PRCD and PRCD-S

Personal protection to protect against electrical accidents

What is a PRCD-S?

Portable residual current devices with protective conductor detection or protective conductor monitoring are known as PRCD-S (Portable Residual Current Device-Safety). They are used to protect people from electrical accidents and are connected like an extension cable between an electrical load, e.g. a power tool, and a socket outlet.

How does a PRCD-S work?

When attempting to switch on the PRCD-S, the wiring of the supply line is checked. The PRCD-S can only be switched on if the wiring is faultless. Only then can the connected appliance be switched on. With this function, the PRCD-S prevents accidents caused by faulty electrical installations, such as a missing protective earth conductor. Such faults can usually only be recognised by closer inspection and are therefore particularly dangerous.

A PRCD-S only offers this protection if it is switched on without gloves, i.e. with direct skin contact, as a measurement of the earth potential through the user's body is carried out during the switch-on process.

During operation of the electrical consumer unit, the PRCD-S assumes the function of a residual current circuit breaker and thus protects the user against dangerous currents that can be caused by defective electrical equipment.

The PRCD-S also has an undervoltage release. This prevents devices, such as cut-off grinders, from switching back on automatically after a power failure as soon as power is available again.

What is the difference between a PRCD and a PRCD-S?

PRCD
The PRCD is a portable personal protection switch with an electronic residual current release and undervoltage release.

  • It recognises residual currents that occur, for example, when a faulty electrical appliance is touched and interrupts the current so quickly that life-threatening accidents can be prevented.
  • It also has an undervoltage release that switches off in the event of a mains voltage failure to prevent secondary accidents.
     

PRCD-S
The PRCD-S is an all-pole switching, portable residual current device with electronic residual current evaluation, designed as an intermediate cord device.
Additional functions compared to the PRCD:

  • Check the socket outlet to ensure that phase L, neutral conductor N and protective conductor PE are present, correctly connected and not reversed.
  • Only allows power to be drawn from a safe socket.
  • Checks the protective conductor when switching on.
  • Monitors the protective conductor during operation.
  • Cannot be switched on if a fault is detected.
  • Switches off automatically as soon as a fault occurs (e.g. protective conductor breakage).
  • Does not switch off if external voltage is applied to the protective conductor, e.g. by drilling into an external cable. As the PRCD-S does not switch off in this case, the upstream protective device may respond and interrupt the circuit.

The employers' liability insurance associations recommend protective distribution boards and portable protective devices with protective conductor monitoring (PRCD-S) as a supply point on small construction sites!

Why do we strongly recommend using it?

The Institute for Research into Electrical Accidents (BG ETEM) counted more than 3800 electrical accidents in 2018. Many of these can be avoided by using a PRCD-S. In order to increase safety, especially on construction sites, the BG BAU has therefore drawn up an accident prevention regulation which states that:

"A company must ensure that the electrical systems and equipment may only be operated in accordance with the electrotechnical regulations and that any defects identified must be rectified immediately. If there is an urgent danger, the defective equipment must not be used."

To comply with this regulation, use cables with built-in PRCD-S on the construction site! Companies and employees are therefore on the safe side, investing directly in health and saving money in the long term.

Protecting health and safety in the workplace with PRCD-S

"According to BG BAU, for every euro invested in prevention, two euros are saved!"

(BG Bau aktuell magazine 3/2019)

BG BAU is the statutory accident insurance organisation for the construction industry and construction-related services in Germany. It has been promoting investment in occupational safety through various premiums for years.

In order to reduce the immense number of electrical accidents in the construction industry, the use of personal protection circuit breakers, PRCD-S for short, is rewarded. When purchasing a product with PRCD-S protection, the BG BAU reimburses its members 50 % of the acquisition costs per measure up to a maximum of EUR 50 as long as subsidies are available. (Status 2019) 

 

The following impacts on a company can be avoided through preventive occupational health and safety measures:

  • Costs due to loss of working hours in the event of death or absence
  • Negative impact on the order situation due to lack of capacity and possible legal consequences
  • Costly search for replacement staff and their time-consuming training as skilled workers
  • recurring absences or long-term illnesses of employees with work-related illnesses
  • Loss of employee performance due to work-related illnesses
More information on BG Bau funding