EN 50488-2020 pdf download.Railway applications – Fixed installations – Electrical protective measures for working on or near an overhead contact line system and/or its associated return circuit.
Where conductors need to be interrupted or joined and it can cause an electrical hazard, suitable protective measures such as equipotential bonding and/or earthing shall be taken at the work location before the conductors are interrupted or joined.
Precautions shall be taken to ensure that the earthing and short-circuiting equipment or devices remain intact during the time the work activity is in progress.
If during the work activity the connections providing short-circuiting or earthing need to be removed (e.g. to enable measurement or testing) additional precautions to prevent danger shall be taken.
The position of switching devices used to earth and short circuit an electrical installation shall be reliably and continuously indicated.
Depending on the design characteristics of the electric traction system arid the work to be performed on or near the overhead contact line. earthing or short circuiting or both operations (i.e. short-circuiting and earthing) are necessary.
If measures are taken which ensure a pantograph cannot bridge a point of isolation and therefore cannot unintentionally energize conductors at the working location, additional earthings or short circuiting devices are not needed to mitigate this inadvertent energization risk.
NOTE If the earthing or short circuiting devices are close to each other within a zone formed of electrically continuous wires and/or cables, they can be reduced to a smaller number of devices, taking Into account the distances between the place where voltage causing the energization can accidentally come from (for example bridging a section insulator by a pantograph) and the closest earthing or short circuiting device (distances depending on the voltage and short circuit current of the system).
Each electrical subsection in the working zone shall be earthed or short circuited individually or in a group. Grouping several subsections to create one zone of electrically continuous wires and/or cables can be done for example by closing switch-disconnectors or disconnectors, between two subsections. These switchdisconnectors or disconnectors should be secured in closed position. If securing cannot be performed or ensured, at least one earthing or short-circuiting device shall be applied in each subsection.
The earthing and short-circuiting equipment or devices shall be visible preferably from the work location, at least at starting of the work activities. Earthing and short-circuiting equipment or devices should be applied as close as reasonably practical to the work location.
If portable earthing or short-circuiting devices are not visible from the work location, precautions to ensure the devices remain in place during the work activity shall be applied (e.g. guarding or use of devices that need tools or keys for removal).
For locations with fixed earthing or short circuiting devices, where it is not possible to see the devices at the limits of the work location, local earthing equipment, additional signalling devices or any other equivalent identification should be used.
5.2.6 Provide protection against adjacent hazardous-live-parts
If there are hazardous-live-parts of an electrical installation adjacent to the work location and protective measures are necessary according to the risk assessment, the protective measures as detailed in 5.3 shall be applied before work activity starts at that location.
This requires great attention of the WA.
5.2.7 Permission to start work after implementing protective measures
The WA shall only give workers permission to start work after all the requirements set out in 5.2.2 to 5.2.6
(the five safety rules) have been implemented successfully.
If EW has carried out any of the measures above, a traceable notification shall be provided.
5.2.8 Re-energizing after work
After the work has been completed and inspected, persons no longer required shall leave the work location. All tools, equipment and devices for the work activities shall be removed. Only then, safety equipment (e.g.locks, signs, barriers), earthing and short circuiting device can be removed and the procedure for reenergizing can start.
As soon as one of the actions taken to make the electrical installation safe for work has been reversed, this part of the electrical installation shall be regarded as live.
Before the procedure for reenergization starts, the WA shall provide a traceable notification to EW, stating that the work activity under their responsibility is finished.
5.3 Working near to hazardous live parts
5.3.1 General.EN 50488-2020 pdf download.