Metering issues often
precipitate arc flash events, meter explosions and other potentially life threatening situations. It is the
position of this trainer/consultant that meters are not all created equal. Certain meters are dramatically over-rated. These meters are often cheap China imports rated for
500 or 600 volts and fused with 250VAC fuses, if at all.
Some major brand tool and equipment manufacturers (particularly those brands that are well known) have come out with meters
and test tools in recent years. These are names that I have come to trust in our industry, over my 36+ years in the business, as manufacturers of quality products. However, with global
and national competition as it is, it's hard to make it manufacturing wire strippers, locknuts, boxes and other electrical staples. So as a method of creating margin and profit, many manufacturers
not known in the past for meters and test tools are now "in the business", some in a large way!
The frightening thing about that is at least some of these companies have went out and imported meters and test equipment from China, Taiwan, or other parts of the world. The vendor importing
the meter or test tool may have little to do with the actual manufacturing process where the meter or test tool is made, but rather labels a product with his/her brand and passes it to market. This can result with a very good name
ending up on a VERY BAD METER!
It is the duty of the electrical industry, especially those of us that train electricians and
Multicraft individuals to point out these misrepresentations of the safety and
suitability of these devices that are over-rated and not suitable for industrial environments.
Fused Meter Leads - Care to hold a bomb in YOUR HANDS?
Further, unsafe or inappropriate accessories such as fused probes or leads for EN61010-1 tested meters may introduce hazards that the meter with its OEM non fused leads would have
protected the user against without the fused lead or probe.
Meter Conformance to International Test Standards Chart
The IEC61010-1 Meter Conformance Chart (.PDF file) listed below is a very revealing overview of what manufacturers of meters are doing in terms of "tested to" as opposed to "in compliance
with" or "conforms to" or "designed to" the IEC meter design and testing standards. The IEC meter design, category and testing standard is state of the art and provides a way for any meter manufacturer to
design, build and 3rd party test and certify his/her meter to the high level of safety this standard offers. Meeting the standard in conformance AND 3rd party independent testing is the ONLY way
to assure the safety of the meter in an industrial environment. Unfortunately, a meter that is inherently unsafe (designed to a category standard, yet never tested) is made
worse when that meter is in the hands of an inexperienced or careless person. The best defense against a metering accident is good equipment AND trained and skilled workers!.
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