Can automobile jumper wires for batteries be use for bridging pipes on plumbing work or can I buy a bridging jumper somewhere?

Are you talking about bonding for the electrical system? I personally have never heard the term bridging used in plumbing.

When you remove a water meter or cut a piece of water line or replace the metal pipe for plastic, you need to bond the two areas before the cuts because if not (samples)MAYBE you are breaking the grounding or the neutral is open or the water heater element is shorting to ground, etc., and you can be electrocute, so this bond is "bridging the two open parts togheter.

You can find bonding clamps and wire specifically for this purpose at some plumbing supplies, every lumberyard and box store I have been in, and any electrical supply. I don't know why you would bother because the water meter would either be in a pit, with ground on both sides, or inside the house with the bonding clamp before the meter anyway. If the electrical is in such poor shape that you actually have enough current flow through the pipe to electrocute you, you need to have the wiring fixed before someone touches a faucet and a light switch and gets killed.

use brass grounding clamps for the meter jumper wire.

No only for meters removals

ELECTRICAL HAZARDS FROM METALLIC WATER SERVICES

This safety alert replaces a previous safety alert issued in 2005 and has been revised following the recent death of a plumber who was electrocuted while installing a new section of copper water pipe at a private residence. This is the second fatality of its type that has occurred in NSW since 2005.

This alert warns plumbers that serious or fatal electric shocks can result when removing water meters, or cutting through or disconnecting metallic water pipes on water services.

The main contributing factor in these types of incidents is a fault has occurred with the electricity supply on the premises, or in the street, that causes the metallic piping to become ‘live’. When the pipe is cut or disconnected, either side of the pipe could become ‘live’, causing the worker to receive a serious or fatal electric shock.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

The Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001 require employers and self-employed people to identify hazards and assess and control risks at the workplace, in consultation with their workers.

RISK CONTROLS

Prior to the removal of water meters, or the repair or replacement of metallic water piping, the following control measures should be implemented:

• Before commencing work, ask the customer about the operational condition of the electrical installation. If they have experienced a ‘tingling’ sensation after touching the water pipes, taps or appliances, do not work on the water service. Advise the customer and the local electricity distributor that an electrical fault is suspected.

• If practicable, find the main switch for the premises and turn off the power. Attach a danger tag, or lock the switchboard, to ensure the power remains off until the work is completed.

• Use low voltage, insulated gloves when working on the water service.

• Thoroughly clean the section of pipe each side of the length to be cut or disconnected – or either side of the water meter if the meter is to be removed.

• Attach a bridging conductor with a current rating of 70 amperes or greater, and span the work area where the metal pipe is to be cut or the meter disconnected – and leave the area undisturbed until the work is finished. Ensure the clamps make good physical contact with the cleansed parts of the metal pipe.

• The bridging conductor must not be broken or removed until all work on the water service is completed and continuity of the metallic pipe is restored.

• Where metallic pipe is to be replaced by plastic pipe or other fittings, work must not commence until the earthing requirements have been checked by an electrical contractor, and modified if necessary.

• Plumbers must not disconnect earth wires that may be attached to the metal water pipes. If an earth wire needs to be disconnected, or is damaged, the customer should be told to get an electrical contractor to carry out the work.

packy: use brass grounding clamps for the meter jumper wire

packy, not for permanent meter jumper wire, it is for temporary jumpers while working in plumbing. I thought maybe I can use automobile batteries jumper wires for that as they have the clamps already.

i didn't see the word 'temporary'..
automobile jumper cables would be fine.
the fact is that there must be a permanent water meter electrical jumper installed by law.
if there isn't one then there must be one installed. then the automotive jumper is not necessary when removing a meter.

IF you are that concerned that there is a problem, then you should have the system tested FIRST. All a jumper does is conceal any electrical problem but does NOT eliminate it. The requirements in your cited page are "redundant" in that if you do some of them, it makes the others irrelevant. Such as turning off the main power supply makes everything else unnecessary.

You will NOT have the modern "anti explosion" feature so it would have to be installed to year 2000 regulations which are different than current ones.

The main contributing factor in these types of incidents is a fault has occurred with the electricity supply on the premises, or in the street, that causes the metallic piping to become ‘live’. When the pipe is cut or disconnected, either side of the pipe could become ‘live’, causing the worker to receive a serious or fatal electric shock.

BUT it can be fine when you break the pipe and a fault 'in the street" occurs at that moment, when it is open.

I always assume the water line is energized, until I test it and discover it is not.

How about you just check the line first with a no-touch voltage tester or clamp on amp meter. If you feel the need to start attaching jumper cables to water lines, then I guess it is whatever floats your boat.