A live conductor is an energized part of a circuit, which formally includes both the phase conductors and the neutral conductor. Because the neutral carries return current and can float to dangerous voltages during a fault, safety standards classify it as a live conductor. It must be isolated and insulated accordingly.
Treat the neutral as a live conductor until you have proven it dead and applied portable earths.
The defining safety rule is that a live conductor is never safe to touch without proper PPE, even if it is a neutral wire supposedly at ground potential.
Also heard as
- active conductor
Do not mix it up with
- Line conductor: A line conductor is strictly the phase wire, whereas a live conductor includes both the phase wires and the neutral wire.
Related terms
Live
Connected to a source of voltage, or describing a conductor meant to be energised in normal use.
Line conductor
A wire or cable that carries normal operating current from a power source to a load.
Neutral conductor
The wire in an alternating current system that provides the return path for load current.
Prove dead
To test isolated equipment with a verified voltage detector and confirm no voltage before anyone touches it.