EC&M - May 2025

MAY 2025 ecmweb.com

THE MAGAZINE OF ELECTRICAL DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE

EC&M Magazine Health & Safety • National Electrical Code • Construction

Making Sense of OSHA’s New Arc Flash Hazard Guidance The first update in almost 20 years, OSHA’s latest arc flash guidance is poised to make a lasting impact on safety in the electrical industry.

Read more on pg. 32

IN THIS ISSUE

Single-Family Building Market Projections for 2025 pg. 10 Voltage Dependencies of Power Factor in Rotating Machinery Insulation pg. 14 How Working Safely Can Boost Job Efficiency pg. 22 May 2025 • Vol. 124, No. 5

Tracking Wearable Safety Tech Trends pg. 38 How Standardization Can Transform the Job Site pg. 52 2505ECM_C1_Cover.indd 1

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CONTENTS COVER STORY 32 Making Sense

of OSHA’s New Arc Flash Hazard Guidance

May 2025 • Volume 124 • Number 5

The first update in almost 20 years, OSHA’s latest arc flash guidance is poised to make a lasting impact on safety in the electrical industry.

32 FEATURES 38 38 Tracking Wearable Safety Tech Trends DEPARTMENTS Wearables, AI, and new PPE designs are providing electrical contractors with more options to protect employees — including those who work on low-voltage systems.

8 Industry Viewpoint 46 Six Steps to Compliance with 10 Market Watch Electrical Safety Standards

Using the NFPA Electrical Cycle of Safety to build a more robust maintenance and safety compliance strategy

52 How Standardization Can

Single-family building market projections for 2025

14 Electrical Testing Education

Voltage dependencies of power factor in rotating machinery insulation

Transform the Job Site

From safer job sites to streamlined workflows, discover how adopting a standardized construction approach across safety, training, and material handling helps electrical contractors tackle complex projects more efficiently and with fewer errors.

58 Navigating the NEC’s Requirements

for Hazardous (Classified) Locations

An inside look at how the NEC defines, classifies, and safeguards electrical installations in environments where fire and explosion hazards are more than just theoretical.

22 Safety Corner

How working safely can boost job efficiency

26 Eye on Safety

Proper maintenance and replacement of arc-rated personal protective equipment

NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE 66 Code Basics

64 Product News 73 Ad Index

70 Code Quiz of the Month 71 Illustrated Catastrophes 74 What’s Wrong Here?

71

58

NEC Requirements for services — part 1

Can you spot the Code violations?

4

Cover Photo: Pinyo Promprasert/Shutterstock

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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ECMWEB.COM

May 2025, Vol. 124/No. 5

www.ecmweb.com

With its exclusive online content, ecmweb.com is a valuable source of industry insight for electrical professionals. Here’s a sample of what you can find on our site right now:

ID 23623636 © Kemaltaner | Dreamstime

Editorial Group Editorial Director - Buildings & Construction: Michael Eby, meby@endeavorb2b.com Editor-in-Chief: Ellen Parson, eparson@endeavorb2b.com Managing Editor: Ellie Coggins, ecoggins@endeavorb2b.com Editor: Michael Morris, mmorris@endeavorb2b.com Art Director: David Eckhart, deckhart@endeavorb2b.com Consultants and Contributors NEC Consultant: Mike Holt, mike@mikeholt.com NEC Consultant: Russ LeBlanc, russ@russleblanc.net

HANDLING SAFETY VIOLATIONS ON CLIENT SITES

Sales and Marketing

Safety Learn how to handle tough safety-related issues you may encounter as an electrical professional on various job sites. ecmweb.com/55286641

VP/Market Leader - Buildings & Construction: Mike Hellmann, mhellmann@endeavorb2b.com Regional/Territory Account Manager: David Sevin, dsevin@endeavorb2b.com Regional/Territory Account Manager: Jay Thompson, jthompson@endeavorb2b.com Regional/Territory Key Account Manager: Ellyn Fishman, efishman@endeavorb2b.com

ID 346784414 © Barmaleeva | Dreamstime

Media Account Executive – Classifieds/Inside Sales: Steve Suarez, ssuarez@endeavorb2b.com

EV CHARGING MEETS FEDERAL PUSHBACK

Ad Services Manager: Deanna O’Byrne, dobyrne@endeavorb2b.com User Marketing Manager: James Marinaccio, jmarinaccio@endeavorb2b.com Endeavor Business Media, LLC CEO: Chris Ferrell

COO: Patrick Rains

CRO: Paul Andrews

CDO: Jacquie Niemiec

CMO: Amanda Landsaw

CALO: Tracy Kane

Electrical Construction & Maintenance (USPS Permit 499-790, ISSN 1082-295X print, ISSN 2771-6384 online) is published monthly by Endeavor Business Media, LLC. 201 N. Main St 5th Floor, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Electrical Construction & Maintenance, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Publisher reserves the right to reject non-qualified subscriptions. Subscription prices: U.S. ($68.75 year); Canada/Mexico ($ 112.50); All other countries ($162.50). All subscriptions are payable in U.S. funds. Send subscription inquiries to Electrical Construction & Maintenance, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257. Customer service can be reached toll-free at 877-382-9187 or at electricalconstmaint@omeda.com for magazine subscription assistance or questions.

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Gallery Check out the top 10 most frequently cited OSHA violations for 2024. ecmweb.com/55284312

Production Manager: Josh Troutman, jtroutman@endeavorb2b.com

EVP Building, Energy and Water Group: Mike Christian

Electric Vehicles Tom Zind explores how key EV programs and rules may be on the chopping block under the new administration. ecmweb.com/55284693

THE TOP 10 OSHA VIOLATIONS OF 2024

Production and Circulation

Printed in the USA. Copyright 2025 Endeavor Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopies, recordings, or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the publisher. Endeavor Business Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person or company for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident, or any other cause whatsoever. The views and opinions in the articles herein are not to be taken as official expressions of the publishers, unless so stated. The publishers do not warrant either expressly or by implication, the factual accuracy of the articles herein, nor do they so warrant any views or opinions by the authors of said articles.

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Reprints: Contact reprints@endeavorb2b.com to purchase custom reprints or e-prints of articles appearing in this publication.

Privacy Policy: Your privacy is a priority to us. For a detailed policy statement about privacy and information dissemination practices related to Endeavor Business Media products, please visit our website at www.endeavorbusinessmedia.com.

Please Note: The designations “National Electrical Code,” “NE Code,” and “NEC” refer to the National Electrical Code®, which is a registered trademark of the National Fire Protection Association.

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May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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INDUSTRY VIEWPOINT

Closing the Safety Gap

By Ellen Parson, Editor-in-Chief

A

s I write this month’s editorial, I can’t help but notice all of the notifications flooding my inbox that highlight educational events aimed at improving safety outcomes for those working at heights and planned for OSHA’s annual National Safety Stand-Down held May 5-9. Considering the fact that “Fall Protection — General Requirements” clinched the top spot for the 14th year in a row on OSHA’s most frequently cited workplace safety standards for 2024, education and training in this area is obviously crucial. See EC&M’s gallery at ecmweb.com/55284312 for an overview of the top 10 violations. It’s not that I’m surprised to see the same citations showing up year after year based on the sheer number of exposures per category across multiple industries.

However, I do wonder why obvious improvements in safety protocols, technologies/equipment, and more aggressive education/training efforts over the years have not moved the needle a little more in the right direction. To get some additional perspective, I decided to ask some of EC&M’s contributing safety experts for their thoughts.

According to Terry Becker, P.Eng. with TW Becker Electrical Safety Consulting Inc., it’s possible that we continue to see the same violations due to lack of compliant occupational health and safety management systems — specifically, he says workers may not be required to complete a Field Level Hazard Assessment before executing work tasks. He also notes that fall protection has historically seen the most violations because some industries (like residential housing construction) do not institute a working at heights policy — you can visibly see the lack of fall arrest PPE being used on these jobs. Longtime electrical consultant to EC&M Mark Lamendola concurs, adding that the OSHA list can be a bit misleading for the electrical industry because roofing companies inevitably skew the fall protection category totals. Since most electrical work is not performed at elevation, he points out that we don’t have a clear picture of how electrical contractors are cited for OSHA violations related to gravity. In addition to reinforcing fall protection safety practices, what can electrical professionals do to help improve safety outcomes across the board and keep themselves and their companies off the OSHA citation list?

According to Becker, the industry needs compliant electrical safety programs. “Employers are unfortunately using three bids and a buy for ‘arc flash awareness’ training; they are not pre-qualifying the company and the instructor,” he says. “Train the trainer options most likely fail as you need to have appropriate background NFPA 70E knowledge, application knowledge, and the ability to complete a broad spectrum of training.” He maintains the required NFPA 70E risk assessment procedure is often not provided, and the mandatory Electrical Safety Program does not include it. “A documented qualitative work task based risk assessment with a matrix and work task risk register table allows an employer to take control of arc flash and place appropriate focus on electric shock,” he says. “All workers on a worksite are exposed to electric shock, and OSHA severe injury statistics prove electric shock is a problem.”

Lamendola has written several excellent series for EC&M’s “Safety Matters” newsletter on avoiding OSHA citations, such as Hazard Communication System Citation Prevention Parts 1 through 8 (ecmweb.com/55132968) and Preventing Ladder-Related Citations (ecmweb.com/55284186). Check them out; they are definitely worth a read! In general, he recommends: • Ensure everyone knows “Safety is your first priority.” Understanding this means you will intuitively know what to do in most cases, and, if you don’t know, you’ll find out.

• Instill an attitude of working methodically, and ensure everyone has the correct equipment for the job.

• Pick an OSHA Subpart. Methodically review it in small chunks. Update your safety program according to what you learn.

• Don’t look for what you can get by with look for how you can ensure people act safely and have a safe place to work.

• Drill this in: Electricity is dangerous. Gravity is dangerous. Don’t take chances with either one.

• An OSHA citation doesn’t mean the company has failed OSHA’s requirements. It means the company has failed its employees.

A new survey commissioned by Bosch Power Tools and conducted by Talker Research revealed similar sentiments. According to the study, which surveyed 1,000 Americans from the general population and 1,000 trade workers, 32% of trade workers want to see more support from their employers to improve job-site safety, including making sure everyone knows how to properly use equipment. The research also revealed more than half (57%) of trade workers have experienced up to four safety-related “close calls” in the past year, and 31% have left a job or worksite because it felt unsafe. These statistics demonstrate the urgent need to always keep electrical safety top of mind. Only through increased awareness, education, training, diligence, and vigilance will we have a chance at closing the underlying safety gap that exists in all industries, including the electrical market.

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May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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MARKET WATCH

Single-Family Building Market Projections for 2025 Home builders are concerned about tariffs, but some hot metros will shine in 2025.

By Jim Lucy, Electrical Wholesaling

A

lthough United States single-family building permits saw some decent growth in 2024 — with a 6.7% increase to 981,834 units — home builders are concerned about the impact of tariffs on many of the key building materials they install in homes. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) estimates that 7.3% of all building materials used in new residential construction last year were supplied from a foreign country. In a recent NAHB/ Wells Fargo Housing Market Index survey, home builders said new tariffs could add $9,200 to the cost of a new home.

