Differences between electrical safety groups
The Rules for the Technical Operation of Consumer Electrical Installations and the Safety Rules require 5 categories of electrical safety qualifications for employees in the electrification field. Main characteristics of each group:
- Assigned to persons who are not in direct contact with electrical installations (technical personnel, loaders). These persons must be aware of the dangers of electric shock. You can get the first group after completing the instructions.
- Provides for the work of personnel in electrical installations with voltages up to 1000 V. To obtain group II in electrical safety, it is necessary to be certified at a branch of Rostechnadzor or at an enterprise before a specially created commission. The person being examined may not have the appropriate education, but then she is required to undergo training lasting at least 72 hours on the topic “Norms and rules for working in electrical installations.” If an employee has a specialized technical education, then he must work for 2-3 months before passing the exam. Persons who have received a certificate of assignment of this access group do not have the right to independently connect electrical devices. Their operation and maintenance should only be carried out under the supervision of qualified persons. Assigned primarily to young specialists, as well as elevator operators and welders.
- Allows electrical personnel to independently work in networks with voltages up to 1000 volts. Operation at higher voltages is permitted if the certificate contains a permission entry “up to and above 1000 V.” Certification is carried out at the Rostechnadzor branch or directly at the company before a specially created commission. Persons who have a higher electrical engineering education and have worked for at least a month with group 2 are admitted to it. Graduates of vocational schools - only after working for at least six months. Persons with group 3 are allowed not only to operate electrical devices, but also to issue permits for their maintenance to persons with less qualifications.
- You can obtain group IV in electrical safety with a higher electrical engineering education after 2 months of work; without education - after 6 months of working with group 3. You can undergo certification at the Rostechnadzor department or at the enterprise under certain conditions.
- Is the maximum in this category. Therefore, a person who has the fifth electrical safety clearance group has the right to perform any operations with electrical installations and mechanisms, and can also be appointed to a leadership position in the electrical sector. You can pass the exam for this category only after 3 months of work with the appropriate education, and without it - after two years of work with the 4th group.
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Electrical safety tickets
Below are the new tickets that were in 2014 for an extraordinary exam in the Rostov region for groups 3 and 4 in electrical safety. There may be other options in other regions; you can download them at the end of the article.
There are 10 tickets in total, each with 7 multiple-choice questions. The correct answers are highlighted.
Ticket 1
| Question | Answer options | № | |
| 1 | Which electrical safety group should employees from among the operational personnel who single-handedly service electrical installations with voltages above 1000V have? | Not less than 2 groups | 1 |
| Not lower than 3 groups | 2 | ||
| Not lower than 4 groups | 3 | ||
| 5 group | 4 | ||
| 2 | Should a responsible supervisor be appointed for work in electrical installations with voltages above 1000V? | Yes, you definitely should. | 1 |
| May not be assigned when performing work in a switchgear with a single sectionalized or non-sectional bus system that does not have a bypass bus system. | 2 | ||
| No, you shouldn't. | 3 | ||
| 3 | In what cases is it permissible to temporarily leave the workplace of one or more team members in electrical installations with voltages above 1000V? | Allowed in any case. | 1 |
| Allowed with the permission of the work manufacturer (supervisor). | 2 | ||
| Allowed with the permission of the work foreman (supervisor), if the number of remaining team members is at least 2, including the work foreman. | 3 | ||
| 4 | Is it necessary to issue a work permit for working with a megohmmeter when working in electrical installations with voltages above 1000V? | Yes. | 1 |
