BAS has touched on the whole idea of isolation. If we need to isolate a hob then that would be true for gas, solid fuel and electric versions. I was told the isolator should be provided so one can reach it if for example there was a chip pan fire. But it is really down to kitchen design. In my mothers old kitchen the floor was made with quarry tiles and if something went wrong we could drop the fire bars and rake the fire out onto the floor shovel it up and take it outside. And when we had a pipe burst that is what we did. Saved the boiler.
Gas cookers years ago also had a large gas tap and a rubber pipe but for many years this has been replaced with a self sealing quick release coupling often placed where it would be impossible to isolate if anything did go wrong.
So why should electric be any different? Well likely the electrical trade is more responsible and more aware of the need for safe appliances! This includes:-
132.10 Disconnecting devices
Disconnecting devices shall be provided so as to permit switching and/or isolation of the electrical installation, circuits or individual items of equipment as required for operation, inspection, fault detection, testing, maintenance and repair.
132.15.1 Effective means, suitably placed for ready operation, shall be provided so that all voltage may be cut off from every installation, from every circuit thereof and from all equipment, as may be necessary to prevent or remove danger.
514.9.1 A legible diagram. chart or table or equivalent form of information shall be provided indicating in particular:
(iii) the information necessary for the identification of each device performing the functions of protection, isolation and switching, and its location.
This below is the only reference I can find which is in some way related to distance.
514.1.1 Except where there is no possibility of confusion, a label or other suitable means of identification shall be provided to indicate the purpose of each item of switchgear and controlgear. Where the operator cannot observe the operation of switchgear and controlgear and where this might lead to danger, a suitable indicator shall be fixed in a position visible to the operator.
To comply the isolator likely needs to be in the same room. But thinking about my mothers kitchen where the sub-main consumer unit is placed next to the door to outside from the kitchen with a plainly marked RCBO I see no reason to place an isolator on the wall behind and to right of the hob. There is one but as to why not a clue?
It seems that the idea of doing a risk assessment and using some common sense has gone.
Where does it say one must have an isolator within a set distance of a cooker? I think some time ago in the mists of time there was likely a reference to a distance as there was with sockets near to a sink. But in latter editions it was realised there were exceptions where the rule did not make sense so it was dropped.
I think electric is the safest form of cooking. With the latest hobs there are no naked flames, they auto switch off after a time for example 6 hours on lowest setting if not adjusted. They have sensors to switch off if pan gets too hot. And are faster than gas. Only people with pacemakers fitted need to use the old stile cookers. No longer can one light ones fag off the hob. You can put a £5 note under the pan and boil water without damaging the £5. So with modern hobs is there really a need for a very local isolator? (I am referring to an induction hob can't do £5 trick with cheaper types.)
So where does it say one has to have an isolator within a set distance of the cooker? I looked for every "m" on it's own to see how many meters but failed to find it. Also looked for isolator with same result.