Fortunately for home builders, softwood lumber from Canada and gypsum board from Mexico are so far exempt from any additional tariffs (at the time of publication). NAHB says Canada accounts for roughly 85% of all U.S. softwood lumber imports and nearly a quarter of the available supply in the United States. In an official statement to the media, NAHB chairman Buddy Hughes said, “While the complexity of these reciprocal tariffs makes it hard to estimate the overall impact on housing, they will undoubtedly raise some construction costs. However, NAHB is pleased President Trump recognized the importance of critical construction inputs for housing and chose to continue current exemptions for Canadian and Mexican products, with a specific exemption for lumber from any new tariffs at this time.”

Home builders are off to a bit of a slow start in 2025, with February single-family permits dropping to an annual rate of 992,000, 0.2% below the January figure and 3.4% down from February 2024’s mark. Despite the sluggish start in 2025, some local Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) are coming off a terrific year of growth in 2024. For instance, builders in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Ariz., area pulled 5,356 more permits than in 2023 for a 21.6% gain. Other MSAs with at least 20% year-over-year gains and increases of at least 1,000 building permits were Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nev. (+21.7%); San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas (+24.7%); IndianapolisCarmel-Anderson, Ind. (+22%); Boise City, Idaho (+27.1%); Ocala, Fla. (+27.6%); and Fresno, Calif. (+44.1%). As has been the case for as long as Electrical Marketing has been analyzing building permit data, a relative handful of markets account for the lion’s share of the residential building permit activity. In the 100 MSAs that logged the most building permits (see the Table on page 12), about a dozen Intermountain and Sunbelt states 10

Single-Family Building Permits Texas and Florida dominate 2024 annual single-family building permits.

Map: Jim Lucy, Editor-in-Chief • Source: Electrical Marketing Created with Datawrapper

This map represents the top MSAs when it comes to single-family building permits.

accounted for most of the total (see Figure above). Florida had 18 MSAs in the Top 100, followed by California (9), North Carolina (8), South Carolina (6), Texas (6), Georgia (4), Utah (4), Tennessee (4), Colorado (3), and Arizona (3). The Top 100 MSAs in the table accounted for 705,048 single-family permits, 72% of the total, while the Top 50 MSAs accounted for 56% of all single-family permits pulled in 2024. The top 10 accounted for 25%.

With all the attention in the construction market on data centers and large semiconductor and EV plants, home building remains a critically important segment of the market. New housing attracts various other commercial construction activities, including retail strip malls, big box stores, hospitals and medical buildings, schools, and houses of worship. Although the residential market faces a challenging year due to tariffs, the uncertain economy, and zoning restrictions for new development, it will still be a key market for many contractors and other professionals in the electrical field.

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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MARKET WATCH Top 50 Metros in Single-Family Building Permits 1 Unit — Rank Metropolitan Statistical Area 2024 United States 981,834 1 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 52,851 2 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 47,045 3 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 30,166 4 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA 25,810 5 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 18,951 6 Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX 16,521 7 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 15,173 8 Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN 14,415 9 Raleigh-Cary, NC 13,344 10 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 13,254 11 Jacksonville, FL 12,938 12 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 12,827 13 Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 12,277 14 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 12,141 15 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 11,681 16 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 11,188 17 San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 10,916 18 North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL 10,889 19 Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 10,554 20 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 9,407 21 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 9,396 22 Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN 9,270 23 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 9,263 24 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA 8,638 25 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 8,514 26 Boise City, ID 8,258 27 Greenville-Anderson, SC 7,857 28 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 7,762 29 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC 7,302 30 Wilmington, NC 7,281 31 Charleston-North Charleston, SC 6,857 32 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 6,483 33 Ocala, FL 6,409 34 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 6,253 35 Columbus, OH 6,070 36 Oklahoma City, OK 5,880 37 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 5,558 38 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO 5,493 39 Provo-Orem, UT 5,242 40 Port St. Lucie, FL 5,108 41 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 5,085 42 Richmond, VA 5,006 43 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 4,866 44 Kansas City, MO-KS 4,812 45 Knoxville, TN 4,801 46 St. Louis, MO-IL 4,653 47 Columbia, SC 4,438 48 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 4,391 49 Tucson, AZ 4,168 50 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN 4,009 Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 U.S. annual building permit data.

5 Units or More — 2024 435,159 11,520 22,912 13,577 13,937 6,847 15,008 8,210 5,384 5,574 7,545 1,753 42,230 2,301 9,680 13,265 3,012 3,803 3,920 4,686 7,403 5,055 2,314 6,505 2,701 1,716 610 811 5,054 60 2,175 1,437 9,880 534 2,696 7,195 581 10,035 1,899 1,060 435 681 3,408 2,023 3,663 2,106 1,821 1,096 641 996 2,534

1 Unit YOY # Change 61,861 2,837 4,502 5,356 1,838 (137) (217) (1,862) 246 1,197 (1,573) 536 1,112 2,190 1,296 (129) (736) 2,160 435 1,900 1,051 1,529 1,992 291 697 (695) 1,759 1,126 309 (4,014) 5,199 750 430 1,386 (65) 741 431 176 179 587 (297) (273) 413 620 546 597 145 (211) 354 480 274

1 Unit YOY % Change 6.7 5.7 10.6 21.6 7.7 -0.7 -1.3 -10.9 1.7 9.9 -10.6 4.3 9.5 21.7 12.0 -1.1 -6.2 24.7 4.2 22.0 12.6 19.4 27.4 3.2 8.8 -7.5 27.1 16.7 4.1 -35.5 249.7 12.3 7.1 27.6 -1.0 13.9 7.9 3.3 3.4 12.6 -5.5 -5.1 9.0 14.6 12.8 14.2 3.2 -4.5 8.8 13.0 7.3

5 Units or More # Change (101,254) (5,038) 838 (5,355) (290) (3,280) (6,360) (383) (4,213) (2,813) (2,462) (5,661) 15,963 (435) (2,371) (3,544) (4,317) (3,445) (1,350) 103 1,864 (4,653) (2,646) (4,867) (1,108) (1,453) (2,505) 348 (294) (1,537) 640 (636) (7) 438 (2,028) 1,400 259 (5,328) 844 (286) (71) (665) (1,743) 311 930 154 (760) 494 14 (423) 509

5 Units or More % Change -18.9 -30.4 3.8 -28.3 -2.0 -32.4 -29.8 -4.5 -43.9 -33.5 -24.6 -76.4 60.8 -15.9 -19.7 -21.1 -58.9 -47.5 -25.6 2.2 33.7 -47.9 -53.3 -42.8 -29.1 -45.9 -80.4 75.2 -5.5 -96.2 41.7 -30.7 -0.1 456.3 -42.9 24.2 80.4 -34.7 80.0 -21.2 -14.0 -49.4 -33.8 18.2 34.0 7.9 -29.4 82.1 2.2 -29.8 25.1

It should be a busy year for homebuilders in the Dallas and Houston metropolitan areas. In 2024, total building permits for these metros topped 99,000.

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May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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ELECTRICAL TESTING EDUCATION

Voltage Dependencies of Power Factor in Rotating Machinery Insulation

Using PF and PF testing techniques to guide electrical testing, maintenance, and asset replacement planning and decision-making

By Bret Hammonds, Protec Equipment Resources, LLC

M

otors and generators are critical components of electrical systems. They are used to automate numerous industrial processes, circulate liquids for cooling and lubrication purposes, and generate electricity, to name only a few applications. If, for any reason, there is an unplanned interruption of these processes due to the failure of one of these rotating machines, the resulting damage, downtime, and inability to perform crucial work can have significant and costly repercussions. For this reason, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on ensuring the health of rotating machinery and other electrical and power system apparatus.

The failure of rotating machinery can often be attributed to the degradation and/or contamination of the insulation that separates electrically energized components from one another and ground. Electrical insulation is a sensitive and integral part of rotating machinery and is therefore of undeniable importance to the continued health and operation of these machines.

One way to evaluate dry-type and solid insulation is to perform AC insulation tests and use testing techniques to quantify losses in electrical insulation.

Power factor (PF) and power factor testing techniques are being used to provide valuable information for triggering decisions related to testing and 14

Courtesy of NETA

maintenance, and perhaps even for asset replacement planning.

POWER FACTOR (DISSIPATION FACTOR) TESTING

Although not always required for rotating machines rated less than 6kV, one of the tests often performed on rotating machines is commonly referred to as a power factor test or a dissipation factor (tan ) test. These measurements are calculated differently using complementary angles as shown in Fig. 1 on page 15.

However, for modern stator winding insulation systems, power factor and dissipation factor are often used

interchangeably. Power factor and dissipation factor are unitless measurements of electrical losses that occur in insulating materials and are commonly reported in percentages. These tests are considered diagnostic due to their ability to trend measurements over time and provide insight regarding changes in the insulation of electrical apparatus such as motors and generators.

An ideal insulator is a perfect capacitor with no losses and current leads voltage by 90 degrees. In this case, the power factor or the cosine of the angle between voltage and current would be zero (0). However, there is no such thing

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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Ic AC Voltage

Ir

Reactive Power (VAR)

Total Current (It) = Ic + Ir

It (Total)

Appa rent Pow er (V A)

Ic (Capacitive)

% PF = Watts/VA = Ir/It = Cos % DF = Ir/Ic = tan

Ir (Resistive) Real Power (W)

V

Fig. 1. This circuit diagram and vector graph show the relationship between power factor (left) and dissipation factor (right).

as a perfect capacitor (insulator). There will always be some small amount of leakage current through the insulating material. Coil systems like those in electric motors have inherent losses, causing capacitive and resistive current flow.

For this reason, a realistic and desirable power factor value or dissipation factor can be small in a good insulating system, but it can never equal zero (0).

One reason to conduct power factor or dissipation factor tests on rotating machines is to assess the effects of voids and void formation associated with solid and dry-type insulation. The tests can assess the manufacturing process involving these insulating materials and evaluate the insulation over the life of the machinery. Ionization of these voids ultimately equates to increased dielectric losses and deterioration of insulation over time.

IEEE Std. 286-2000, IEEE Recommended Practice for Measurement of Power Factor Tip-Up of Electric Machinery Stator Coil Insulation, refers to these losses as corona discharges. In this case, a corona discharge would refer to the partial breakdown of the insulation as a result of ionizing gaseous voids beyond a critical voltage gradient. An overall power factor measurement on winding insulation can indicate the progression of this type of partial discharge associated with increasing deterioration of insulation due to aging or the ingress of moisture and other contaminants.

Excluding other techniques that may involve power factor measurements,

these tests are performed: • Off-line.

• With the stator winding isolated so that each phase can be tested independently.

• At a single voltage not to exceed the line-to-neutral rating of the apparatus.

• At power system frequency.

