Grounding is vital for workers in the context of occupational health and safety. Failure currents that may occur in electrical installations, machinery and equipment may present risks to the life of both the operator and other employees who use the machinery and equipment. Detailed information is provided in the Regulation on Grounding in Electrical Installations, which was published and entered into force in 2001.
Grounding is to connect an electrically conductive part to ground through a grounding plant. Grounding systems are one of the most important elements in providing security in factories, production facilities, buildings and various structures. In those places where there is no grounding system, the safety of people is in danger and the electrical machines, tools and equipment used can be severely damaged.
Therefore, it is necessary to make regular measurements of these systems both in terms of installation of grounding systems and ensuring safety. Depending on whether the building is a factory, a production facility, a building, or if it is located in the city or in the countryside, there are many methods of grounding measurement.
If the earthing is correctly applied, the leakage currents are safely directed to the ground and the electrical system is automatically switched off. In this way, in any negative situation, both people's life and machines are protected.
It is very important that the operations are performed correctly, but it is more important to check them regularly. Earthing installations of the factories have to be made periodically at least once a year. If the machines are displaced frequently at the factories, periodic checks should be performed every six months. Another important point is that these control and inspection operations and measurements to be made must be done by authorized electrical engineers.
Inspection and measurement reports sought in the official inspections to be carried out by the Ministry of Labor are accepted only if issued by accredited test and inspection institutions or laboratories.
Soil resistivity is measured first in the grounding facilities in order to determine the electrical permeability of the soil. In general, these measurements are made by the Four-Probe Method, which allows the determination of resistance for various depths of soil.
Grounding facilities must be visually inspected and tested during assembly and installation phases before commissioning a factory. In addition to the global grounding system, the earth resistance must be calculated and systematically measured.
