MEP

EARTHING AND LIGHTNING PROTECTION SYSTEM INSTALLATION

Tables of contents

Method of statement for Earthing and Lightning protection system, Grounding system installation.

Method of statement for Earthing system installation:

1. Purpose:
2. Scope:
3. Reference:
4. Material and Equipments:
4.1 Material handling and Storeage:
5. Health and safety
6. Installation of Earthing system
6.1 Installation of Exothermic Welding System
6.2 Earth Electrode
6.3 Earthing Cable Installation
6.4 Earth Rod Installation
6.5 Earth Pit
6.6 Type of Connection
6.7 Earthing Connector
7. Execution Work for Earthing of Lightning Protection:
8. Standard Procedures:
9. Safety Control:
10. Inspection and Testing Procedures:
10.1 Inspection:
10.2 Field Test:
10.3 Soil Resistivity Testing:
10.4 Test Procedures:
11. Statute of Completion:
12. Quality Control and Assurance:
13. Health & Safety Risk and Control:
13.1 Working with Welding Machine and Exothermic Welding:

METHOD STATEMENT FOR EARTHING SYSTEMINSTALLATION:

1. Purpose:
The purpose of generating this method statement is to define the procedure for Installation of Earthing
System (Grounding System) through the guidelines contained herein to ensure that the job execution complies
with the requirements where applicable in the project.

2. Scope:

This method statement covers all processes related to Installation of the mentioned system as per project
specification, Manufacturer recommendations, approved drawings, Civil defense approval and regulation.

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3. Reference:

 Design Drawing
 Shop drawings
 Project Specifications
 Material Transmittal
 Project Quality Plan
 Project HSE plan
 Civil Defense approval.
 Programme Minimum H&S Construction Standard

4. Material And Equipments:

The Following tools shall be arranged before starting the job. All Materials are as per specifications and
approved material submittal.

 Copper clad Earth Rods Shall be UL listed.

 Earth Rod to Tape Clamps
 Earth Rod to Cable Clamps
 U-Bolt Clamps
 Re-bar Clamps
 PVC pipe
 Concrete Earth Inspection Housing
 Cable lugs
 Earth Bars
 Flexible Copper Braid Bonds
 Welding Machine & Welding mold (Expiry of exothermic welding mold is function of
 frequency of application and shall be as per the manufacturer recommendation)
 Welding rod
 Safety requirements tools such as safety shoes, safety helmet, safety glasses, fluorescent vest, and
safety gloves to ensure maximum ability of safe work and dust mask when require.

4.1 MATERIAL HANDLING AND STORAGE:

On receipt of the Earthing materials at site necessary precautions shall be taken for unloading, shifting & storage as
follows:

 Material shall be stored in a covered / dry space at all the time to avoid corrosion.
 All materials received at site shall be inspected and ensured that the materials are as
 per approved material submittal.
 Any discrepancies, damage etc., found will be notified and reported for further action.
 Material found not suitable for site use will be removed from site immediately.
 Storage of exothermic welding materials should be in a clean, dry, “NO SMOKING”area and should be
restricted to access by authorized personnel only.
 Storage condition shall be such that exothermic welding materials are not subject to rough handling or
physical damage. Storage shall be in cool place and in condition no humidity
and moisture.
 All boxes or container of material should be stored in accordance with container(carton) or label marking “This
Side Up”

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 These materials must be stored under shelter to protect the boxes from the elementsand raised to protect
them from dampness or wet surface.
5. Health And Safety:
 Ensure only trained Authorized & licensed persons only shall operate the power tools and do the Installation and
Testing job.
 Necessary PPE to be used while working in energized to be worn while working in energized circuits. Ensure
adequate lighting is provided in the working area at nighttime and if inside the building area to be well
illuminated.
 Ensure service area/work area openings are provided with barricade, tape, safety nets and warning signage to
be provided.
 Calibrated Instruments only to be used.
 Power supply used to take temporary power supply shall not have any joints.
 Ensure LOTO procedure to be followed and implement comprehensive logout & tag out during execution of
work.

6. Installation Of Earthing System:

6.1 INSTALLATION OF EXOTHERMIC WELDING SYSTEM:

The mould crucible with suitable size shall be used for exothermic welding:

1.The following procedures shall be followed before conduct the exothermic welding:
 Ensure that the mould is always clean and free of moisture
 Ensure that the tap hole is always in well-defined condition Ensure that the correctness of connection selector.
 Ensure that the correctness of welding powder.
2. Procedure to conduct the exothermic connections
 Fix the connection selector to the handle clamp as per the require sizes of conductor to be welded.
 Place the conductor in the mould, ensure that connection selector is used in accordance to the conductor to
be welded.
 Close the handle clamp and lock in the lock position, drop the metal retaining disc into the bottom of the
mould crucible. Ensure that the metal retaining disc is correctly, completely seated and cover up the tap hole.
 Deposit the welding power into the crucible and spread mould edge as a role of starting power.
 Close the mould lips, and ignite with the flint gun.
 Open the mould after a few seconds where the reaction is completed or the metal has been solidified.
 Do not touch the welding surface after the reaction.
 Clean up the mould for the next joint.