Electrical Testing Education articles are provided by the InterNational Electrical Testing Association (NETA), www.NETAworld.org. NETA was formed in 1972 to establish uniform testing procedures for electrical equipment and systems. Today, the association accredits electrical testing companies; certifies electrical testing technicians; publishes the ANSI/NETA Standards for Acceptance Testing, Maintenance Testing, Commissioning, and the Certification of Electrical Test Technicians; and provides training through its annual conferences (PowerTest and EPIC — Electrical Power Innovations Conference) and its expansive library of educational resources.

Tests will be performed on the insulation between each phase of the motor stator and ground, as well as the interwinding insulation between phases of adjacent windings (Fig. 2 on page 16).

When applied to large, highly capacitive rotating machinery, the use of a resonating inductor may be required to extend the charging current capability of the test equipment. This effectively helps overcome what might otherwise be a limiting factor to attaining the recommended test voltage.

Performing power factor tests at the same voltage every time the test is performed over the life of each specific apparatus allows results to be trended and compared in such a way as to differentiate between gradual changes and those that might be considered more significant. Gradual changes often relate to a normal aging process; more significant changes can result from unusual stresses to the insulation. A good analogy would be a person who grows old gracefully as opposed to someone who falls and is injured. Being able to identify changes as well as the severity of those changes can provide predictive insight into preventing unplanned downtime and/or impending failure.

POWER FACTOR TIP-UP TESTS

While power factor testing applies to almost any type of electrical insulation, power factor tip-up tests are especially applicable to dry-type insulation such as that found in some smaller distribution www.ecmweb.com • May 2025

2505ECM_14-21_NETA.indd 15

15

5/13/2025 11:06:49 AM

ELECTRICAL TESTING EDUCATION transformers as well as in rotating machinery. Performing power factor testing on motor windings can serve as a baseline measurement for trending purposes over time. A power factor tip-up test shows the variation of dielectric losses over a range of voltages and is widely used to identify and even sometimes characterize voltage dependencies in winding insulation.

More specifically, excluding outside influences, an oil- or liquid-filled apparatus is expected to maintain the value of dielectric losses throughout the range of voltages up to and including the rated line to neutral voltage. However, solid/dry insulation has proven to be more voltage-dependent due to the nature of these materials, even within the rated line-to-neutral range of operation. A great deal of information regarding this topic is available in the IEEE Std. 286-2000, IEEE Recommended Practice for Measurement of Power Factor Tip-Up of Electric Machinery Stator Coil Insulation.

To better understand the value of power factor tip-up, let’s define what it is and how it can complement a standard power factor test. The electrical power industry offers the following definition of power factor tip-up from IEEE 100, The Authoritative Dictionary of IEEE Standards Terms, Seventh Edition.

“The difference between power factor measurements at two different designated voltages applied to an insulation system, other conditions being constant.

• The first power factor measurement is often conducted at approximately 25% of the rated line-to-neutral voltage. This should be a low enough voltage that partial discharge has not yet begun to occur.

• A second power factor measurement is performed at 100% of the rated line-to-neutral voltage.”

Since solid/dry type insulating materials are proven to be more voltagedependent than other types of insulation, it is much more likely that partial discharge will begin to occur, producing increased losses and higher values of power factor.

This is where power factor tip-up testing becomes a more valuable indicator regarding the health of the insulation.

The number representing tip-up is derived by subtracting the power factor 16

CBC

B CAB

C

IP EZ

C AC

A

* Independent Phase to Ground Insulation

CBG

C AG

C CG

* Interwinding Insulation Between Adjacent Phases * Overall Phase to Ground Insulation (may require use of a resonating inductor)

G

Supp stub befo

Trans Coupl

Fig. 2. This diagram depicts the stator winding insulation arrangement in a motor.

Power Factor 25% x VL-N

VL-N

Tip-Up

Phase A

1.73

3.86

2.13

Phase B

1.83

3.91

2.08

Phase C

1.76

3.87

2.11

S

The PF tip-up value is the difference between two different voltages applied to an insulation system.

value at the lower test voltage (~25% of VL-N) from the power factor value at the higher test voltage (~100% of rated VL-N).

Refer to the Table above.

PFTip Up = PF(~100%)– PF(~25%) Two significant factors to observe are the tip-up value and the lowest value of the voltage at which the power factor begins to increase. This point is often referred to as partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV).

Determining an inception voltage by plotting power factor measurements over a range of applied voltages is not a precise method of determining PDIV, but it can offer general insight into when insulation is beginning to deteriorate and perhaps when a more precise method of determining this value might be warranted.

Greater resolution of the voltage dependency of insulation can be observed by plotting power factor versus applied voltage at additional points between 25% and 100% of the rated line to neutral voltage. An example of what might be observed can be seen in Fig. 3 on page 18, as these additional values of power factor are

plotted with their respective line to neutral voltages.

CONCLUSION

The amount of increase in power factor value as a function of voltage corresponds to the dielectric losses that are somewhat characteristic of dry-type insulation. The power factor tip-up characteristic serves as another means by which electrical insulation can be evaluated in terms of voltage dependency and what that may indicate regarding age, contamination ingress, and deterioration.

Additionally, plotting power factor values at multiple applied voltages may also indicate the voltage at which partial discharge begins to occur (PDIV) and how it changes over time. Figure 4 on page 18 illustrates deterioration within the insulating system as seen by the increased value of power factor tip-up. If we are also monitoring the plotted characteristic of power factor over a range of voltages, the voltage at which losses begin to increase can serve as another reference to the degree of insulation deterioration over time.

There is much more to know and understand about the electrical testing

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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ELECTRICAL TESTING EDUCATION % Power Factor

2.5 2.0 Power Factor Tip-Up

1.5 1.0 0.5 0

Partial Discharge Inception Voltage PDIV 0.25

0.5

0.75

Un

Applied Voltage (x Un)

Fig. 3. Example curve of power factor vs. applied test voltage.

3.0 Subsequent PF Tip-Up Characteristic

ElectricalZone This weekly e-newsletter offers subscribers a unique and inside view into the most important trends, technologies, and developments taking place within the electrical industry.

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% Power Factor

2.5 2.0 1.5

Initial PF Tip-Up Characteristic

1.0 0.5 0

0.25

0.5

0.75

Un

Applied Voltage (x Un)

Fig. 4. These time-related changes to PF tip-up indicate a deterioration of insulation.

techniques that can and often are applied to various types and applications of electrical insulation. The goal of this article has been to show how power factor tip-up tests can be a valuable tool in identifying

Trending power factor and power factor tip-up results can provide insight into the planned mitigation of much more costly failures. and characterizing voltage dependencies of dry-type electrical insulation in rotating machinery. These tests can indicate whether insulation is changing in ways that are expected and associated with normal aging or in ways that are more dramatic and potentially alarming.

18

PF Tip-Up

Partial Discharge Inception Voltage PDIV

Additionally, we’ve shown how these changes characterize the deterioration and/or contamination of insulation found in rotating machinery. Trending power factor and power factor tip-up results can provide insight into the planned mitigation of much more costly failures. As insulation ages and begins to increase in voltage dependency, as dry-type insulation often does, these tests can potentially serve as triggers for more frequent testing, the performance of actual partial discharge tests, and perhaps decisions regarding the timing of other asset management decisions.

For more information, Eileen Duarte’s article from NETA World, “Power Factor Testing of Stator Winding Insulation: Understanding the Test Technique and Interpretation of Results,” has valuable information that was incorporated throughout this article.

Bret Hammonds serves as the Director of Application Resources for Protec Equipment Resources, LLC. He has over 30 years of experience testing power system apparatus within the electrical power industry.

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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SAFETY CORNER

How Working Safely Can Boost Job Efficiency Increase safety, efficiency, and work quality by working methodically.

By Mark Lamendola, Electrical Consultant

T

here’s a persistent school of thought that safety is an extra layer imposed on top of work, so minimizing this layer would mean more work gets done in the same amount of time. It’s hard to argue with this logic unless you understand what safe work practices entail.

Those practices, when fully understood, consistently and correctly implemented, and integrated into the normal workflow and procedures, increase not only safety but also efficiency and work quality. How can this be? If you skip steps instead of performing them, don’t you save time?

Consider a simple task such as cutting wood. Let’s say you need to cut a sheet of plywood into two 4-ft squares, so you can use one square to mount some boxes and control switches.

What’s demonstrated by cutting the plywood the correct way is a concept called working methodically. If you’re not methodical, how might you cut it?

For example, maybe Jason lays the plywood on a couple of sawhorses and has Joe, his helper, hold it steady while he cuts off half with his circular saw.

That seems like it’s a lot faster than the way Robert does it.

Robert clamps the piece to a contractor-grade fold-up worktable and supports the “waste” part on a couple of sawhorses.

He uses a contractor-grade saw guide to make a perfect cut. It may appear he was fussy and wasted quite a bit of time.

But unlike Jason, Robert did not need to: 1. Tie up a helper.

2. Go back over that wandering cut to try to clean it up.

22

ID 168306991 © Lersan Moomueansri | Dreamstime.com

3. Fix the wood splinter problem at the end of the cut.

4. Damage both halves of the plywood sheet.

5. Risk getting hurt by the kickback caused by binding on the blade.

6. Figure out how to hide the bad edge when mounting the plywood.

Do you see from this simple example that Jason took more time to do worse work while at greater risk of injury to himself and one other person? Do you also see that by working methodically, Robert reduced the helper’s risk to zero because no helper was needed?

JOB PLANNING IS SAFETY PLANNING

The first step in working methodically is to develop the methodology. This is

another way of saying you plan the job and each task comprising it. You can use job safety planning to do this.

In NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, we find three requirements for job safety planning [Sec. 110.3(I)(1)]. This plan must: 1. Be completed by a qualified person.

2. Be documented.

3. Include information such as a description of the job, individual tasks, and work procedures.

You could remove the word “safety” from this, and it would apply to every job that you want to do efficiently and correctly. Requirement No. 3 for the plan also includes identification of the electrical risks, an electric shock assessment, and an arc flash assessment. But aside from those safety specifics, job planning

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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SAFETY CORNER is safety planning and vice versa. A job that is not properly planned cannot be properly performed, which means it will be performed inefficiently. And because job planning is safety planning and viceversa, job safety planning is essential to performing a job efficiently.

JOB BRIEFING

One way to save time is to skip the job briefing [Sec. 110.3(I)(2)]. This is, after all, another one of those pesky safety requirements. It can take the crew leader 20 minutes to put together the information and contact the concerned parties. If it’s a crew of four attending a 15-minute job briefing, that’s a manhour of labor plus another 15-minute delay in getting started. One eager crew leader at an Alabama manufacturing plant did the math and decided to save his company some money by skipping this step. If anybody had questions, they could just ask him. The problem is that people often don’t know that questions need to be asked.

The equipment in question had to be run until a particular order was completed and shipped out that day. A key customer was counting on that order. So production agreed to let lockout/tagout occur at 14:15. The operators would start an orderly shutdown at 14:00, which was about the time the last piece from that line would complete the outgoing shipment.

Production stipulated that, because this machine produced $325,000 of revenue per hour, they wanted the lockout/ tagout walked down no later than 13:30 so it would be done without a hitch once production released the equipment for downtime. The superintendent said not to do anything until production confirmed the critical run was complete.

