Safety requirements for electrical installations in bath and shower rooms are defined in DIN VDE 0100-701:2008-10. They are based on IEC 60364-7-701:2006 (CENELEC harmonisation document HD 60364-7-701:2007).
Rooms with bathtubs and showers
In shower and bathrooms, three areas are defined according to DIN VDE 0100-701 (figure and figure as well as table). Outside of these areas, there are no special requirements for electrical equipment.
In rooms with bath tubs or showers, a fault-current protection device (FI switch, RCD – residual current protective device) with a maximum operating current of 30 mA is mandatory. The conductive components of fresh and waste water supply as well as heating, air conditioning and gas supply must be factored into the additional potential equalisation.
Figure 3.218: Areas 0, 1 and 2 in rooms with bath tubs and shower trays, measurements in cm
Table 3.160: Definition of areas and installations permissible therein for shower and bathing rooms
Figure 3.219: Area 1 in rooms without bath tubs or shower trays. The measurements (in cm) refer to the integrated water outlet.