Equipotential Bonding in Event Technology – New Clarity Through the German DIN 15767:2025-04

Equipotential bonding has long been a core element of safe setups in the event and entertainment industry. With the German DIN 15767:2025‑04, its role is now defined even more explicitly: equipotential bonding is recognised as a safety‑critical protective measure, and the standard clearly states that hand‑operated devices such as wing nuts or thumb screws are no longer considered compliant.

The reasoning is straightforward: equipotential bonding prevents dangerous voltage differences between simultaneously touchable conductive parts. In temporary systems with mobile equipment, varying supplies and close audience proximity, this becomes especially significant. DIN 15700 describes these situations in detail and derives heightened requirements for the clarity and durability of the connection. DIN 15767 builds on this and formulates it with deliberate clarity: the bonding connection must not be unintentionally altered or released during operation. Compliant options therefore include connection boxes for mobile bonding systems according to DIN 15700, or fixed threaded bolts with nuts that require tools to be released.

This does not diminish earlier international practice. Wing nuts have been widely used for many years in touring, broadcast and live environments. However, major wiring codes around the world follow essentially the same safety principles that the German DIN now formulates more constructively and explicitly.

The international foundations confirm this: IEC 60364‑5‑54 defines the requirements for earthing, protective conductors and bonding, demanding permanent electrical continuity and a mechanically secure execution. IEC 60364‑5‑52, particularly Clause 526, defines electrical connections as mechanically and electrically suitable, durable and protected against unintentional loosening. National rulebooks subsequently specify these requirements—Germany now doing so explicitly for bonding connections.Similar principles apply worldwide. BS 7671 and BS 7909 in the UK require connections protected against accidental loosening, France demands permanently tight and tool‑tightened connections in NF C 15‑100, and Austria (OVE E 8101), Switzerland (NIN/SN 411000) and the Netherlands (NEN 1010) apply the same functional requirements. Outside Europe, comparable principles are found in AS/NZS 3000, SANS 10142‑1, SS 638 and NBR 5410.

Although no international standard explicitly bans wing nuts, nearly all require properties that hand‑operated nuts cannot reliably provide: defined clamping force, long‑term mechanical stability and protection against unintentional loosening. DIN 15767:2025‑04 simply makes these requirements more clearly verifiable.

DIN 15700 underpins this technically by ensuring that mobile bonding systems remain functional even during reconfiguration. Tool‑operated connections are therefore a deliberate safety measure rather than a formality.

In summary, the German DIN 15767:2025‑04 establishes clear, constructive requirements for a key protective measure. While wing nuts have long been common in international practice, the German standard now mandates secured, tool‑operated solutions that align with globally recognised safety objectives.

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An example of a compliant implementation in accordance with German DIN 15767:2025‑04 is our dual grounding system.

It combines a classic grounding stud with a HAN‑GND connection, thus linking international practice with the clear requirements of the German standard.

The grounding stud deliberately has the same thread as the wing nuts that are commonly used internationally. This means that the use of a wing nut outside the scope of the DIN requirements is fundamentally possible. The decisive difference does not lie in the thread, but in the compliant design: the connection is tool‑based and therefore meets the requirements of DIN 15767 for a secured equipotential bonding.

The grounding stud is complemented by a HAN‑GND connection as a pluggable, clearly secured solution for mobile equipotential bonding systems in accordance with DIN 15700. Users thus benefit from maximum flexibility while at the same time having a clear normative classification.

Especially in international projects, this dual concept creates a practical transition between established working methods and the specific requirements of the German DIN standards – without disruption, without the need to rethink workflows, and without compromising on safety.