6.2 EARTH ELECTRODE:

 Earth electrode is to consist of one or more earth rods, interconnected by buried earthing tape or cable.
 Ensure that the copper cable is straight (not wavy) so that it fits nicely into the exothermic mould prior to the
exothermic welding.
 Ensure that the copper cable is free of dirt / oil and dry keeping.
 Size and type of supplementary & equipotential conductors shall be as per the approved shop drawings and
stipulated in the contract specification.
 Earthing conductors for equipment chassis and neutral and all other panels and mechanical equipment and
metal work, shall be as per approved shop drawing and contract specification.
 Test links shall be installed as shown on the approved shop drawings.
6.3EARTHING CABLE INSTALLATION:
 The earthing conductor, bare copper cable shall be installed as per approved shop drawing.

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 Ensure that the copper cable is straight (not wavy) so that it fits nicely into the exothermic mould prior to the
exothermic welding.
 Ensure that the copper cable is free of dirt / oil and dry keeping.
 Size and type of supplementary & equipotential conductors shall be as per the approved shop drawings and
stipulated in the contract specification.
 Earthing conductors for equipment chassis and neutral and all other panels and mechanical equipment and
metal work, shall be as per approved shop drawing and contract specification.
 Test links shall be installed as shown on the approved shop drawings.

6.4 EARTH ROD INSTALLATION:

 The copper rod is to be driven into the ground by means hammer drill / sledge hammer.
 Make sure the rods are coupled with coupling and driving studs before hammering as it will protect the thread
or the head of the rods from damaged.
 While sitting earth rods, ensure that resistance areas associated with individuals rods do not overlap. Spacing
of parallel installed earth rods of length L Shall be L to 2L.
 Earth rods are to be located at a distance greater than 1 m horizontally from foundations of buildings.
 Conductive filler such as Marcionite or Bentonite or equal filler that will not corrode is to be provided around
the Rod.
 After the desired depth has achieved, the earthing conductor will be joint to the earth bar I rod clamp of the
earth pit and fastened it securely.
 Resistivity check should be taken and if the resistivity is not achieved to required value (not to exceed 5
Ohms) then it is advisable to drive it deeper.
 The number of rods driven into the ground will be dependable to the soil resistivity on that particular area and
as per approved shop drawing.
 Additional rods and network shall be driven if needed to active 5 ohm resistivity.

6.5 EARTH PIT:

Precast, square or circular section concrete hand hole (minimum 450mm internal diameter), with concrete
cover and extending to 150mm below top of earth rod. Cover earth rod connector with suitable protective compound,
which can be easily removed for inspection. Connector is not to be covered with backfill material and is to remain
clean.
 Install the inspection pit and ensure that it is flush with the external ground / road level.
 Minimum length of Rod is 2.4m, extendable as necessary to obtain required earth resistance.
 Ensure that the earth pit is free from dirt and rubbish.

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6.6 TYPE OF CONNECTION :

 Connect earth rod to bare copper wire.

 Connect rebar to bare copper wire.
 Connect copper bar to bar copper wire.
 Connect cable trays/ladders and pipes to grounding system (Detail of electric continuity for cable tray
shall be provided in method statement for trays/ladders installation)

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6.7 EARTHING CONDUCTORS:

 Buried earthing conductors are to be laid at a minimum 750mm depth below finished grade level.
 Earthing conductors are to follow shortest path between earth rods and main earthing terminals or
bars, and are to run in PVC conduit (duct) fastened to building structure by approved supports and
extending 0.2m above level, and to be protected against mechanical damage and corrosion.
 Protective conductors which are not part of a cable are to be fixed on same support or drawn into
same conduit as circuit conductors.

7. Execution Work For Earthing Of Lightening Protection:

 Drive the earth rods into the earth by hammer.

 Excavate a trench with standard dimensions or as mentioned in specifications to link earth rods
together by soft drawn bare copper wire.
 Link earth rods to Grounding network.
 Testing and record earthing resistant value.
 Joints shall be protected against rust by cold galvanized paint.
 Contact surfaces shall be flush prior to joining.
 Bolt connections of copper wire with hot dip galvanized steel bar and copper wire with copper bar
should reach mechanical effect and electrical effect.
 During the driving of the rods into the earth, it is better to measure value of the resistance to
earth in order to quantity of necessary grounding rod

8. Standard Procedures:
 All equipment’s connected to power supply must be grounded.
 All metal parts, structural steel, cable trays, piping, reinforced concrete must be grounded.
 All joints shall be according to shop drawing.

