath or shower (Zone 3) and protected by an RCD with a residual operating current not exceeding 30 mA. ^ Top
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