Technical Bulletin
Does Metallic Cable Tray /
Ladder Require Bonding? March 2017
Many contractors, engineers and Extraneous-conductive-part
consultants find this topic to be This is a conductive part liable to introduce a
confusing. This bulletin is designed potential, generally Earth potential. It does not
to give authoritative guidance on the form part of the electrical installation.
subject.
The answer will depend on what the tray / ladder is Conclusion
used for. If:
In order for the tray / ladder to be an exposed-
conductive-part, and therefore require earthing, it
the tray/ladder is an exposed-conductive- must be used as a protective conductor as per
part it will require earthing the requirements of BS 7671:2008 Regulation
the tray / ladder is an extraneous- 543.2.1.
conductive-part it will require bonding
the tray / ladder is neither and If the tray / ladder is carrying sheathed and / or
exposed/extraneous-conductive-part then armoured cables (which it most likely will be)
it will not require earthing or bonding then the nature of that type of cabling suggests
that the tray / ladder will not require earthing as
As can be seen, the relevance of the cable has adequate mechanical protection
earthing/bonding will depend on the nature of the i.e. more than just basic insulation. This meets
tray / ladder. It is worthwhile here defining what the requirement of Regulation 412.2.4.1 and
an exposed or extraneous-conductive-part is: therefore the tray / ladder does not need
earthing.
Exposed-conductive-part
Note – the requirements are different for trunking
This is a conductive part of equipment which can and conduit, (both of which enclose the cables)
be touched and is not normally live, though it where single insulated cables are likely to be
may become live under fault conditions. installed.
Wiring Accessory Replacement – Best practice
Does Metallic Cable Tray / Ladder Require Bonding? TB02/2016/1
If the tray / ladder is to be classed as an
‘extraneous-conductive-part’ then as well as
clearly not being part of the electrical installation,
it also needs to be proven that it is not in
fortuitous contact with earth.
If these two conditions can be met, then there
will be no need to provide equipotential bonding
to it.
How to determine if it is an
extraneous-conductive-part, or not?
A simple measurement is undertaken. This is
done by testing the resistance between the
suspected extraneous-conductive-part and the
MET or the nearest known connection to Earth,
such as the circuit protective conductor (cpc) of a
local circuit (so long as its connection to earth
has been verified).
Published guidance by the IET suggests that if
the ohmic value between the suspected
extraneous part and Earth is greater than 22 kΩ,
then the part in question is considered as not
able to introduce a shock risk, and as such will
not require bonding.
To measure this sort of reading will require the
use of the insulation resistance testing range
(MΩ) where 22 kΩ will usually be displayed as
0.02 MΩ.
If the test reading indicates anything greater than
0.03 MΩ, then it may be concluded that the item
in question is not likely to introduce a dangerous
potential and therefore would not require
bonding.
For further information and assistance please visit www.eca.co.uk where
members and associates can benefit from unrivalled technical support
across a whole range of electro technical activities.
ECA
ECA Court
24-26 South Park
Sevenoaks TN13 1DU
Tel: 020 7313 4800
www.eca.co.uk
Does Metallic Cable Tray / Ladder Require Bonding? TB02/2016/1
