Why are pieces of stones used to cover the ground at electric switchyards instead of just having a concrete floor ?
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The big reason is to provide extra resistance between people and (earth) ground. The gravel is actually pretty high resistance overall because in a pile each piece only touches others at corners. Concrete on the other hand is pretty uniform, has a higher degree of ions that increase conductivity like calcium, and retains alot of moisture in it’s pores.
You don’t usually think of concrete as conductive, but it’s still conductive enough to electrocute. Gravel is about 5000x more insulating than concrete.
There’s also some side benefits for water drainage and maintenance compared to concrete.
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