| No, the order is enough. | 2 | ||
| At the discretion of the person issuing the outfit, giving orders. | 3 | ||
| 5 | Who has the right to individually inspect electrical installations with voltages above 1000V and the electrical parts of process equipment? | An employee from among the operational personnel on duty, having a group of at least 3. | 1 |
| An employee from among the administrative and technical personnel with a group of at least 5. | 2 | ||
| Any of the above employees. | 3 | ||
| 6 | For how long can a work permit be extended? | For a period of no more than 15 calendar days. | 1 |
| For a period of no more than 10 calendar days. | 2 | ||
| For a period of no more than 5 calendar days. | 3 | ||
| 7 | Which electrical safety group should a manufacturer of work performed in electrical installations with voltages above 1000V have? | Not lower than 3 groups | 1 |
| Not lower than 4 groups | 2 | ||
| 5 group | 3 |
Ticket 2
| Question | Answer options | № | |
| 1 | Who can be granted the right to issue permits and orders in electrical installations with voltages above 1000V? | An employee from among administrative and technical personnel with a group of at least 3. | 1 |
| An employee from among administrative and technical personnel with a group of at least 4. | 2 | ||
| An employee from among administrative and technical personnel with a group of at least 5. | 3 | ||
| 2 | When performing work, how should you position yourself near unprotected live parts of the installation? | In such a way that these parts are not behind the worker. | 1 |
| In such a way that these parts are not located on both sides of the worker. | 2 | ||
| In such a way that these parts are not located behind and on both sides of the worker. | 3 | ||
| 3 | Which electrical safety group in electrical installations with voltages above 1000V should a permitting person have? | Not lower than 3 groups | 1 |
| Not lower than 4 groups | 2 | ||
| 5 group | 3 | ||
| 4 | At what distance are people allowed to approach unfenced live parts energized at 110 kV? | 0.6 m | 1 |
| 1.0 m | 2 | ||
| 1.5 m | 3 | ||
| 5 | What personal protective equipment should be used when checking with a voltage indicator that there is no voltage above 1000 V? | Insulating stand | 1 |
| Dielectric carpet | 2 | ||
| Dielectric gloves | 3 | ||
| It is allowed not to use personal protective equipment, since there are enough insulating parts at the pointer. | 4 | ||
| 6 | Which electrical safety group should a person supervising work in electrical installations with voltages above 1000V have? | Not lower than group 5. | 1 |
| Not lower than 4 groups. | 2 | ||
| Not lower than 3 groups. | 3 | ||
| 7 | In what case is it permissible to approach the fault point at a distance of less than 4 m in closed switchgears? | In case of production need. | 1 |
| Only for operational switching in order to eliminate short circuits and free people caught under voltage (using electrical protective equipment). | 2 | ||
| Under no circumstances is it possible. | 3 |
Ticket 3
| Question | Answer options | № | |
| 1 | What personal protective equipment should be used when turning off and on manually operated disconnectors and switches with voltages above 1000 V? | Dielectric gloves | 1 |
| Dielectric carpet | 2 | ||
| Insulating stand | 3 | ||
| Personal protective equipment may not be used | 4 | ||
| 2 | Does a supervisor from among the administrative and technical staff of an organization who has group 4 for electrical safety in electrical installations above 1000 V have the right to issue work orders? | Yes | 1 |
| No | 2 | ||
| 3 | Who has the right to remove portable grounding in electrical installations above 1000 V? | Two workers with 3 and 4 groups | 1 |
| One worker with a group of at least 3 | 2 | ||
| One worker with a group of at least 4 | 3 | ||
| 4 | Is it possible for a contractor working in an electrical installation that does not have local operating personnel to keep the work order at the end of the working day? | Yes | 1 |
| No | 2 | ||
| 5 | Is it allowed to perform any work during the inspection of electrical installations with voltages above 1000 V? | No, not allowed | 1 |
| Yes, allowed | 2 | ||
| Yes, it is allowed, but only in exceptional cases with the written permission of the head of the organization | 3 | ||
| 6 | Can a workman have electrical safety group 3 when working in electrical installations with voltages above 1000 V? | Yes | 1 |
