§411 — Protective earthing (PE)

Protective earthing ensures that conductive enclosures of equipment are connected to earth so that an insulation fault cannot leave a dangerous voltage on touchable parts.

Color codes per NEN 1010

• Brown: line (L)
• Blue: neutral (N)
• Green/yellow: protective earth (PE)

For TN-C-S installations: PE and N are separated downstream of the split point.

Practical example — greenhouse installation

In horticulture, outdoor panels are often fed via PME (TN-C-S) or a TT system. For TT, an RCD (§531) is mandatory.

Common mistakes

1. Connecting PE to water or gas pipes (prohibited since NEN 1010-2015).
2. PE in the same busbar as N downstream of the split point.
3. Forgetting the protective conductor on Class I luminaires.

Related

• §413 — Automatic disconnection of supply
• §531 — Residual current devices
• Conductor colors (NEN-EN 60446)