While many modern electrical components use residual current circuit breakers rather than earth leakage, it's still an important parameter to test because a lot of electrical installations still use older technology.
Earth leakage is, after all, extremely dangerous. Stray voltages on metal areas of electrical components can cause nasty electrical shocks to both humans and the environment, potentially causing fires and damaging both employees and the workplace.
That's why it's extremely important to regularly test components for these harmful stray voltages using an Earth Leakage clamp meter. These extremely handy devices use safety-conscious jaws (or clamps, if you prefer) to latch onto electrical components and gain accurate, safe readings of earth leakage, giving you a clear indication of whether the device is running smoothly or is outputting potentially deadly voltages.
Outside of accident prevention, earth leakage clamp meters are also extremely handy for ensuring that electrical appliances are running as efficiently as possible. If an appliance is regularly leaking electrical power this means that the energy is being wasted as it isn't powering anything; by using an earth leakage device you could assess exactly why this drop in efficiency is occurring, and take relevant steps to save yourself money in the long run.