In an NFPA 70E-compliant job, all of this would have been known to the whole crew. But this was not an NFPA 70E-compliant job.

Because there was no job briefing, the walk down got confused with the lockout, and power to the equipment was interrupted prematurely. But the equipment could not be restarted as if nothing had happened for two reasons. First, the start-up process took almost 10 minutes.

Second, the interruption happened at 24

the worst possible time during machine operation, causing the work in process to damage the machine. The damage would take several hours to repair.

A safety incident did not result from this, but it could have. However, this attempt at cost savings cost the company $1,460,000 in lost revenue, plus $7,500 in repair costs, plus the labor costs of idled production workers. Then there’s the business cost to the customer, who was counting on that shipment. The economics of skipping the job briefing just were not there. They never are.

METHODICAL PERFORMANCE

The onus of getting the planning and communication right falls primarily on the crew leader. What about the rest of the crew? Does it matter how they carry out the plan? Yes. For efficiency, safety, and quality, they must perform methodically.

Methodical performance by each crew member is task-specific. Each person must determine and follow the right steps in the right sequence. In the plywood cutting example, how did Robert know to take all of those steps?

And why didn’t Jason know? Or if Jason knew, why didn’t he take them?

The answers involve the concept of craft capability applied with an attitude of professionalism. Meeting the NEC’s workmanship requirement of installing equipment in “a professional and skilled manner” [Sec. 110.12] has been a subject of discussion for decades.

Nobody’s really pinned it down with a prescriptive text. That’s probably because while the skills can be added to a person’s repertoire, professionalism must be one of that person’s personal principles.

Any of us can see the difference once the work has been done. The professionally mounted raceway has the support brackets at precisely measured intervals, and the unprofessionally mounted raceway has them at “eyeballed” (random) intervals. The latter just doesn’t look right, and it’s not as strong as the former.

Professional results come from working methodically and executing specific steps to achieve specific goals within the task at hand. The methodical electrician has a rhythm going, doesn’t have to

S rethink things at every step, and doesn’t have to waste time redoing work. In that plywood cutting example, Robert didn’t need to constantly adjust his saw or spend time trying to fix a bad cut.

Nor did he have to worry about kicking the board into his absent helper’s gut or kicking the saw back over the fingers of his left hand. These kinds of things often happen to people like Jason and his helper.

The idea of working methodically permeates NFPA 70E. Get the right steps worked out and then follow them. Safety isn’t added onto the job — it’s integrated into it.

To perform tasks methodically: • Identify the correct method. If you are a qualified person, you should know what this is. Use that method every time. Hint: If it smells like a shortcut, it’s not the correct method.

The correct method is geared toward getting things right the first time — not cutting corners.

• Identify and use the tools needed to execute the correct method (just as Robert did).

• Do a quick mental walkthrough (visualization) of performing the work.

As you visualize, move your hands as if you are using tools (if that helps). Getting an “oops” moment here (e.g., “I’d better put an insulating blanket over that”) is a potential lifesaver. Or an “oops” moment could mean you’re going to need a specific driver bit halfway into this, so now is the time to add it to your tool list rather than try to “make do” and injure yourself or mess up the work later.

• Execute the correct method by calmly and carefully performing each required step in the correct sequence.

PRESSURE RELIEF

Time pressure is the most common reason people forego working methodically. They mistakenly believe they will get it done faster by being less rigid.

Counter any time pressure by reciting such adages as “never enough time to do it right, always enough time to do it over” and “measure twice, cut once.”

Mark Lamendola is an electrical consultant bases in Merriam, Kan. He can be reached at mark@mindconnection.com.

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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EYE ON SAFETY

Proper Maintenance and Replacement of Arc-Rated Personal Protective Equipment Recommendations for extending the lifespan of arc flash PPE and ensuring the safety of its users

By Rick Pedley, PK Safety

I

n the electrical trade, the risks are not only highly consequential but can also come in an instant. Arc flash incidents, which occur when an electrical current deviates from its intended path and travels through ionized air, can produce temperatures exceeding 35,000°F — hotter than the sun’s surface. This is why anyone working on or near energized equipment must have the proper arc-rated (AR) protective clothing.

Until recently, however, more than 600,000 United States workers did not have proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent injury from deadly arc flash hazards, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This was primarily due to the dangerous myth that low voltage isn’t hazardous.

OSHA ARC FLASH GUIDANCE UPDATE

In November 2024, OSHA released its first arc flash guidance update in almost 20 years. The guidance clarifies that low voltage (including 120V/208V) can sustain arc flash, produce molten metal, ignite flammable clothing, and cause severe or fatal injury. Before the update, most tasks claiming to be de-energized did not qualify as such, and workers performing those tasks did not have arcrated clothing and other PPE. The updated guidance emphasizes that almost all energized work requires PPE, including AR clothing. To obtain the arc-flash rating, PPE must be tested 26

Arc flash incidents pose immense risk to electrical professionals, so proper care and maintenance of arc-rated PPE is paramount to personal safety.

to see how well the material holds up against flash fires. All arc-rated clothing is inherently flame resistant (FR), but not all FR clothing has an arc rating. You may come across “arc flash clothing,” but it’s best to go with PPE with an arc-rating from a reputable brand. Below, we walk you through the best practices for maintaining AR PPE and how to determine when it’s time to replace it.

UNDERSTANDING ARC-RATED PPE DEGRADATION

While AR clothing and PPE are designed to shield workers from the devastating heat, light, and pressure generated during arc flash events, they’re not immune to wear and tear. Over time, dirt, extreme temperatures, moisture, chemical exposure, and frequent use can degrade the flame-resistant and

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EYE ON SAFETY

Almost all energized work requires PPE and arc-rated clothing, according to updated OSHA guidance.

insulating properties of PPE, potentially creating conductive pathways that increase the risk of electrical hazards.

Even improper maintenance practices, such as washing with harsh detergents, using high heat during drying, or spraying disinfectants, can weaken fabrics and compromise their protective qualities, exposing workers to potential hazards.

Here are some general guidelines for washing AR clothing: • When laundering AR clothing, gentler is always better. Doing so minimizes wear and tear and helps the gear last longer.

• Avoid using bleach, fabric softeners, or harsh detergents, as these can degrade the fabric. Instead, use a gentle detergent, and wash your items in lukewarm water, carefully avoiding high temperatures. Afterward, tumble dry them on a low heat setting.

• Remember to wash the PPE as soon as possible after being soiled. Always wash AR clothing before wearing it again, as dirty PPE is less effective and may heighten the risk of injury.

Laundering AR clothing is also a good opportunity to inspect the PPE. Look for rips, fraying, or worn areas, as even minor damage can compromise protection. When not in use, store them in a cool, dry environment to prevent exposure to moisture or UV radiation, which can weaken the material over time. Appropriate hangers allow the material to be in a relaxed position and kept free from creases that can weaken fabric over time.

AR GLOVES

Before every use, thoroughly inspect insulating AR gloves for punctures, tears, or any embedded debris. These specialized rubber gloves are made to exacting standards. We recommend air testing them to ensure safety, as even the

BEST PRACTICES FOR MAINTAINING AR PPE

Arc flash gear, like most equipment, adheres to the age-old mantra: Take care of it, and it will take care of you.

Thankfully, maintaining AR clothing is straightforward: Keep them clean, periodically inspect them for damage, and track how long they’ve been in active use.

Here’s a quick guide to maintaining your AR PPE so you can keep workers safe while maximizing your investments.

LAUNDERING ARC-RATED CLOTHING

Proper care for arc-rated clothing, including shirts, pants, coveralls, and suits, starts with following the manufacturer’s laundering instructions to preserve their flame-resistant properties.

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Insulated arc-rated gloves require regular air testing to ensure no holes exist.

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EYE ON SAFETY tiniest pinhole can pose serious hazards.

To perform an air test, close off the sleeve end to trap air inside and carefully roll the closed end downward toward the fingers. If no air escapes, the glove is intact and free of holes. If air leaks out, replace the gloves immediately.

After each use, wash the gloves with mild soap and water and dry them with a clean cloth. Always store them flat, away from sharp objects, chemicals, and heat sources to prevent deterioration.

Finally, insulating gloves must undergo dielectric testing before their first use and be retested every six months while in service. According to OSHA standards (29 CFR 1910.137), gloves should also be tested after any repairs, if their insulating value is suspected to be compromised, or if they have been used without protectors.

AR FACE SHIELDS AND HOODS

Always inspect face shields and hoods for cracks, rips, discoloration, or other signs of wear before each use. Even minor damage can reduce their protective capabilities, so replace any compromised equipment immediately. To clean them, use a soft, non-abrasive cloth and a mild, non-alcohol-based cleaner to remove dirt, smudges, and debris. Avoid harsh chemicals or abrasive materials that could scratch or damage the surface, as scratches can reduce visibility and compromise protection.

Store face shields and hoods in a clean, dry place, away from direct sunlight, extreme temperatures, or chemicals. When not in use, use protective cases or pouches to prevent scratches and maintain their integrity.

AR BOOTS AND BOOTIES

Keep arc-rated boots free from dirt, oil, and other contaminants that could compromise their insulating properties.

Use a damp cloth or mild soap to clean the surface, avoiding harsh chemicals that might degrade the material. While cleaning, inspect the boots for signs of wear, such as cracks, punctures, rips, or thinning soles. Pay special attention to the tread and seams, as these areas are prone to damage.

Visible damage, such as deep cuts, exposed stitching, or delamination of 30

Arc-rated face shields and hoods require special care, as minor damage can reduce the effectiveness of this type of PPE.

the sole, necessitates immediate replacement. If the protective toe cap is crushed or deformed or the footwear has been exposed to an arc flash incident, it should be retired, even if no visible damage is apparent. Otherwise, manufacturers often provide guidelines on the expected lifespan of their footwear.

Additionally, limit the use of arc-rated boots and booties to environments they are designed for. Avoid exposing them to conditions that exceed their protective capabilities, such as prolonged exposure to water or extreme heat. When not in use, store them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, extreme temperatures, or chemicals. Avoid stacking heavy objects on top of them to prevent deformation.

ARC-RATED PPE LIFESPAN, REPLACEMENT, AND REPAIRS

The lifespan of your arc-rated PPE depends on factors such as its construction, the materials used, and their usage frequency. While the manufacturer’s guidelines provide the most reliable information on a product’s lifespan, we recommend tracking the age of each item and how long it’s been in service.

Any gear that is too old or worn out

should be discarded, as it may no longer offer adequate protection. Additionally, garments exposed to a flash fire or other thermal events should be retired immediately, as their flame-resistant properties may be compromised.

However, certain types of damage can be repaired, offering a more cost-effective alternative to outright replacement.

Manufacturers can provide guidance on whether repairs are possible and which ones are appropriate. In some cases, manufacturers may offer repair services.

Eventually, all PPE will need to be replaced. Invest in high-quality AR garments from reputable brands to maximize safety and value, and follow proper maintenance practices between uses. It’s paramount to ensure workers stay as safe as possible when performing dangerous and important work.

