SWITCH DEVICE

A switching device (1) includes: a first contact (6); a second contact (18) provided in parallel with the first contact; and a fault detection unit (16) to perform an operation of opening the first contact when a fault is detected. The second contact is formed of a pair of elongate current-carrying electrodes facing each other, and includes a fixed contactor (30) having a fixed contact, and a movable contactor (32) having a movable contact that is brought into and out of contact with the fixed contact. When the second contact is energized due to an operation of opening the first contact, the movable contact is separated from the fixed contact by an electromagnetic force generated by a flow of currents in opposite directions through the pair of current-carrying electrodes, and a discharge switch (12) is formed between the movable contact and the fixed contact that are separated. The switching device further includes: a first arc runner (26) electrically connected to the fixed contactor for driving, by an electromagnetic force, arc discharge that occurs when the second contact is opened; and a second arc runner (24) electrically connected to the movable contactor.