On-Board Guide: Electrical Safety for Small Craft

An IET Guide covering the safety of DC and AC electrical systems in small craft navigating on UK inland waterways and surrounding sea areas.

This new On-Board Guide provides practical advice on the design, installation, testing, commissioning, and maintenance of electrical installations on small recreational and commercial craft.

Small craft have an ever-increasing amount of electrical equipment, systems, and associated power requirements. As a result, significantly more risks and safety concerns need to be considered in the design and testing of electrical installations on small recreational and commercial craft.

This new On-Board Guide provides practical advice on the design, installation, testing, commissioning, and maintenance of electrical installations on small recreational and commercial craft. It summarises the existing standards and directives relevant to this sector and covers key areas such as electrical supplies (including batteries and AC power sources) as well as design guidance, cable requirements, electrical protection and testing.

The full contents include:

• Working safely and general requirements.
• Types of electrical installations on-board small craft.
• Electric power sources for small craft.
• Protection against electric shock.
• Earthing.
• Distribution systems.
• Cable installation, conductor terminations and identification.
• Batteries.
• Design guidance.
• Inspection and testing of electrical installations.

The primary readers of this guide are electrically skilled boat owners, marine electrical technicians, designers and installers of electrical systems, and small craft surveyors. The contents and coverage are applicable to the recreational and commercial small craft sectors.