Identifing Earths as Live Conductors

[JamieP]

I know this is non-compliant now but can anyone point me to what Regs and even better if you can provide the Clause that this was legal under

Does anyone have any idea which year this would have no longer become acceptable?

[DougP]

Someone will probably come back with precise information about the dates the rules came into effect...

But basically it wasn't disallowed in NZS3000:1997, but it was specifically disallowed in AS/NZS3000:2000

(unless I'm reading the old tomes incorrectly)

[JamieP]

I assume it's somewhere in past ESRs but no idea where to look hah

If I remember correctly wasn't AS/NZS3000:2000 the first citing of the standard? And even then only certain clauses were mandatory under ESR 1997

[AlecK]

Short answer is 1/4/2010.

Tracing the history of rules can be tricky.
As Doug 's reply suggests, often there never was a rule that said "you may do it"; just absence of a rule saying "you must not do it" .
Some practices are required, some are permitted, and some are prohibited. Chances are good that permitted practices don't get mentioned.
Then you need to track down not just when the relevant rule was created / changed; but unless directly in Regs you need to find if, when, and how, the relevant Standard or CoP was cited by Regs.
It's useful to make a note in the front of your copy of the standard of where & when it was cited (difficult unless you have a hard copy).

EG "3000: 1997" was first cited in Regs by the 1999 Amendment to 1997 Regs; 2 years after those Regs came in.
Doug's correct that there was a specific prohibition in "3000: 2000" against sleeving green conductors to indicate live conductors.
But that edition wasn't cited b y Regs until 2002 Amendment; so only applicable from 1/1/03.
And you're correct that the citation of that standard only made a limited list of clauses mandatory; all the rest being "deemed to comply" with the fundamental requirement that work done must be electrically safe.
That particular clause [3.8.2]was not listed.
Most people stopped sleeving greens around that time, based on "if I follow these rules i can't be wrong".
But some people kept doing what they'd always done "because I don't have to follow those rules" ( and some just out of ignorance).

Like many other rules; this prohibition didn't become absolutely mandatory until 2010; when ESRs made compliance with ALL of "3000" mandatory.
Or rather, either all of Part 1 or all of Part 2.

[JamieP]

Yeah I know, I often try have a look for things myself but not being very familiar with the older documents makes it hard to work your way through them

Thank you for going into detail

[PeteRig]

Hi guys, as already mentioned by others, in EWR 1976 reg 62 didn't say you could not do it, hence why the earth conductor was used in the straps in a 2 way circuit in years to follow when 1.0mm was made with an earth conductor.
Tried to insert the reg into this reply but couldn't (user error)

[AlecK]

What wasn't allowed was using an un-sleeved green as an active;
yet there are still plenty of instances of that to be found.