X

Rick Pedley, PK Safety’s President and CEO, joined the family business in 1979.

PK Safety, a supplier of occupational safety and personal protective equipment, has been operating since 1947 and takes OSHA, ANSI, PPE, and CSA work safety equipment seriously. For more information, visit www.pksafety.com.

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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By Corey Hannahs, NFPA

The first update in almost 20 years, OSHA’s latest arc flash guidance is poised to make a lasting impact on safety in the electrical industry.

A

s electricians, we understand that there is an inherent risk associated with performing our daily job duties. Aside from the many other non-electrical-related risk exposures that we face on the job site, such as the potential for falls and work being performed in confined spaces, there are two distinct electrical-related hazards that electricians face: electric shock and arc flash incidents. While

many — dare I say most — electricians have experienced an electric shock on some level, few have experienced an arc flash either directly themselves or indirectly through a coworker.

In fairness, many may not even know what an arc flash is, let alone how to limit their exposure to one.

WHAT IS AN ARC FLASH?

NFPA 70E®, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®, defines an arc flash hazard as a source of possible injury or damage to health associated with the release of energy caused by an electric arc. An arc flash hazard exists if a person is (or might be) exposed to a significant thermal hazard. A significant thermal hazard is an incident (thermal) energy of 1.2 calories per square centimeter (Cal/cm2) or more.

According to the Stoll curve burn injury model, the onset of a second-degree burn on unprotected skin is likely to occur at an exposure of 1.2 Cal/cm2 for one second (see the Figure on page 34). Based on this criterion, NFPA 70E establishes the arc flash boundary at the point at which the incident energy level equals 1.2 Cal/cm2 — essentially the level at which a person could potentially receive second-degree burns, should an arc flash occur.

Courtesy of Pioneer Power Group

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

An electrician being exposed to an arc flash event.

32

Even when every precaution known to mankind is taken, there is still potential for an arc flash to occur. Sometimes, the equipment just fails. It could be a manufacturing defect, or maybe a loose bolt falls onto a live bus at the most inopportune time.

Humans are fallible, and there is always a chance a tool could be dropped while working, triggering an arc flash event. So, knowing the risk involved, it only makes sense for electricians to determine how best to mitigate potential hazards.

Can you imagine an astronaut exploring the moon without wearing a spacesuit? What about a knight going into battle without armor? Dating back to medieval times, humans have

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Pinyo Promprasert/Shutterstock

A worker wearing arc-rated PPE prior to engaging with an electrical switchboard.

understood the need to alleviate the risk involved with the tasks that they are engaged in, so it should not fall amiss to a modern-day electrician. The risks we face while performing our jobs are very real — every bit as risky as an astronaut or a knight — and should be treated as such. The decisions we make can mean the difference between us living to see another day or never going home.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ARC FLASH SAFETY?

It is important to note that the onus of managing electrical safety risk is not solely the responsibility of the employee but also falls upon the employer. NFPA 70E established requirements for both the employer and the employee. The overarching requirement for employers is that they implement and document an overall electrical safety program (ESP) that directs activity appropriate to the risk associated with electrical hazards, such as electric shock and arc flash exposure, that their employees face on the job and train their employees in the established procedures.

While there is much that goes into creating an ESP, it is required to be developed to provide the required self-discipline for all employees who must perform work that may involve electrical hazards. This, in turn, shifts the onus back to the employee, who is required by NFPA 70E to comply with the safety-related work practices and procedures as established by the employer.

RECENT ARC FLASH HAZARD GUIDANCE UPDATES FROM OSHA

As an employer and employee in the United States, there is another level of accountability for electrical safety, and that is to meet regulations as enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In the fall of 2024, OSHA took a significant step by directly acknowledging and addressing arc flash hazards that employees face by releasing guidance on how to better protect employees from these risks. This information, coming directly from OSHA, casts a spotlight on arc flash hazards for employers and employees to understand how to identify risk and be better prepared to combat those challenges through the standardized use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

At present, this information is being shared as guidance and is not considered to be a standard or regulation. The introductory paragraph to the published report states: This guidance is not a standard or regulation, and it creates no new legal obligations. It contains recommendations as well as descriptions of mandatory safety and health standards.

The recommendations are advisory in nature, informational in content, and are intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to comply with safety and health standards and regulations promulgated by OSHA or by a state with an OSHA-approved state plan. In addition, the Act’s General www.ecmweb.com • May 2025

2505ECM_32-37_Cover_Story.indd 33

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5/13/2025 11:18:10 AM

Courtesy of NFPA

T

Blistering and superficial destruction of the dermis

Safety Matters This twice-a-month e-newsletter delivers the latest trends and information on electrical safety, reports on specific accidents in the field, and provides tutorials and evergreen safety content that can be used for reference and training.

Topics covered include: • Best practices for safely working on electrical equipment • Accidents and investigations • Arc flash • PPE • Shock and electrocution • Fire and security • Safety audits

Subscribe Today See all of our EC&M e-newsletters at www.ecmweb.com

Edema and hyperemia of tissues below the burn

Hypodermis (fat) Muscle Bone

The updated recommendations from OSHA released in November 2024 updates personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance to provide electrical professionals working on energized electrical equipment proper protection from electrical arc hazards that could, at minimum, result in second degree burns as shown above.

Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1), requires employers to provide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm.

For those familiar with the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 that established OSHA and the regulations that are enforced, the General Duty Clause referenced at the end of the introductory paragraph shown above should pique your interest in considering why this may be referenced here. Let that resonate in your mind for a moment as we explore what information the OSHA arc flash guidance provides, and we will circle back to this thought a little later in the article.

DEBUNKING ARC FLASH MISCONCEPTIONS

Initially, the guidance delves into addressing a couple of fallacies developed in the 34

Epidermis Dermis

electrical industry over the years around arc flash hazards. The first of these myths is that workers mistakenly assume that they do not need arc flash PPE because, in their viewpoint, they are not performing energized work. Simply deenergizing equipment — even when the appropriate lockout/tagout (LOTO) process is utilized — does not determine that they are therefore performing deenergized work on the associated equipment.

An electrically safe work condition (ESWC), as established based on NFPA 70E, is required to verify that equipment is completely deenergized and able to be safely serviced. While LOTO is a significant step in the seven-step (eight steps if temporary protective grounding is required) ESWC process, it is not the only step. The seventh step requires that the employee test for the absence of voltage at each point of work. This step would require the

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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employee to assume all equipment is still energized until proven otherwise, and therefore require the employee to wear appropriately rated arc flash-rated PPE to be utilized while testing for the absence of voltage.

The second electrical industry myth addressed in the OSHA arc flash guidance is around the topic of justified energized work. Electricians can be put in many precarious positions that put their safety at risk simply because whoever they are performing the work for does not want to be inconvenienced by having them do the work during off-hours or having a portion of their production line shut down. Let me be clear that inconvenience is never a justification for performing energized work.

NFPA 70E requires an ESWC to be established anytime there are energized conductors or parts operating at 50V or greater, and the employee is working within the limited approach boundary or interacting with equipment without exposed conductors or parts, but an increased likelihood of injury from an exposure to an arc flash hazard exists.

The two main exceptions in NFPA 70E to establishing an ESWC and being able to perform work energized are when: • The employer can demonstrate that the task is infeasible in a de-energized state due to equipment design or operational limitations. An example where this may be infeasible is in the instance of troubleshooting equipment that can only be done with circuits being energized.

• The employer can demonstrate that de-energizing introduces additional hazards or increased risk. An example of this might be where work is being done in a hazardous location that requires room ventilation to remain operational to prevent the buildup of toxic fumes.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ARC-RATED PPE

Based on NFPA 70E requirements, it is clear that while establishing an ESWC or while performing justified energized work, properly rated arc flash PPE will be required. In essence, this does not leave any scenario where arc-rated PPE will not be needed for employees on some level, which leads to another significant 36

point that is being made in the OSHA arc flash guidance around the use of PPE. The reality for electricians is that, unless an ESWC has been properly established, there is always a level of risk exposure to arc flash hazards while working on a piece of equipment.

Keeping in mind that the 1.2 Cal/cm2 threshold established for the arc flash boundary in NFPA 70E is where an employee could be exposed to seconddegree burns, I can’t exactly imagine a

The reality for electricians is that, unless an ESWC has been properly established, there is always a level of risk exposure to arc flash hazards while working on a piece of equipment. person standing in line to get a lesser degree burn, which is still going to be rather unpleasant. Where a flame can be established through an arc flash, that same flame can ignite the clothing worn by the person performing the electrical task.

You would not send a firefighter to combat a wildfire in a gas-soaked suit, so why would we consider it permissible to have electricians on the job site essentially wearing fuel while performing their daily tasks? In their guidance, OSHA suggests that wearing ignitable flammable clothing, such as cotton and nylon, is not appropriate for electricians’ daily wear and that appropriate arc-rated PPE (AR PPE) should be utilized. They further state that employers can reinforce the use of the correct PPE to employees by expressing phrases to them, such as “Don’t wear fuel.”

CONNECTING THE DOTS

In closing, I want to return to the topic of OSHA’s General Duty Clause that we explored earlier and how, in my personal opinion, it relates to this OSHA arc flash guidance. Ultimately, the General Duty Clause puts the onus on the employer to provide a safe place of employment for their employees that is free from recognized hazards. With the recent guidance that OSHA has provided around arc flash exposure to workers, one could certainly argue that it highlights a known and recognized hazard and conveys that to the employer. Even though the arc flash guidance document states it is not currently being tied to a standard or regulation and does not create any legal obligations, looking at it through the lens of the General Duty Clause might suggest otherwise.

An employer has both a moral and legal obligation, through the General Duty Clause, to keep their employees safe. Working in the electrical contracting industry for the past 30 years (owning my own business for many of them) would suggest to me that the best way to alleviate my own business risk would be to help manage the risk associated with my employees around their exposure to arc flash incidents on the job. Having employees incorporate arcrated PPE, instead of wearing fuel, into their daily wear and utilizing higherrated PPE, when the task requires it, seems like a great start to mitigating risk for all involved. Based on their providing recent guidance around protecting employees from arc flash hazards, it would appear that OSHA thinks so, too.

Important Notice: Any opinion expressed in this column is the personal opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the official position of NFPA or its Technical Committees. In addition, this piece is neither intended nor should it be relied upon to provide professional consultation or services.

Corey Hannahs is a Senior Electrical Content Specialist at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). In his current role, he serves as an electrical subject matter expert in the development of products and services that support NFPA documents and stakeholders.

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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Interchangeable backs and extension rings allow ONE box to work with almost any cladding system, including engineered foam and stucco systems.

help For eeting in m

RGY ENE INGS SAVodes C

Extra-wide flanges prevent water and air-intrusion, helping to meet the International Energy Conservation Code, and eliminating the need for gaskets or caulking. © 2024 Arlington Industries, Inc.

Boxes install before or after the weather barrier house wrap.

And ship ready for use with 1-3/8” finish/cladding thickness.

