Hand-held appliance supply
Read the supply arrangements regs 88 to 89A list.
Reads Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010. Tables checked 26 Sept 2026.
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Each job fills in example values. Replace them with your values.
Inputs
Worked example with the default inputs. The live calculator replaces it when the page loads.
- Situation
- Any hand-held appliance
Connection methods reg 88(1) lists
3
- Situation
- Any hand-held appliance
- Maximum voltage to earth, reg 88(2)
- 250V
- Reference
- Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 reg 88(1)
This result is a design aid. Verify it against the current standard.
Calculation steps
- SituationAny hand-held appliance
Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 reg 88(1)
- Maximum voltage to earth, reg 88(2)250V
Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 reg 88(2)
- reg 88(1)(a)Plug of suitable capacity
Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 reg 88(1)(a)
- reg 88(1)(b)Cord connector of suitable capacity
Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 reg 88(1)(b)
- reg 88(1)(c)Permanent connection
Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 reg 88(1)(c)
About this calculator
How this is calculated
The tool lists how a hand-held appliance may be supplied. It reads regs 88, 89 and 89A of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010. It points at the regulation. It does not rule on a site or a system.
- Situation. You pick where the appliance is used. The choices are anywhere, immersed or conductive surroundings, damp, outdoor or under construction, or a cramped space.
- Regulation. The tool picks reg 88(1) for any appliance, or reg 89 or 89A for the harder situations.
- Voltage to earth. It gives the maximum voltage to earth from reg 88(2). For an earthed source in some situations, it gives the lower figure from reg 89(2)(d).
- Paragraphs. It counts the connection methods or supply arrangements the regulation lists. It then names each one.
| Step | Table or clause | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| Connection methods | reg 88(1)(a), (b) and (c) | The ways to connect, as alternatives |
| Maximum voltage | reg 88(2) | The voltage to earth limit |
| Supply arrangements | reg 89(2) and reg 89A | The arrangements for the harder situations |
Worked example
A hand-held appliance used outdoors or on a building site. The tool lists 7 supply arrangements under reg 89(2). The maximum voltage to earth is 250 V. For an earthed source it is 55 V.
Limits
- The tool is a pointer. It is not a ruling and it is not advice.
- The paragraphs of reg 88(1) are alternatives. They are not a cumulative set.
- Reg 88(3), reg 89(3) and reg 89A(2) address offences. The tool holds none of that detail.
- The tool read the regulations as at 15 January 2026. Check for a later version.
- It does not check the cord length or the RCD. Use the site cord length and RCD selection tools.
See also: Construction site supplies, AS/NZS 3012, RCD selection and Electricity safety regulations reg 57 and reg 59.
Questions
Each answer describes what this tool calculates. The result is a design aid. Verify against the current standard.
What does this tool report for a hand-held appliance?
It names the paragraph behind each entry it lists: reg 88(1) for the connection, reg 88(2) for the maximum of 250 AC volts to earth, and reg 89(1), reg 89(2) or reg 89A(1) for the situation. AmpSize points at the reference and rules on no site or system.
What changes for damp, outdoor or construction work?
Reg 89(2) lists seven supply arrangements, against three in reg 89(1) and three in reg 89A(1). One of the seven, reg 89(2)(d), rests on an earthed source at a maximum of 55 AC volts to earth. Read reg 89(2)(a) to reg 89(2)(g) for the wording of each.
Which regulation covers a cramped space?
Reg 89A(1) covers a cramped space and reg 89(1) covers an immersed or conductive situation. Read each one for the scope it sets. Both list three paragraphs, against seven in reg 89(2), and AmpSize names the paragraph behind every entry in all three lists.
Why does AmpSize report only one voltage figure?
Two figures of 250 sit near these regulations on different bases. Reg 88(2) states 250 AC volts to earth. Reg 89(1)(a), reg 89(2)(a), reg 89(2)(f) and reg 89A(1)(a) rest on a voltage between conductors, and AmpSize publishes no figure on that basis, so the two cannot be confused.
Is this tool a ruling on a job?
No. AmpSize names the regulation and the paragraph and reports the figures it holds. It assesses no site, no appliance and no task, and it is not legal advice. Reg 88(3), reg 89(3) and reg 89A(2) address offences, and AmpSize holds none of that detail.
Clauses and tables this tool reads
- Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 reg 88Supply to hand-held appliances
- reg 88, reg 89, reg 89ASupply arrangements listed for hand-held appliances
Every clause and table, with how each was verified
Tables last checked on 26 Sept 2026.
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