Working with electricity is a dangerous activity that can have irreparable consequences if taken up by a layperson. That is why in Russia there is such a concept as an electrical safety group.
An electrical safety group is a set of conditions and requirements that must be met by a specialist in the field of work related to electricity.
Electrical safety group concept
The system of requirements, the full name of which is the electrical safety admission group, determines the nature and level of knowledge that a specialist in this field must have. The assignment of a group to such a specialist is carried out after passing a special exam, which is accepted by the commission.
In case of successful passing of such an exam, a specialist can receive a certificate confirming his right to carry out certain types of work related to electric current. Moreover, such certificates have an established format that is valid throughout the territory of the Russian Federation, therefore, a potential employer, inspector or other interested persons can easily identify the relevant document, since they are well familiar with it. Periodically, a specialist must confirm his compliance with the requirements of his existing group, for example, when moving to a new job.
Electrical Safety Groups
The document defining the list of requirements for electrical safety groups and the conditions for their assignment in the Russian Federation is the Rules for the technical operation of electrical installations of consumers. This document establishes that a specialist in the field of working with electricity can have one of the following five groups.
Group I on electrical safety denotes the minimum level of qualification requirements and is usually assigned to personnel who do not belong to the category of electrical or electrotechnical. It must be obtained by an employee whose activity is in one way or another related to the operation of electrical equipment, for example, electric ovens. Group II is necessary for those workers who carry out maintenance of equipment with an electric drive. Group III should have employees whose duties include sole control over the operation of equipment with a voltage of up to 1000 volts.
Group IV for electrical safety should be assigned to employees who solely carry out maintenance of electrical installations with voltages over 1000 volts, and group V - to persons whose responsibilities include control of the entire energy economy at the enterprise. At the same time, the assignment of each subsequent group presupposes that the attested has the knowledge necessary to obtain the previous group, as well as a certain length of service with electrical installations.
