IEC 60364-5-54:2011 addresses the earthing arrangements and protective conductors including protective bonding conductors in order to satisfy the safety of the electrical installation. This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition, published in 2002, and constitutes a technical revision. The main changes with respect to the previous edition are listed below: – clarification of the definition of protective conductor; – improved specification of mechanical characteristics of the earth electrode; – introduction of earth electrode for protection against electric shock and lighting protection; – annexes describing concrete-embedded foundation earth electrodes and soil-embedded earth electrode. IEC 60364-5-54:2011 has the status of a basic safety publication in accordance with IEC Guide 104.
This document also includes requirements regarding earthing and equipotential bonding for
information and communication technology (ICT) with the aim of:
- reducing the risk of electrical hazards for correct operation of these devices and the
information and communication technology wiring;
- providing the telecommunication systems with a reliable signal reference plane that can
improve resistance to electromagnetic interference (EMI) by reference to ISO/IEC 30129.
NOTE – Examples of information and communication technology (ICT) include:
- DC supply networks (and systems) for supplying power to ICT equipment within a building;
- star-shaped private automatic branch exchanges (PABX) or their equipment;
- local area (communication) networks (LANs);
- fire and intruder alarms communication systems;
- building automation systems, e.g. direct digital control systems;
- systems for computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and other computer-aided services;
- broadcast and communication technology.