Adjustable up to 1-7/8" for CUSTOM depths.

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FR101F for Devices

136

800/233-4717 • www.aifittings.com

2410ECM_Arlington_929330-1024_136.indd 1 2505ECM_32-37_Cover_Story.indd 37

FR420F for Fixtures up to 10 lbs

FR405F Pan Box for Fixtures

Product Info https://www.aifittings.com/landing/fr_series/

9/9/24 9:12 AM 5/13/2025 11:18:15 AM

Wearables, AI, and new PPE designs are providing electrical contractors with more options to protect employees — including those who work on low-voltage systems.

Proxxi

Tracking Wearable Safety Tech Trends

Tri-City Electric began using Proxxi’s wristwatch-style voltage sensor after an employee suffered a shock injury while working on a 13.8kV substation in March 2023. The sensor can be worn under PPE (such as gloves) and warns users when their hand is approaching voltage ranging from 110V to 500kV.

E

By Tim Kridel, Freelance Writer

lectricians wear their hearts on their sleeves — and not in a good way. The hand is the body part most likely to come in contact with an energized source, creating a convenient path right through the heart as the current goes to ground. But wristwatch-style sensors can turn this vulnerability into a first line of defense by detecting voltage as the hand approaches energized sources and then bleating a warning to yank back.

“Wearables are something that we’re very interested in,” says William Watson, vice president of safety and security at Jacksonville, Fla.-based Miller Electric.

Besides saving limbs and lives, wearables can save money. “[With] worker’s comp, if you’re on a guaranteed market rate structure and you have incidents, your premiums are going to go up,” says Travis Keeney, vice president of risk management at Davenport, Iowa-based Tri-City Electric. “If you’re in a self-insured model or group captives like we are, look at just one incident and the out-of-pocket costs on that claim. Divide that by the number of devices you can buy.

Preventing one incident can pay for itself.”

38

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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5/13/2025 11:20:34 AM

ARLINGTON NO TOOLS • EASY SNAP-IN INSTALLATION • SAVES TIME!

SNAP2IT® CONNECTORS FOR RETROFIT INSTALLATIONS Arlington’s new one-piece RETROFIT SNAP2IT® fittings are easy to use in an OLD WORK installation, and handle the widest variety of cables! They’re ideal for adding additional circuits to a load center. And you get the same labor-savings in a retrofit installation!

© 2014 Arlington Industries, Inc.

Easy snap-in installation - NO TOOLS. Install connector into the knockout in an existing box, pulling cable/conduit through the knockout. Slip the fitting onto the cable, then snap the assembly into the box. That’s it... a secure installation with no pullout.

Widest total cable ranges 14/2 to 10/3 Widest variety of cables AC, MC, HCF, MC continuous corrugated aluminum cable, MCI-A cables (steel and aluminum), AC90, ACG90 and FLEX

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NE

Snap connector onto installed MC cable.

40RAST

Snap assembly into box. Done!

8

38RAST

Patented

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Product info aifittings.com/landing/38rast-40rast/

2312ECM_Arlington_866444-1223_8.indd 1

11/14/23 2:25 PM

NON-METALLIC • VENTED FOR EASIER STACKABILITY

CONCRETE PIPE SLEEVE THE EASY, ECONOMICAL WAY TO SLEEVE THROUGH CONCRETE POURS!

Arlington’s Concrete Pipe Sleeves are the economical way to sleeve through concrete pours in tilt-up construction WALLS – and FLOORS allowing cable and conduit to run easily from one floor to the next.

No costly core drilling – No cutting holes in the form.

Plus, you can position the hole prior to pouring the concrete.

CPS40 Pipe Sleeve for 4" hole

• Attaches to form with nails or screws • Stackable up to 23" h for extra deep pours • Vents keep wet pipe sleeves from sticking together

CPS40

© 2007/REV2014 Arlington Industries, Inc.

• Multiple hole sizes: 1-1/2" • 2" • 3" • 4" • 5" • 6"

21 Nail sleeve to form.

800/233-4717 • www.aifittings.com

2312ECM_Arlington_866432-1223_21.indd 1 2505ECM_38-45_Feature_1.indd 39

After concrete sets, cut sleeve flush with surface.

Insert conduit into sleeve.

Product info aifittings.com/landing/concrete-pipe-sleeve

11/14/23 1:21 PM 5/13/2025 11:20:35 AM

Tri City Electric

Wearables also can provide a competitive edge.

“If you have an incident, your EMR is going to go up, and your OSHA recordable rates are going to go up,” Keeney says.

“When you’re bidding future work, customers are looking at that stuff. They’re wondering, ‘Do we want that contractor on our site?’”

NEVER ALONE

Besides detecting voltage, some wearables transmit an alert with the person’s location when there are signs of injury, such as a sudden change in position that could be due to a fall or being thrown across the room by an arc blast.

“To me, the big issue is there are so many people that work alone,” says Randy Barnett, an NFPA-certified electrical safety professional and electrical codes & safety manager for NTT Training. “You’re down in the basement working on a panel or up on level 13 at the top of the boiler, and maybe somebody knows you were going out to work on that, but that’s about it.

“You can be on the step ladder, get a little shock, and the shock isn’t bad, but it’s the 10-foot fall to the ground. Who’s going to know about it? When are they going to find you? I think there are a lot of opportunities for better protection in the construction industry.”

One challenge with sending alerts is connectivity. For example, deep inside a building, the wearable might not be able to “see” enough GPS satellites to pinpoint the person’s location. In other cases, cellular coverage might be weak or nonexistent. Wearables could also be part of a job safety plan, especially for lone workers.

“NFPA 70E requires an emergency response plan,” Barnett says. “It doesn’t need to be a big document. Just simply one line: ‘Employee will wear a wearable in case of abnormal movement’ or ‘Employee will remain in radio contact while performing the job’ or ‘A second person who’s trained in first aid is standing to respond.’ To me, that’s key. If I’ve got a plan and execute that plan, then I’m going to be one heck of a lot safer than if it’s like ‘I hope somebody remembers I’m down here working on this.’”

Most wearables provide the ability to monitor employee usage, including how often an alert sounds.

“It allows the customer to see how the product is being used — so from an ROI perspective, to know the products are being used; as well as compliance, that they are being used correctly,” says Campbell Macdonald, Proxxi CEO. Another challenge is overcoming employee concerns about being tracked, such as their location and whether they’re even using the device.

“While most think about the trust concerns, like what employers will do with the data, others are concerned that this is another item they have to remember to put on and wear,” says Scott Risch, vice president of environment, health, and safety at San Jose, Calif.-based Rosendin Electric. “In time, people will become more comfortable with wearable technology as they begin to see and experience the benefits of the data.

The industry has made significant progress in making wearable technology smaller and more comfortable. I believe that in the near future, wearable technology will be more integrated into the products we already use and be a significant resource for employers to help ensure their teams stay safe.”

40

Type II hard hats provide protection against side and rear impact, such as when the wearer is knocked back by an arc flash or arc blast. They’re also designed to withstand greater impacts than Type 1 designs.

Artificial intelligence (AI) could also help improve safety by identifying work styles that increase the risk of injury. One way to accomplish this is by analyzing video from any source, such as a smartphone.

“Then you get the result of the ergonomic evaluation,” says SangHyun Lee, a University of Michigan professor who specializes in motion capture analytics.

BALANCING SAFETY, COMFORT, AND CONVENIENCE

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the original wearable, and it’s continually evolving in terms of design and protection.

“I’m very interested in us converting to a Type II hard hat,” says Miller Electric’s Watson. “I’m a believer in the additional protection, specifically with electricians that are in a position where they’re doing energized work and could be exposed to arc flash or an arc blast. You see people slung all the way across equipment rooms and into things, so having side impact on the hard hat is very, very important.”

Contractor feedback is key for helping PPE vendors develop products.

“We see the problems long before they hear about them,” Watson says. “If nobody’s telling them, there’s no way for them to know. We have great relationships with our vendors, and we select vendors who are willing to innovate specifically based on the needs of the industry and the changes in the industry.”

The more PPE that a job requires, the longer it takes to put on and take off, which can lead to risks such as employees wearing less than required to save time. AI can spot those types of hazards.

“If somebody has to wear PPE and does not, the AI can detect that [the image] is deviated from what it’s supposed to be,” Lee says.

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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2501EC

SKU-REDUCING, VERSATILE ZINC

MC CABLE FITTINGS ONE FITTING FITS MULTIPLE CABLE/CONDUIT TYPES & SIZES DA G TA RE CE AT NT for ER S

NOW LISTED

* Aluminum & Steel Flexible Metal Conduits

for TRAY CABLE & FLEXIBLE METAL CONDUIT!*

In addition to MC, PVC-MC and TECK cable, Arlington’s MC cable fittings are NOW LISTED for use with Tray Cable and Flexible Metal Conduit!

Available in a variety of sizes, with a built-in end stop, each fitting also comes with additional end stop bushings that accommodate different size cable bundles.

FREE TEMPLATE for selecting bushing size

ONE trade size fits SEVERAL cable types and sizes, plus flexible metal conduit for super convenience and cost-savings! Reduces inventory and material handling too.

Patented

134A

Refer to spec sheet for specific end stop sizes Listed for FMC

Catalog UPC/DEI/NAED Number Mfg. #018997

Trade/KO Size (In.)

Unit/Std Pkg

Cable ** Outer Dia Min Max

Wire Bundle Outer Dia Min Max

8412

08412

1"

20

.780

1.120

.660

1.000

8413

08413

1-1/4"

20

1.000 1.460

.870

1.370

FMC Trade size Flex

3/4" 1"

Fitting and Bushings (A, B, C) Throat Dia Fitting A B C

1.018

.625

.750

1.361

.782

1.032

1-1/4" 1-1/2" 2"

1.587

1.175

1.277

2.060

1.562

1.750

2.462

1.979

2.194

1-1/4"

Conductor Size # of Conductors* (AWG/KCMIL)

6/3, 6/4, 4-3, 4-4, 2-3, 2-4, 1-3 1.132 2-3, 2-4, 1-3, 1-4, 1/0-3, 1/0-4, 2/0-3, 2/0-4, 3/0-3 1.382 2/0-4, 3/0-3, 3/0-4, 4/0-3, 4/0-4, 250-3, 250-4 1.875 250-4, 300-4, 350-3, 350-4, 500-3 500-3, 500-4, 600-3 --600-4, 750-3 .870

CSA TECK90 Conductor Size # of Conductors* (AWG/KCMIL/ACWU)

8/3, 8/4, 6/3 6/3, 6/4, 4/3, 4/4, 3/3, 3/4, 2/3, 2/4 2/4, 1/3, 1/4, 1/0-3 1/0-4, 2/0-3 2/0-3, 2/0-4, 3/0-3, 3/0-4, 4/0-3, 4/0-4, 250-3 4/0-4, 250-3, 250-4, 300-3 300-4, 350-3, 350-4, 500-3

8414

08414

1-1/2"

10

1.360 1.770

1.250 1.590

8415

08415

2"

10

1.700 2.200

1.550 2.050

8416

08416

2-1/2"

5

2.100 2.700

1.950 2.400

2" 2-1/2"

8417

08417

3"

5

2.500 3.300

2.350 3.000

2-1/2", 3"

3.081

2.404

2.662

---

600-4, 750-3, 750-4

350-4, 500-3, 500-4

8418

42910

3-1/2"

5

3.300 3.600

3.031 3.500

3-1/2"

3.450

2.662

2.985

3.344 750-3, 750-4, 1000-4

750-3, 750-4, 1000-3

Patented ** Listed for MC, PVC, MC, Teck, TC cables * Example of 3- and 4-conductor cables

www.aifittings.com Scranton, PA 18517 800/233-471

© 2024 Arlington Industries, Inc.