| No | 2 | ||
| 7 | For how long is a permit issued? | For a period of no more than 10 calendar days. | 1 |
| For a period of no more than 15 calendar days. | 2 | ||
| For a period of no more than 20 calendar days. | 3 |
Ticket 4
| Question | Answer options | № | |
| 1 | What is the validity period of a permit issued for sequentially carrying out the same type of work at several substations? | 1 day | 1 |
| 15 calendar days without the possibility of extending the assignment | 2 | ||
| 15 calendar days with the possibility of extending the assignment once for a period of no more than 15 calendar days | 3 | ||
| 2 | Can an employee be a shift supervisor in electrical installations with voltages above 1000 V if he has electrical safety group 3? | Yes maybe | 1 |
| No, it cannot, it must have an electrical safety group of at least 4 | 2 | ||
| No, it cannot, it must have an electrical safety group of at least 5 | 3 | ||
| 3 | How many copies of the permit must be issued? | The order is issued in two copies | 1 |
| The order is issued in triplicate | 2 | ||
| The order is issued in two copies, and when transmitted by telephone or radio - in three | 3 | ||
| 4 | In what case is it permissible to temporarily leave the workplace of one or more team members in electrical installations with voltages above 1000 V? | Allowed with the permission of the work foreman (supervisor), if the number of remaining team members is at least 3, including the work foreman | 1 |
| Allowed with the permission of the work foreman (supervisor), if the number of remaining team members is at least 2, including the work foreman | 2 | ||
| Allowed with the permission of the work foreman (supervisor), if the remaining team members include the work foreman | 3 | ||
| 5 | Is it necessary to use dielectric gloves when checking the absence of voltage in electrical installations with voltages above 1000 V using a voltage indicator? | Yes | 1 |
| No | 2 | ||
| 6 | Can an employee from among the operational personnel who has group 4 in electrical safety be appointed to allow electrical installations with voltages above 1000 V? | Maybe | 1 |
| No it can, since it must have electrical safety group 5 | 2 | ||
| 7 | Who has the right to individually inspect electrical installations with voltages above 1000 V and the electrical parts of process equipment? | An employee from among the operational personnel who is on duty and has a group of at least 3 | 1 |
| An employee from among the administrative and technical personnel who is on duty and has a group of at least 5 | 2 | ||
| Any of the above employees | 3 |
Ticket 5
| Question | Answer options | № | |
| 1 | Is it possible to work in workwear with short or rolled up sleeves in electrical installations up to 1000 V when working under voltage? | Yes, you can | 1 |
| No | 2 | ||
| Possible in the hot season | 3 | ||
| 2 | Which electrical safety group should a person allowed to perform work in electrical installations with voltage up to 1 kV have? | Not lower than 5 groups | 1 |
| Not lower than 4 groups | 2 | ||
| Not lower than 3 groups | 3 | ||
| 3 | Is the work foreman (supervisor) obligated to remove the team from the work site if it is necessary to temporarily leave the workplace? | Yes, I have to anyway | 1 |
| No, you don't have to anyway | 2 | ||
| No, he is not obliged if he can be replaced by a responsible work manager, a permitter, or an employee who has the right to issue work orders. | 3 | ||
| 4 | Which electrical safety group should employees from among the operating personnel in electrical installations with voltages up to 1000 V have? | Not less than 2 groups | 1 |
| Not lower than 3 groups | 2 | ||
| Not lower than 4 groups | 3 | ||
| 5 | What precautions are necessary when working under voltage in electrical installations with voltages up to 1000 V? | Relieve voltage from other live parts located near other live parts that may be accidentally touched, or protect them | 1 |
| Mandatory use of dielectric galoshes or an insulating stand or dielectric carpet | 2 | ||
| Use of insulated tools, use of dielectric gloves | 3 | ||
| All of the above measures are necessary | 4 | ||
| 6 | Which of the activities is not organizational to ensure the safety of work in electrical installations? | Registration of work orders, instructions or lists of works performed in the order of current operation | 1 |
| Permission to work and supervision during work | 2 | ||
| Issuance of permission to prepare a workplace and permission to work | 3 | ||
