Safe Isolation At Am2?!

 
I have my AM2 exam tomorrow and I have a query about where to actually isolate and lock off. On my training day I was shown to lock off the main switch in the board then perform the test sequences with the voltage indicators, put key in pocket after fitting warning notices etc etc. but today I spoke to someone who do their am2 a couple of years ago and said I should isolate and lock off the main isolator external to the board, and put the signs there. On the basis that if you only lock off at the board, then the very bottom of it still has live incomers in it. Where should I lock off?!? AM2 tomorrow any help is much appreciated. Cheers

On the day you will be presented with a mock up board. From this you will be able to identify where the power supply is coming in. If there are two boards you are only required to lock of and isolate the board you are working on. Follow the safe isolation process and verify that it is indeed 'dead' .

Remember there are no real trick questions or obscure meanings. Part of the AM2 is the risk and method statements as with all electrical work. Just use logic and you will be fine.

Common sense to me, would be if you could isolate and lock off before the consumer unit then you should do that.

Good luck for tomorrow, keep calm and do what you think is correct and to not try and follow others who might be going wrong!

Thanks, yes I would have said to lock off at the isolator, but as I said, in the training day prior to the exam, I was shown to isolate at the main switch in the board which you work on, which of course couldn't be right could it?! because then you would still have live cables in the board! And I don't think the examiners would be having any of that!

I would much rather follow my tutors than hearsay.

That's my issue! haha

Follow your common sense mate, end of the day it's to measure and assess your abilities not copy what your tutor has drummed into you

its changed a lot since I did mine but the assessor took us over to the main isolator for the cubicles and we had to identify which one ours was isolate it then prove it was dead at the cubicle then lock off post the notices and most importantly put the key in your pocket, so many people fail it straight away by giving it to the assessor 

keep your cool, don't rush and you'll be fine 

good luck for tomorrow 

Cheers mate, hopefully it will all become a bit more apparent when I get in there!

I'd say....

If you have a proving unit then you could quite correctly isolate at the remote isolator,, otherwise isolate at the board you're working on

However I haven't done an AM2, NVQ or any other such nonsense

True that! although I was speaking to another apprentice who failed on his safe isolation because he removed the isolator cover, therefore, "putting himself at risk". because even though the iso was turned off, it was obviously still live on one side.

At Halifax way back when there was a bank of isolators marked up for each cubicle and in the cubicle itself there was an isolator which would eventually feed the 3ph DB after you'd made off a 10mm 3c SWA, the cubicle isolator is where you proved your safe isolation but remember to do it on the incoming side and not the outgoing as 2 lads that went with me both failed by doing that 

But who knows what it's like now, they've got rid of the pyro, motor controls and conduit and I think it's CAT6 network, heating controls and a few simple circuits all probably lashed in with T&E 

Let us know how you get on