What must protective grounding equipment be capable of conducting?

Protective grounding equipment must be capable of conducting fault current. This is crucial for ensuring safety during maintenance and repair work on electrical systems. When a fault occurs, such as a short circuit or equipment failure, fault current may flow through the grounding system. The grounding equipment acts as a pathway to safely divert this high level of current away from workers and into the ground, which reduces the risk of electrical shock and damage to equipment.

Understanding this capability is fundamental for linemen, as proper grounding protects not only the workers but also the integrity of the electrical system. The other types of current listed—residual, operating, and leakage—do not necessarily pertain to the primary purpose of protective grounding. While they each have significance in electrical systems, they do not define the primary function of grounding equipment, which is to handle potential fault conditions.