| Preparation of the workplace | 4 | ||
| 7 | Which of the following actions are permitted when inspecting electrical installations with voltages above 1000 V? | If necessary, enter premises that are not equipped with fences or barriers. | 1 |
| Penetration of fences to inspect the condition of live parts of electrical equipment | 2 | ||
| The above actions are allowed | 3 | ||
| Opening for inspection of doors of panels, assemblies, control panels and other devices | 4 |
Ticket 6
| Question | Answer options | № | |
| 1 | What actions is the work operator required to take if it is necessary to temporarily leave the place of work in an electrical installation? | Any of the listed actions, based on working conditions in order to ensure maximum safety | 1 |
| Remove the crew from the work site by locking the front door, if he cannot be replaced by the responsible work manager who has the right to issue work orders. | 2 | ||
| Instruct the team about safety measures and assign a worker from the team staff to take care of you during your departure. | 3 | ||
| 2 | From which category of workers are responsible managers of work in electrical installations appointed? | Employees from among administrative and technical personnel with an electrical safety group of at least 3 | 1 |
| Employees from among administrative and technical personnel with electrical safety group 4 | 2 | ||
| Employees from among administrative and technical personnel with electrical safety group 5 | 3 | ||
| 3 | What actions must be taken if operational personnel detect violations of safety rules during the operation of electrical installations? | Take away the work permit from the work foreman (supervisor) and remove the team from the workplace | 1 |
| Give an order to eliminate detected violations of safety rules by suspending work | 2 | ||
| 4 | What poster is installed at workplaces after applying grounding and fencing the workplace? | "Work here" | 1 |
| "Stop, tension" | 2 | ||
| "Danger! Keep out!" | 3 | ||
| 5 | At what distance are people allowed to approach unfenced live parts energized from 1 to 35 kV? | 0.6 m | 1 |
| 1.0 m | 2 | ||
| 1.5 m | 3 | ||
| 2.0 m | 4 | ||
| 6 | Which electrical safety group in electrical installations up to 1000 V should a permitting person have? | Not less than 2 groups | 1 |
| Not lower than 3 groups | 2 | ||
| Not lower than 4 groups | 3 | ||
| 7 | For how long is the order issued? | For a period of no more than 15 days | 1 |
| For the period necessary to complete the work | 2 | ||
| The validity period is determined by the length of the working day or shift of performers | 3 |
Ticket 7
| Question | Answer options | № | |
| 1 | After what minimum length of work experience in an electrical installation can personnel without secondary education be assigned electrical safety group 4? | 24 months in previous group | 1 |
| 12 months in previous group | 2 | ||
| 6 months in the previous group | 3 | ||
| 3 months in previous group | 4 | ||
| 2 | What personal protective equipment should be used when checking with a non-voltage indicator when checking for lack of voltage up to 1000 V? | Insulating stand | 1 |
| Dielectric carpet | 2 | ||
| Dielectric gloves | 3 | ||
| It is allowed not to use personal protective equipment, since there are enough insulating parts at the pointer | 4 | ||
| 3 | What actions must be performed after the work has been completed before turning on the electrical installation? | Make sure the electrical installation is ready to turn on (check the cleanliness of the workplace, absence of tools, etc.) | 1 |
| Remove temporary fences, portable safety posters and grounding installed when preparing the workplace by operating personnel | 2 | ||
| Restore permanent fencing | 3 | ||
| Complete all of the above steps | 4 | ||
| 4 | In what case may a responsible work manager not be appointed when servicing electrical installations? | When working in electrical installations up to 1000 V with a simple visual diagram | 1 |
| The appointment of a responsible work manager is mandatory when working in electrical installations of any voltage | 2 | ||
| 5 | Who is allowed to change the composition of the team servicing electrical installations? | Only to the employee who issued the order | 1 |
| Any employee who has the right to issue a work order to perform work in a given electrical installation | 2 | ||
| Changes in the composition of the team are not allowed | 3 | ||