9. Safety Control:
 To secure an exit entrance whenever it has contingencies.
 Keep water out where is necessary.
 To keep workplace and amenities is always clean.
 Barricade and sign post are available around the site work.
 To pay attention to equipment’s/tools as below:
 Welding machine insulation.
 Drill machine: insulation and earthing terminal
 Cylinders: Pressure Gauge Set shall be inspected by authorities
 Cutting machine: insulation and earthing terminal.

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10.Inspection And Testing Procedures:

10.1 INSPECTION

 The Grounding System shall be given a visual inspection by the Engineer during the installation.
 The Contractor should not allow any backfilling of trenches or pits where these systems are
installed before inspection by the Engineer and the appropriate documents are signed.
 Material delivered shall be inspected under the Engineer’s supervisor about type and size of earth
conductors shall be as shown on the approved shop drawings and stipulated in specification.
 Shop-drawing approved.
 Material approved.
 Test method of visual.
 Check quality of grounding conductor and grounding electrode delivered on site.
 Check installation (connection, routing, and quantity) according to approved shop drawings.
 Check dimension, level and finishing of foundation of air terminal.
 Check installation according to approved shop drawings and manufacturer’s recommendation.
 Functional Test: As per design and manufacturer’s recommendation.
 Grounding Resistance Value shall be measured.
 Earth connecting bar shall be 50 x 6 mm installed on porcelain insulators.

10.2 FIELD TEST

 Grounding rods shall be tested for ground resistance value before any wire is connected.
 Ground resistance shall also be measured for each piece of equipment to the ground electrode.
Testing shall be with a portable ground testing megger for each ground or group of grounds. The
instrument shall be equipped with ammeter reading directly in Ohms or fractions thereof to
indicate the ground value of the electrode under test.
 All test equipment including test meter shall be provided and one copy of the ground megger
manufacturer’s directions, including the method shall be provided.
 Updating of calibration certificate of test instruments.

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 The minimum resistance based on the allowable capacity of the conductor shall be as
indicated in the following table.

Resistance Test Table:

 The earth resistance shall be measured either soil resistivity testing or earth
Resistance testing method.

10.3 SOIL RESISTIVITY TESTING:

A number of measuring techniques are described in detail in IEEE Std 81-1983. The
Wenner four-pin method is the most commonly used technique. (Ref. IEEE Std 80-2000
Page 53). Four probes are driven into the earth along a straight line, at equal distance a
apart, driven to a depth b. the voltage between the two inner (potential) electrode is then
measured and divided by the current between the two outer (current) electrodes to give a
value of resistance R.

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Soil Resistivity Testing

If b is small compared to a, then the equation for Soil resistivity is:

f = 2 x 3.14 x a x R

f = soil resistivity (ohm meters)

a = electrode spacing (meters)
R = measured resistance (ohms)

10.4 TEST PROCEDURE:

 Confirm the proposed test locations.

 Insert four electrodes into the ground in a straight line a= 2 meters spacing.
 Connect instrument to the electrodes as shown above.
 Perform test and record measured resistance in Soil Resistivity Test Form.
 Shift electrodes to next spacing a= 4 meters and repeat test.
 Repeat tests a= 6 meters, 8 meters and 10 meters electrode spacing.
 Recorded measurements will be analyzed and presented in Soil Resistivity Test Report.

11. Statute Of Completion:

After finishing the installation works of Grounding System, inspection shall be carried out
and approved by relative parties such as: Consultant, Parson and civil defense.
11.Quality Control And Assurance:

 Material used will be as approved by the Engineer. The sizes and routes routing will
be
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as per the approved shop drawing.

 Earthing materials shall be stored in a place free of water and properly covered to
avoid
 any damages due to weather affect.
 Combined resistance of earth electrodes is to be measured during dry season and
checked against specified resistance.
 Engineer to be notified promptly if the resistance to ground exceeds specified values.
 Electrical continuity of all earthing and protective conductors including main and
supplementary equipotential bonding conductors is to be checked.
 Earth fault loop impedance of all circuits is to be measured and checked against
calculated impedance figures.

13. Health & Safety Risk And Control:

The safety procedure generally has to be applied for all Engineers, Supervisors, Workers
as following bellow:

 Make sure that all personal protection equipment (PPE) be provided on site before
starting work such as helmet, safety boot, safety glasses, glove, mask etc.
 Make sure that PPE must be wear in the correctly way when working.
 Tools and equipment’s shall be inspected by authorized person before carried out the
work.
 Barricades and sign posts for warning shall be provided on site.
 Fire extinguishers shall be provided on site wherever exothermic welding works and
always ready to use.

13.1 WORKING WITH WELDING MACHINE AND EXOTHERMIC WELDING

The safety procedure generally has to be applied for all Engineers, Supervisors, Workers as following
bellow:

 Ensure worker wear safety glasses, gloves, helmet etc.

 Fire extinguisher shall be always ready at work place.
 Welding machine must be checked carefully before using.
 Welder must be qualified and skill.

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