I'm glad to see that there are others who agree that the RCD is not the magic panacea to all ills that some believe it to be.
Loop impedance and the speed with which an OCPD will break the circuit is a primary consideration in the British IEE Regs. as well. On a direct phase-to-earth short the protective device must open the circuit within 0.4 sec. for normal outlets.
One indirectly associated problem is in the many rural homes here which use TT earthing, thus necessitating the use of a single main RCD. A ground fault on any circuit trips out the main and plunges the whole house into darkness. I wonder how many accidents that has caused? Personally, I would like to see the TT installations abandoned as soon as possible in favor of TN-C-S (PME/MEN system) in rural areas. It seems unlikely, however, as our Regs. are gradually moving closer to a common European standard, and TT seems to be favored heavily in much of Europe.
On permits, I don't see requiring them for simple repairs and replacements as a viable scheme. People would just ignore the law as they already do for gas. And if you prevent them from buying the appropriate parts from a store, they'll probably try to "get by" with salvaged second-hand materials.
