Question 1

What class of insulating mat do I need for a 10 kV or 35 kV installation?

Accepted Answer

The class is selected from the maximum service voltage of the installation — on a three-phase circuit normally the phase-to-phase voltage, and the phase-to-earth figure only where the exposed work is genuinely limited to one phase. Send us the network voltage and the standard you are specifying against, and we will confirm the class and the corresponding thickness window.

Question 2

Is IEC 61111 matting the same as ASTM D178 matting?

Accepted Answer

No. IEC 61111 assigns the voltage class and a thickness window for that class. ASTM D178 sets performance by Type, where Type I is the default supply grade and Type II covers the higher-performance elastomers with letter suffixes for specific environments. The two are not interchangeable in a specification, so name the standard on the order.

Question 3

How is the matting tested before shipment?

Accepted Answer

Matting is dielectric tested in our own factory before dispatch, and the relevant batch test report is supplied with the shipment. If your inspector requires a specific document, tell us at the quotation stage so the right report travels with the goods.

Question 4

What dimensions can you supply?

Accepted Answer

Rolls and cut sheets are produced to the dimensions on your order, including the surface finish you specify. Thickness is determined by the class you require rather than chosen independently, so confirm the class first and the dimensions with it.

Question 5

A 20 kV glove — is that the class I should order?

Accepted Answer

20,000 V is the AC proof test voltage of a Class 2 glove, whose maximum use voltage is 17,000 V AC. Order by class and state the maximum use voltage you are working to, because the proof test figure and the working limit are different numbers by design.

Question 6

Which glove category do I need?

Accepted Answer

The category letters describe the conditions the glove resists. Tell us the environment and the contaminants present at the point of work — oil, acid, ozone or low temperature — and we will confirm which category is the right one. Do not select on colour, and do not assume an uncategorised glove is suitable because it looks the same.

Question 7

Do you supply gloves with leather protectors?

Accepted Answer

Protectors are quoted with the gloves. Where a glove is worn without protectors, the class goes up by one — Class 00 and Class 0 excepted — so the protector is part of the specification, not an accessory.

Question 8

What documentation comes with the shipment?

Accepted Answer

The test certificate is supplied with the order, and the report states which test class each figure comes from. Every unit is tested before it leaves the factory. If your procedure requires a specific document format, tell us at the quotation stage.

Question 9

How is a portable earthing set sized?

Accepted Answer

From the prospective fault current and the conductor size at the point of work, under IEC 61230 — not from the system voltage alone. Send us the fault level, the conductor type and the earthing arrangement at the worksite, and we will confirm the cross-section and the fittings.

Question 10

Do you supply sets for railway catenary work?

Accepted Answer

Yes — a 27.5 kV portable grounding set for railway catenary is part of the range, alongside the substation sets. Tell us the system and the conductor arrangement and we will quote the set for that application.

Question 11

Can the clamps be made to match our existing fittings?

Accepted Answer

That is the usual case. Because we manufacture the fittings rather than assembling from third-party parts, a specific clamp geometry, conductor length or termination is a drawing and quotation question rather than a sourcing limit.

Question 12

Do you supply surge arresters as part of earthing and lightning protection?

Accepted Answer

Yes — composite-insulated zinc oxide surge arresters are part of the grounding and lightning-protection line, for outdoor and substation duty. Send us the system voltage and the installation conditions for a selection.

Question 13

Are insulating ladders and mobile insulating platforms the same product line?

Accepted Answer

No — they are separate lines, quoted and documented separately. Our insulating ladders are supplied to IEC 61478 as one line; mobile insulating platforms and insulated scaffolding are a different line with their own documentation. Keep the two as separate tender lines to avoid a substitution argument.

Question 14

Which voltage detector should I order?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the voltage range, whether it is for overhead lines or switchgear, and whether you need a sound-and-light indication or a user-set threshold. A detector for a 33 kV overhead line is not the tool for confirming dead on a low-voltage distribution board. Tell us the network and the point of work.

Question 15

What length of operating rod do I need?

Accepted Answer

Specify the working reach required at the point of work together with the insulation class. Tell us the switching or earthing operation and the structure you are working from, and we will quote the rod and head fitting for it.

Question 16

Do you supply the maintenance and test documentation for insulating tools?

Accepted Answer

Yes — test certificates are supplied with the order for the insulating tools and ladders. Tell us at the quotation stage which document your inspection procedure requires.

Question 17

How does the cabinet prove that no tool was left behind?

Accepted Answer

Through position control: every tool has a defined place, and the cabinet records the state before and after issue, together with who accessed it and when. That record is the evidence a permit-to-work procedure requires.

Question 18

What access-control options are available?

Accepted Answer

Face recognition, fingerprint, RFID card and PIN are all supported, and the right one is chosen from the procedure the cabinet has to satisfy. Tell us what the audit trail has to produce and who is allowed access.

Question 19

Can the cabinet be built to our tool list?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Cabinets are configured from your tool inventory — sizes, quantities and access method — rather than supplied as a fixed kit. Send the tool list and we will propose a layout.

Question 20

Is dehumidification available?

Accepted Answer

Yes, a dehumidification option is available for cabinets that store insulated tools and PPE long-term, so the storage environment does not become the reason a tool fails inspection.

Question 21

What solar PV cable do you supply?

Accepted Answer

DC tinned-copper solar PV cable in 2.5, 4 and 6 mm², together with PV extension-cable assemblies in single-head and IP67 versions. Tell us the system and the run and we will confirm the cable and the connector arrangement.