| 6 | What prohibitory posters should be posted on the wires of manually operated switching devices to prevent voltage from entering the workplace? | "Do not turn on! People are working!” | 1 |
| "Do not turn on! Work on the line! | 2 | ||
| Any of the above posters | 3 | ||
| 7 | At what distance are people allowed to approach unfenced live parts of electrical installations (except for overhead lines) energized up to 1000 V? | 0.6 m | 1 |
| 1.0 m | 2 | ||
| Not standardized (no touching) | 3 |
Ticket 8
| Question | Answer options | № | |
| 1 | What electrical safety group should a shift supervisor have in electrical installations with voltages above 1000 V? | Not less than 2 groups | 1 |
| Not lower than 3 groups | 2 | ||
| Not lower than 4 groups | 3 | ||
| 2 | Can an admitting member of the operational staff perform the duties of a team member? | Yes | 1 |
| No | 2 | ||
| 3 | Is a crew member allowed to enter the switchgear after a break in work? | Not allowed | 1 |
| Allowed in the presence of an observer or work contractor | 2 | ||
| Permitted only in the presence of an admitter | 3 | ||
| 4 | Who is responsible for the safe conduct of work in electrical installations? | Issuing work permit, giving instructions, approving the list of works performed in the order of current operation | 1 |
| Responsible work manager and permitting | 2 | ||
| Foreman, supervisor, and team members | 3 | ||
| All of the above employees | 4 | ||
| 5 | Is the crew allowed to work by the work foreman (supervisor) after a break in work during the working day? | Produced without registration in the outfit | 1 |
| Produced with decoration in the outfit | 2 | ||
| Not produced | 3 | ||
| 6 | Is it necessary to formalize the completion of work according to a work permit or order after inspecting the place of work with a special journal? | Yes, the completion of work is documented in the appropriate column of the Work Log for work orders and orders | 1 |
| Yes, the completion of work is documented in the Operational Journal | 2 | ||
| Yes, the completion of the work is documented in the two above-mentioned journals | 3 | ||
| No, registration in a special journal is not required | 4 | ||
| 7 | Where should the keys to electrical installations be located? | The keys are kept by the operational staff, who keep records of the issuance of keys | 1 |
| The keys are kept by the administrative and technical staff, who keep records of the issuance of keys | 2 | ||
| The keys are registered with operational personnel or registered with administrative and technical personnel if there are no local operational personnel in the electrical installations | 3 |
Ticket 9
| Question | Answer options | № | |
| 1 | What electrical safety group should a manufacturer of work performed in electrical installations have? | In electrical installations with voltages above 1000 V - no lower than group 4, and with voltages up to 1000 V - no lower than group 3 | 1 |
| In electrical installations with voltage above 1000 V - not lower than group 5, and with voltage up to 1000 V - not lower than group 4 | 2 | ||
| 2 | Where should the work permit be kept during a break in work due to the end of the working day? | With the admitting person, or in the absence of an admitting person, you can leave the outfit in the designated place | 1 |
| The work performer (supervisor) is allowed to keep the outfit when working in electrical installations that do not have local operating personnel | 2 | ||
| Any of the listed storage locations is acceptable | 3 | ||
| The work producer (supervisor) is allowed to keep the work order in any case | 4 | ||
| 3 | Where is the "Grounded" poster posted? | At the installation site of portable grounding or on the handles of stationary grounding knives | 1 |
| On drives of disconnectors, separators or load switches, if switched on incorrectly, voltage may be supplied to a grounded section of the electrical installation | 2 | ||
| 4 | Who can be granted the right to issue permits and orders in electrical installations with voltages up to 1000 V? | An employee from among the administrative and technical personnel who has an electrical safety group of at least 3 | 1 |
| An employee from among the administrative and technical personnel who has an electrical safety group of at least 4 | 2 | ||
| 5 | In what case is it permissible to approach the fault point at a distance of less than 8 m in open switchgears? | In case of production need | 1 |
