RCD plugs GFCI plugs protect life

RCD plugs GFCI plugs are a supplementary electrical safety device, either portable or wired into electrical installations. They support properly designed electrical wiring and equipment by sensing small electrical currents flowing to earth that may cause electric shock or fire. In the event of such a fault, safety switches are designed to disconnect the power supply before it can cause harm or property damage. However, if a safety switch fails while dormant, it may fail in a way that leaves electrical installation unprotected. It might fail to trip when a fault occurs or not trip quickly enough to prevent serious effects of an electric shock

The risk of fire is also reduced because the RCD plugs GFCI plugs may detect defective wiring and equipment and disconnect the power, even without a person receiving a shock. Ageing installations are linked to dangerous tracking currents to earth that could cause a fire. Tracking currents are possible across isolating material where surface pollution has dried causing a conductive carbon build up10.

While, RCD plugs GFCI plugs do not provide protection against all electric shocks. Even in the presence of a correctly operating safety switch, if a person contacts something that is electrically live along with the neutral conductor, the current may flow through their body and not to earth. In this situation there is no earth fault current to make the safety switch trip operate. The device does not protect in situations where current flows occur from active to neutral or across phases, active to active.