The number one priority when working with or in connection with electricity, is safety. It dictates every element of your work in terms of procedures, documentation, what you wear and what tools you use. For this reason, insulated hand tools are considered an essential item in electrical testing.
Although the first step in most electrical testing procedures is to shut-off power and de-energise a circuit, you could be of the understanding that you have fully shut-off power to a circuit, but it contains an unknown pathway and live voltage can still be fed to connect with what you are working on. For this reason, insulated hand tools provide an extra level of protection which is effective directly at source, ie. the physical point at which you could make contact with the live current or the live conductor.
The purpose of an insulated hand tool
Insulated hand tools safeguard the user and protect them from electrical hazards and unpredictable situations in electrical testing. The handles of insulated hand tools use non-conductive materials – such as high-quality plastic or rubber – to ensure that live current doesn’t pass through the materials and therefore to protect the user from electric shock and arc faults caused by short circuits.
Another important purpose of insulated hand tools is to demonstrate compliance with different safety regulations. Industry standards require insulated hand tools to be used when working with voltages over a certain level. Not only does this protect the user from injury, but it also prevents fines and insurance costs for non-compliance and demonstrates compliance in associated regulatory audits.
What do insulated hand tools look like?
Insulated hand tools are different to regular hand tools in that the handles are covered in insulating materials. But it is essential that the user knows whether a hand tool is insulated or not. Most insulated hand tools will be identified in the following ways:
- Red and yellow coating on the handles.
- VDE marking to indicate it has been approved by VDE, a German association internationally recognised for testing safety standards in electrical tools.
- Rating – The voltage rating that cannot be exceeded when working with that particular tool should be printed on the side of the tool.
In order to be able to carry the VDE-mark insulated hand tools must undertake strict testing to ensure the tool meets specific standards for use and durability. Insulated hand tools are also designed with ergonomic comfort in mind. This means tools are designed to be easy-to-use and comfortable. As a result of this, users can focus on their job and can carry out often repetitive testing in challenging conditions, without being distracted by discomfort or awkward actions. Again, the objective of this is high standards of quality and safety.
Insulated hand tools from Test Instrument Solutions
So insulated hand tools provide an additional layer of protection against electric shock, but to guarantee electrical safety when working with live electrical systems, users still need to follow relevant procedures and wear suitable personal protective equipment. It is also important to note that users should inspect insulated hand tools regularly to ensure they are not damaged or worn and that the insulating materials are still effective.
Examples of insulated hand tools include pliers (such as the KN 02 06 200 SB supplied by Test Instrument Solutions), screwdrivers, adjustable wrenches, pliers wrenches, crimping tools, nut drivers, wire strippers, sockets and ratchets, cable cutters and torque wrenches. You can check out our range of insulated hand tools at Test Instrument Solutions.
Please note that this section is for information purposes only. Anyone using equipment referred to in this section must be suitably qualified and/or experienced within the respective field. If in doubt before use, please consult a qualified electrician or engineer & thoroughly read all instruction booklets.