| Only for operational switching in order to eliminate short circuits and free people caught under voltage (using electrical protective equipment) | 2 | ||
| Under no circumstances should you | 3 | ||
| 6 | To whom does the work foreman (supervisor) hand over the work order for work in an electrical installation with permanent operating personnel upon completion of work every day? | Admitting | 1 |
| The outfit remains in the folder of active outfits | 2 | ||
| To the person admitting, in case of his absence, the order remains in the folder of existing orders | 3 | ||
| 7 | What is the procedure for issuing and returning keys to electrical installations? | Keys must be issued against signature. The issuance and return of keys must be recorded in a special free-form journal | 1 |
| Keys must be issued against signature. The issuance and return of keys must be recorded in the operational log | 2 | ||
| Any of the above accounting methods is acceptable | 3 |
Ticket 10
| Question | Answer options | № | |
| 1 | In what case should the permit be reissued? | When replacing the responsible manager or work supervisor (supervisor) | 1 |
| If the composition of the brigade changes by more than half | 2 | ||
| When working conditions change | 3 | ||
| In all of the above cases | 4 | ||
| 2 | What electrical safety group should a supervisor have? | Not less than 2 groups | 1 |
| Not lower than 3 groups | 2 | ||
| Not lower than 4 groups | 3 | ||
| 5th group | 4 | ||
| 3 | Who can single-handedly inspect electrical installations with voltages above 1000 V? | An employee with an electrical safety group of at least 3, from among the operational personnel on duty | 1 |
| An employee with electrical safety group 5, from among the administrative and technical personnel | 2 | ||
| Any of the above employees | 3 | ||
| 4 | Is it necessary to appoint a responsible supervisor for work in electrical installations with voltages up to 1000 V? | Yes | 1 |
| No | 2 | ||
| 5 | How many permits can be issued to one responsible work manager? | Only one | 1 |
| No more than two | 2 | ||
| No more than three | 3 | ||
| The number of outfits determines the issuing outfit | 4 | ||
| 6 | Which electrical safety group should a person supervising work in electrical installations with voltages up to 1000 V have? | Not lower than 5 groups | 1 |
| Not lower than 4 groups | 2 | ||
| Not lower than 3 groups | 3 | ||
| 7 | Which electrical safety group should shift supervisors or staff members who single-handedly service installations with voltages above 1000 V have? | Not less than 2 groups | 1 |
| Not lower than 3 groups | 2 | ||
| Not lower than 4 groups | 3 | ||
| 5th group | 4 |
Recommendations for preparing for the exam
Testing knowledge on electrical safety can be carried out in the form of oral answers to questions or through testing. The subject must be informed in advance about the type of examination.
It is advisable to familiarize yourself with examination tickets for electrical safety for group 4 directly on the Rostechnadzor website. If the person being certified wants to receive a certificate marked “up to 1000 v”, you need to know the answers to 1794 questions, and “up to 1000 v and above” - to 2109.
For self-study on electrical safety for group 4, you can use the Olympox or Testsmart test programs. They consist of 7 sections studying:
- construction of electrical installations;
- operating and maintenance instructions;
- use of protective equipment;
- design of lightning protection equipment;
- basic safety rules at work;
- fire safety;
- first aid measures in case of accidents.
The convenience of these computer programs is that they contain electrical safety tickets for the 4th admission group with answers. Therefore, you can prepare for the exam yourself, which will allow you to pass it as quickly and without problems as possible.
If a specialist wants to receive a certificate marked “up to 1000 in and above,” it is necessary not only to memorize the test answers, but also to thoroughly understand all the issues that cause difficulties. Answers on electrical safety for group 4 can be found in the relevant literature, the main one of which is:
- Rules for the technical operation of power plants and networks of the Russian Federation.
- Instructions for the use and testing of protective equipment used in electrical installations (IPISZ).
- Safety rules for operating electrical installations.
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