Concrete tight when taped

Product Info https://www.aifittings.com/landing/8412

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12/18/24 2:17 PM 5/13/2025 11:20:37 AM

THE ROLE OF CLIENTS AND GCS

Electrical contractors and design firms could use NFPA 70B, Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance, to help convince clients to standardize their infrastructure to overcome that barrier.

“One of the things we include 70B in is a discussion about the design,” Watson says. “If we’re going to update a facility, it’d be nice if we could design your breakers to all be able to be used with one robot.”

NFPA 70B can also be used to develop maintenance programs that make safety a priority.

“One of the things that we find to be the most challenging is not building new buildings,” Watson says. “It’s retrofitting, updating, and basically discovering things as we go. A lot of older hospitals and places like that have equipment that hasn’t been properly maintained.

42

VelocityEHS

Remote technologies are another option.

“Rosendin uses remote technology that decreases the time our people need to be suited up,” Risch says. “These remote monitoring systems allow our teams to perform system checks on equipment during the energization and commissioning process from a safe distance outside the electrical room.

In addition, we have utilized remote switches and robots to switch on breakers during energization.”

The selection of remote technologies is growing.

“We see a lot of new entrants into the robot mechanism, like the racking and unracking of breakers or remote switching,” says Miller Electric’s Watson.

“Some have a cord to a handheld remote that allows you to stay outside of the arc flash boundary. Others can be done completely remotely via Bluetooth.

They’re great.”

But there’s also a barrier to wide implementation.

“The biggest limitation is that the design of those robotic switches is typically brand-specific,” Watson says. “This robot that you pay $40,000 for can turn this one breaker on and off, but the one right next to it might not. That’s made it a lot harder to sell to people. So while the technology is great, we’re still quite a bit behind on the universal application of it.”

G

The VelocityEHS Accelerate Platform tracks a wide variety of injury types. For example, by using motion capture to analyze video, it can flag workstyles that are unsafe or that could lead to repetitive-stress injuries.

“There’s no requirement anywhere in any standard that to own equipment, you have to be trained in NFPA 70B. We come in to do maintenance, which might not be up to date. There might not be records of it. They might not have arc flash assessments conducted. So we don’t know what the hazard is if there are no labels. Somebody has to go test to determine what those hazards are.”

Miller Electric sees client training as key to mitigating those risks.

“If you hire us to come in and do your routine maintenance, your employees get free NFPA 70B and 70E training as part of the package,” Watson says. “It’s a value add.”

Education can also help protect other trades, but it’s most effective when the general contractor recognizes the risks. “[With] a general contractor, a lot of times people think you don’t need electrical protection until you’re installing the wiring and then energizing it for commissioning,” says Proxxi’s Campbell.

“But the real risk on construction sites isn’t the infrastructure in the building itself. It’s the temporary electrical on site.

That’s because it’s engineered to a much lower standard.”

One common risk is plumbing or HVAC rigging up power on their own.

“The first step is to meet with the general contractor to fully understand their temporary power needs,” says Rosendin’s Risch. “Next, install sufficient receptacles for cordless tool battery charging stations for projects that are going cordless, designated areas for charging

mobile elevated work platforms, and receptacle banks in sufficient quantity to prevent the excessive need for daisychained extension cords.”

LOW VOLTS CAN STILL JOLT

Many electrical contractors have expanded into low-voltage applications, such as installing digital signage, surveillance cameras, and Wi-Fi networks. But low voltage doesn’t mean low risk.

“Show me one low-voltage guy that hasn’t come within 3 feet of an energized 120V circuit,” Watson says. “Typically, 120V exists in the same place in the same enclosure as the low voltage. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people operating near and exposed to 120V conductors without the knowledge that they were exposed to it, what that exposure meant, what qualifications they needed to have, or their obligation to deenergize.”

As the voltage level increases, so does the risk of severe injury and death.

“In a near-miss event we experienced, the field employee came across live exposed 277V, fortunately not resulting in injury, but very well could have been,” says Tri-City’s Keeney. “It poses a lot of risk because it’s one of the leading sources to hang somebody up on.”

That employee worked for Tri-City’s low-voltage division and was working above a drop ceiling in a hospital. Another firm had the electrical contract and left some fixture whips hanging down.

“They were on a circuit that was supposed to be off, but it had been energized,”

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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5/13/2025 11:20:38 AM

2501EC

RELIABLE INTERSYSTEM BONDING

GROUNDING BRIDGE MULTIPLE ZINC & BRONZE STYLES MEET NEC GROUND REQUIREMENTS GB5T on Threaded Pipe

Locknut installation into panel

GB5T on PVC conduit

One or Two GB5T ground bridges used for multiple intersystem bonding jumpers

GB5T as shipped

NEW!

THREADED w SET SCREW

Try them ALL! GBB5

GB5

Arlington’s heavy-duty Grounding Bridges provide reliable intersystem bonding between power and communication grounding systems. And handle multiple hookups of communications systems: telephone, CATV and satellite.

Our new GB5T is THREADED for threaded conduit or another GB5T – with a SET SCREW for use on EMT or PVC. Arlington’s zinc and bronze grounding bridges...

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GBB50

GB5T MADE IN USA

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129

GB5T GB5 GB5NC GBB5 GB5P GBB5P

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Patented. Other patents pending. © 2024 Arlington Industries, Inc.

2501ECM_Arlington_955080-0125_129.indd 1 2505ECM_38-45_Feature_1.indd 43

UNIT/STD PKG

Bronze only w cover

1/10 1/10 10/10 1/10 1/10 1/10 1/10 1/10 1/10

www.aifittings.com Scranton, PA 18517 800/233-4717 Product Info https://www.aifittings.com/landing/grounding-bridge/

12/18/24 1:49 PM 5/13/2025 11:20:39 AM

Milwaukee Tool

S

Tri-City Electric uses remote cable cutters in environments where a decommissioned conduit is alongside live ones. This also avoids risks such as cutting into a cable that’s supposed to be de-energized but actually isn’t.

Keeney says. “When our employee got up there looking for the pathway, it was discovered they were live.”

This scenario is also one reason why some electrical contractors are interested in voltage sensors that are worn on the

wrist rather than on a hard hat brim.

“In many instances where our electricians are coming into contact with hazardous voltages without knowing — like junction boxes sometimes tend to be above ceiling tiles — people will

take their hard hat off,” Watson says. “[Another example is] cabinets where a full-brim-style hard hat wouldn’t fit, so they take them off.”

Those examples also highlight the importance of getting employee feedback on wearables, PPE, and any other safety products. If it’s awkward or uncomfortable, chances are that it won’t be used.

“I wouldn’t pick a pair of gloves without getting feedback, and for us, that feedback is not just one-size-fitsall,” Watson says. “We’re a nationwide company. The people in Milwaukee should not be wearing the same PPE as the people in Miami. They have totally different climate expectations. I need to test it in all of my locations because what works for us in Florida might not work for them in North Carolina or Milwaukee.”

Tim Kridel is an independent analyst and freelance writer with experience in covering technology, telecommunications, and more. He can be reached at tim@timkridel.com.

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2505ECM_AlliedMouldedProducts.indd 1 44 May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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4/29/25 2:28 PM

5/13/2025 11:20:40 AM

2501EC

SNAP2IT CONNECTORS ®

E AS IE ST C AB LE I NSERTI ON • N O TOOLS • S E CURE H O L D

17 seconds SAVE

4010AST 1/2” KO

4110ST

5010AST

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505010AST 3/4" KO

Fully assembled, SNAP2IT® fittings handle the widest variety of MC cable AND THE NEW MC-PCS cables.

Compared to fittings with a locknut and screw, you can’t beat these snap in connectors for time-savings!

9

• Fits widest range and variety of MC cable 14/2 to 3/3 AC, MC, HCF, MC continuous corrugated aluminum cable and MCI-A cables (steel and aluminum)...including the new MC-PCS cable that combines power and low voltage in the same MC cable ANY Snap2It Connectors LISTED for MC cable are also LISTED for MC-PCS cable! These products offer the greatest time-savings.

• Fast, secure snap-on installation • Easy to remove, reusable connector From cable Loosen screw on top. Remove connector from cable.

From box Slip screwdriver under notch in Snap-Tite® ring. Twist.

Remove connector.

CATALOG NUMBER

Snap2It® connectors

DESCRIPTION

CABLE OUTSIDE DIA (OD)

4010AST

Snap in, 1/2" KO w insulated throat

.405 to .610

5010AST

Snap in, 1/2" KO w insulated throat

.580 to .780

505010AST

Duplex Snap in, 3/4" KO w insulated throat

(2) .590 to .820

4110ST

Snap in, 1/2" KO

.525 to .705

414110ST

Duplex Snap in, 1/2" KO

(2) .525 to .640

4141107ST

Duplex Snap in, 3/4" KO

(2) .525 to .690

4141107ST

Patented. Other patents pending.

www.aifittings.com • Scranton, PA 18517 • 800/233-4717

© 2015 Arlington Industries, Inc.

Product info aifittings.com/landing/snap2it-mc-cable-connectors

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Six Steps to Compliance with Electrical Safety Standards Using the NFPA Electrical Cycle of Safety to build a more robust maintenance and safety compliance strategy

By Chuck Fox, CESCP, PowerSafe Consulting

46

ID 204054741 © Sompong Sriphet | Dreamstime

I

n 2023, the NFPA promoted the NFPA 70B publication from a status of “recommended practices” to a Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance. Since then, we’ve seen many articles and posts regarding this change and its impact on our industry. Overall, the electrical contracting industry is excited about the additional opportunities this may bring, as facilities may now prioritize additional testing and maintenance services to comply with elements of the new standard.

In February 2025, the NFPA hosted a webinar that discussed the “Electrical Cycle of Safety,” which described the relationships between the NEC [NFPA 70], NFPA 70B, and NFPA 70E. As we assess the compliance requirements of all three documents, a strategic plan and structure for facilities is more welldefined than ever before.

The core of 70E compliance requirements is the electrical safety plan with the elements defined in [70E (2024) Sec. 110.3]. These requirements have been present for many revision cycles of the 70E standard, but the 2018 edition carried a new emphasis with the introduction of Sec. 105.3 to establish, document, and implement an electrical safety program.

70B has a compliance requirement of a written Electrical Maintenance Program (EMP) whose elements are defined in Chapter 4.

