What is the difference between grounding and bonding in electrical safety?

• A. Grounding provides a reference to earth; bonding ensures conductive parts are at the same potential to prevent shock
• B. Grounding bonds all metals to the water line; bonding grounds the system to the sky
• C. Grounding is only for DC systems; bonding only for AC
• D. Grounding and bonding are the same thing

Answer: (A)

Grounding and bonding serve different safety roles. Grounding creates a reference point for the electrical system by connecting a conductor to the earth. This gives fault currents a path to the ground and helps stabilize voltage levels, which allows overcurrent protection devices to trip and keeps exposed conductors at a safer potential during fault conditions. Bonding, in contrast, is the process of connecting exposed conductive parts together and to the grounding system so they all sit at the same electrical potential. This minimizes voltage differences between metal enclosures, appliances, and frames, reducing the risk of shock if a fault energizes one part and a person touches another. So, grounding is about the system’s reference to earth, while bonding is about keeping conductive parts at the same potential to prevent shock and reduce touch voltage. The other statements aren’t accurate: bonding isn’t simply about connecting metals to a water line or to the sky, grounding and bonding aren’t limited to one type of current, and they are separate practices, not the same thing.