A modest 15 A imbalance current through a 2 Ω ground path produces a touch voltage that comfortably clears the IEC 60364-4-41 dry-location limit.
| Neutral/earth imbalance current | 15 A |
| Ground path impedance | 2 Ω |
| Touch factor | 1.0 (worst case — full ground potential rise appears across the body) |
| Environment | Dry / normal (50 V limit) |
Using the commonly-cited IEC 60479-1 reference body resistance of 1000 Ω.
| Check | Requirement | Actual | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Touch voltage vs. dry-location limit | ≤ 50 V | 30 V | ✓ PASS |
Key insight: The touch-voltage limit itself is environment-dependent, not just the touch voltage being checked against it — the exact same electrical fault (15 A through a 2 Ω path) is a comfortable pass in a dry office and a clear fail in a wet or conductive location, which is why IEC 60364-4-41 sets two different limits rather than one universal number.
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Open Touch Voltage from Imbalance calculator →A touch factor of 1.0 is the worst-case assumption — that the full ground potential rise appears directly across the body (hand to feet, or hand to hand). In practice, the geometry of where a person stands relative to the earthing point, and any additional resistance in the contact path, often reduces the fraction of GPR that actually reaches the body — but assuming the full value by default is the conservative, safety-first starting point.
No — the wet/conductive-location limit is 25 V, and 30 V exceeds that. This is exactly the kind of case where the environment classification, not just the raw electrical numbers, determines whether a design is acceptable — the same physical installation might need additional bonding or a lower-impedance ground path specifically because of where it's located.