Question 22

What signage is available for substations?

Accepted Answer

Rigid safety-warning sign plates for substation and switchyard installation, including stainless-steel and rigid-plate constructions, and FRP warning posts and route markers. Tell us the location and the standard your specification references.

Question 23

Can I consolidate accessories with safety equipment on one order?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The accessory lines sit in the same manufacturing and export operation as the safety equipment, so mixed orders are handled as one shipment with one set of export documents.

Question 24

Do you supply cable lugs and terminations separately?

Accepted Answer

Yes — copper cable lugs including dual-hole types, supplied to the conductor sizes on the order. If you need the termination to match a specific bolted busbar arrangement, send us the interface detail.

Question 25

Which fall-protection standard do your harnesses meet?

Accepted Answer

Fall-protection standards differ by market, so harnesses are quoted against the standard your project or national regulation names. Tell us the standard and the application and we will confirm the harness, lanyard and accessories, with the matching test documentation.

Question 26

Do I need a full-body harness or a safety belt?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the task and the anchor arrangement. A full-body harness is the fall-arrest configuration; a safety belt with a double rope lanyard suits work positioning where the wearer is supported rather than arrested. Describe the structure and the work position and we will confirm which arrangement applies.

Question 27

How are pole-climbing shoes sized?

Accepted Answer

By the pole diameter range they have to grip and by the footwear they are fitted to. The adjustable manganese-steel type is specified for the pole sizes in your network — tell us the range and we will confirm the size.

Question 28

Can you supply replacement lanyards and accessories?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Lanyards and the accessories that complete the system are quoted alongside the harness, so replacement and expansion parts remain available against the original specification.

Question 29

How do I size a portable earthing set for our substation?

Accepted Answer

From the prospective fault current at the point of work and the clearing time of the upstream protection, under IEC 61230 — not from the system voltage. Send us the fault level, the conductor type and the earthing arrangement actually in use, and we will confirm the cross-section and the clamps.

Question 30

Which class of insulating matting do we need?

Accepted Answer

The class follows the maximum service voltage of the installation — normally the phase-to-phase voltage on a three-phase circuit, and the phase-to-earth figure only where the exposed work is genuinely limited to one phase. Thickness follows from the class inside the standard, so tell us the network voltage and the standard you are specifying against.

Question 31

Can we get a test report per batch rather than per delivery?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Matting is dielectric tested in our own factory before dispatch and the relevant batch test report is supplied with the shipment. Tell us at the quotation stage whether your inspector needs a batch report or a type test report — they are not the same document.

Question 32

Do the tool cabinets come configured to our tool list?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Cabinets are configured from your tool inventory — sizes, quantities and access method — rather than supplied as a fixed kit, and they record who took what and when so the record can be produced for a permit-to-work.

Question 33

Can a substation earthing set be used on a catenary?

Accepted Answer

Usually not without changing the clamps and the length. The conductor geometry at a catenary — contact and messenger wires with droppers — and the fact that the set is applied at height make this a different arrangement from a busbar connection. Send us the conductor arrangement and the earthing point and we will quote the set for it.

Question 34

What is the operating rod for?

Accepted Answer

To apply and remove the earthing set without the operator approaching the conductor by hand. In catenary work the rod is part of the arrangement rather than an accessory, which is why the set is quoted with the reach the crew actually needs.

Question 35

Do you supply a discharge rod as well?

Accepted Answer

Yes — a telescopic high voltage discharge rod is part of the range for the high-voltage side of a worksite. Tell us the system voltage and the access arrangement and we will include it in the quotation.

Question 36

What documentation comes with the set?

Accepted Answer

The set is rated by current, time and peak factor under IEC 61230, so that is what the documentation states, and the test documentation travels with the order. Tell us at the quotation stage which document your railway authority requires.

Question 37

What DC cable do you supply for a PV plant?

Accepted Answer

DC tinned-copper solar PV cable in 2.5, 4 and 6 mm² with double XLPO insulation, for 1000 V and 1500 V systems, plus PV extension-cable assemblies with MC4 connectors in single-head IP67 and double-head versions. Tell us the system voltage, the cross-section and the connector type.

Question 38

How is the grounding conductor for the array specified?

Accepted Answer

By the cross-section the installation requires and by the environment it runs through. The PVC-sheathed stranded copper range is quoted by cross-section — 16–150 mm² and 2.5–10 mm² versions are both in the range — so tell us the conductor size and the routing.

Question 39

Do you supply the safety equipment as well as the cables?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and that is deliberate: the matting, gloves, detectors, ladders and tool cabinets come out of the same operation as the DC cables, so a PV order is one shipment and one set of export documents rather than three suppliers.

Question 40

Can a PV maintenance crew work on the DC side at all?

Accepted Answer

Only under the same discipline as any other live-work: the point of work is proved dead and, where required, earthed before contact. A PV array generates whenever it is illuminated, so proving dead and holding the conductor at earth potential is not a formality on this site. Tell us the system and the work and we will confirm the equipment list.

Questions buyers ask before they order

Insulating Rubber Mats

Insulating Gloves & PPE

Grounding, Earthing & Lightning Protection

Insulating Tools, Ladders & Detectors

Smart Tool Cabinets

Electrical Accessories, Cables & Signage

Fall Protection & Pole Climbing

Electrical Safety Equipment for Substation & Switchgear Work

Portable Earthing for Railway Overhead Catenary (27.5 kV)

Electrical Safety Equipment for Solar PV Plants

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