For most facilities, various programs and practices are in place, but there’s a typical common question: Have we gone

far enough to assess that we comply with today’s standards?

Frequently, the documentation tools to address various programs have not always been consistent. For example, a computerized maintenance management system may be used to track maintenance activities, but the inventory elements in this platform are not the same as those created for the arc flash risk assessment. Even the standards themselves, at times, can provide a bit of conflicting information. For example, the 70B standard requires an incident energy study [Sec. 6.7] while

the 70E standard still includes an option of assessing arc flash hazards with the table method [70E (2024) Sec. 130.5(F)].

NFPA 70B has no similar reference.

With this background in place, a facility should create an overall strategic plan using the following steps to address the compliance requirements across the entire NFPA Electrical Cycle of Safety.

STEP 1: DEVELOP A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM INVENTORY

The first step of the electrical system strategic plan is the development of a

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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ARLINGTON VERTICAL OR HORIZONTAL • FOR RETROFIT & NEW WORK

Plastic & Steel 8X10 TV BOX

TM

PERFECT FOR HOME THEATER SYSTEMS

TVBU810 PLASTIC TV BOX™

Arlington’s 8X10 TV Box™ with a Plastic or Steel Box offers the ultimate in versatility for installing TVs in new and retrofit projects. There's more room in the box for wires and it installs horizontally or vertically to properly position low voltage connections behind the TV.

Mounts to stud in NEW work

© 2012 REV0314 Arlington Industries, Inc.

• Ideal for home theater systems: multiple connections for sound systems, satellite TV, CATV, DVRs • Brackets for neater cables, with a 1-1/2" knockout for ENT and other low voltage wiring • Box mounts to stud in new work; for retrofit, mounting wing screws secure box in wall

Ample space for multiple low voltage connections

97

TVBU810 w/ plastic box

TVBS810 w steel box

Secure installation in RETROFIT

Kit includes plastic or steel box, trim plate, duplex receptacle, line voltage box, wall plates, cable entry device, knockout plugs

Patented 800/233-4717 • www.aifittings.com

2312ECM_Arlington_866399-1223_97.indd 1

Product info aifittings.com/landing/TVBU810

11/14/23 11:05 AM

RECESSED FOR FLUSH-TO-THE-WALL MOUNTING OF LED, HI-DEF TVs

STEEL TV BOX™KIT CO M B O BOXES FOR USE WI TH METAL RACEWAYS Arlington’s recessed STEEL combination power/low voltage TV BOX™ is the best way to mount an LED or Hi-Def TV flush against a wall.

retrofit

Mounting wing screws hold box in the wall

© 2008-2020 Arlington Industries, Inc.

TV BOX provides power and/or low voltage in one or more of the openings.

Plugs and connectors stay inside the box, without extending past the wall.

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Legacy Data —CMMS —Arc Flash Data —Other Sources

Electrical System Inventory Determine Maintenance Intervals EMP Program Scope

Determine Maintenance Tier — Mission Critical — Critical — Important — Standard — Qualified Individual Proficiency Level

Task Documentation

De-energized Maintenance Tasks Defined

Work Orders — Job Safety Plan — Qualified Individual Proficiency Level — Assigned Task — Troubleshooting Work Orders

Condition of Maintenance Assessment — IR Survey — Visual Inspection — Data Collection for System Studies — Troubleshooting

Courtesy of PowerSafe Consulting

Electrical Compliance Overview

Qualified Individual — Qualified individual Proficiency Level

Training Training Records Field Reviews

Elements for implementing the Electrical Cycle of Safety

detailed electrical system inventory of the facility. Almost all other compliance requirements are based on risk analysis and various maintenance and testing procedures specific to the electrical devices.

The term complete electrical system inventory can be defined as the serviceable components and devices that can be documented on a one-line diagram and affect the flow of electrical energy.

For most facilities, only 3-phase devices are documented. All devices, such as panels, motor control centers, disconnects, and 3-phase breakers, as well as switchgear configurations, are included in the electrical system inventory (see the Figure above).

STEP 2: CONDUCT A RISK ASSESSMENT

The elements of a risk assessment begin with an Infrared (IR)/Condition of Maintenance survey. It is recommended that the scope of this survey includes a data collection effort of all device attributes required by the incident energy study and the additional system studies as outlined in 70B Chapter 6.

Standard 70B [Sec. 9.2] specifies that all electrical devices shall receive an infrared assessment on an annual basis.

Chapter 7 of 70B outlines standards for the completion of an infrared assessment. These standards include removing protective covers to create a line of sight to the connections and conductors and 48

ensuring that the devices are energized with electrical loads of ongoing operations. These requirements then extend to the qualified individual safety standards for the testing technicians.

It will not always be feasible to have all equipment running during the infrared testing sweep, so it is suggested to track whether testing was completed or not and potentially create smaller task groups to address equipment missed in the first site assessment.

The embellishment of the tasking to complete this IR survey should also include a visual inspection for assessment of NEC and reliability anomalies. A survey completed with this scope can result in the accomplishment of a facility-wide condition of maintenance assessment. The data collection tasking within this survey contributes to the COMPLETE electrical system inventory.

A risk assessment will also include the elements of the 70B Survey and Analysis [70B 4.4]. A key element of risk assessment is determining the status of the equipment as it relates to ongoing operations and the impact on those operations if an equipment failure should occur. Establishing a site operation assessment of devices (such as mission-critical, critical, important, and standard) is an example of this defined structure. Additionally, 70B Sec. 9.3 describes the rating of devices according to their levels of physical

condition. These two parameters are required elements in the EMP Program Development.

STEP 3: DEVELOP AN EMP PROGRAM

Now that the values have been assigned to the operational rating and the equipment physical condition, the EMP metrics of testing and frequency can be defined. 70B Sec. 9.2.2 [Maintenance Intervals] is an extensive table that references all electrical devices and their Physical Condition classification per [70B Sec. 9.3.1] to provide a resulting maintenance frequency designation.

Once these default values are applied, the facility management team can review these results, taking into account the operational status of each electrical asset. Devices have been rated as mission-critical, critical, important, and standard, which may alter the frequency recommendations offered within Sec. 9.2.2 [Maintenance Interval Table].

If the maintenance interval assessment process extends an interval to a longer timeline, 70B Sec. 9.2.2.3 describes a compliance requirement to document this justification. The conclusion of this step is the overall project scope of maintenance tasking and frequency for all inventoried assets.

Note: In 70E 2024, Annex S – Assessing the Condition of Maintenance was added.

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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STEP 4: EMP-QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT

The next step of EMP implementation will rely on the electrician/technician resources. Maintenance activities, of course, will be documented by those who complete them. Thus, the qualified individual becomes the resource for creating EMP tasking documentation. All three NFPA documents reference the qualified individual. NFPA 70B states that electrical maintenance shall be per formed only by qualified individuals [70B Sec. 5.1.1].

NFPA 70E [Sec. 110.4] provides the most detail related to the attributes and required elements of training for the qualified individual.

Through electrical safety classroom instruction as well as on-the-job training, a qualified individual achieves an assessment of qualified task proficiency. The qualified individual must also have a working knowledge to develop the job safety plan [70E Sec. 110.3I], and to utilize the risk assessment procedures [70E Sec. 110.3H] and the incident reporting system [70E Sec. 110.3J].

As strong EMP implementation would enable a proficiency rating on both the electrical devices and the qualified individual.

Qualified individuals would know their proficiency rating and, by metrics of the Electrical Safety Plan, are assigned tasks only on devices equal to or less than their proficiency level.

STEP 5: EMP IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation includes the scheduling and completion of the maintenance and inspection activities. NFPA 70B outlines the basic tasks of cleaning, tightening connections, and replacing worn/damaged parts as well as making repairs to resolve problems and issues reported during the inspection/condition of maintenance assessment. The implementation task can also include additional data gathering on the missing device attributes per the EMP device specifications. Creating tasking documentation records of all maintenance activities, including work performed, findings, and any corrective actions, is a critical element of the overall electrical maintenance program.

STEP 6: REVIEW AND UPDATE

NFPA 70E [Sec. 110.3] states that an electrical safety program shall be reviewed at least every three years. NFPA 70B has that a compliance requirement of program review must not exceed five years [70B Sec. 4.2.7].

Other more frequent reviews, such as arc flash labels on newly installed equipment, can be site-level principles documented within the written plans.

It is appropriate that a facility develops and keeps current, three specific documents including the electrical safety plan, electrical maintenance plan, and lockout/tagout plan. Specifically, a separate written document for lockout/tagout is recommended because additional hazards that are not electrical may also be present. Reducing these hazards to a zero-energy work environment should also be documented. Many times, 50

these documents may cross-reference each other. For example, the condition of maintenance site survey and maintenance tasks are detailed in the EMP written program, which is then referenced in a summary description as a required element of the Electrical Safety Program.

The electrical safety plan will have a much larger focus on what has been done to develop and train the qualified individual to make that individual ready to work on the equipment, maintenance, and tasking activities as outlined within the electrical maintenance plan.

F

LOOKING FORWARD

One emerging trend in the industry is the use of software platforms to support a wide variety of electrical safety compliance requirements.

Many platforms incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) technology in multiple ways. Newer EMP platforms, for example, will: • Analyze existing inventory data and highlight missing/ required data attributes, • Create a first pass of maintenance frequency on the site’s electrical system inventory, built upon 70B [Sec. 9.2], • Use predefined tasking based upon 70B device tasking, and establish labor hour estimates, • Formulate a total EMP forecasted budget • Include many other compliance features beyond a basic device inventory and the tracking of device inspections.

One key metric from the facility viewpoint is a structure of open architecture where access to create program documentation for the various required maintenance activities can be updated with a user ID that is not constrained by a single vendor relationship. These user profiles of qualified individuals shall also include documentation of their current level of training and skill development.

CONCLUSION

H

P

The inclusion of the NFPA 70B Standard as part of the overall Electrical Cycle of Safety has resulted in compliance directives to review construction results and implement programs of recurring maintenance. These results will strongly contribute to the reduced risk of equipment failure and more complete device profiles that can be accessed by the qualified individual assigned to various equipment tasks. Implementing these steps will result in significantly improved electrical safety practices and reduced injury potential.

For those responsible for managing these programs at one or more sites, a deeper understanding of these standards is recommended by utilizing the training programs and content provided by the NFPA and NFPA’s Authorized Education Network Providers.

Chuck Fox is the President and Founder of PowerSafe Consulting. He’s been an NFPA Certified Electrical Safety Compliance Professional since 2014. He can be reached at chuck.powersafe@gmail.com.

© 20

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From safer job sites to streamlined workflows, discover how adopting a standardized construction approach across safety, training, and material handling helps electrical contractors tackle complex projects more efficiently and with fewer errors.

52

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How Standardization Can Transform the Job Site

Use of heavy equipment that is specifically designed for cable pulling ensures safety and quality for the finished, installed cables, and eliminates many motions that are known to cause fatigue and injury.

C

By Jason Faircloth, Southwire Contractor Solutions

ontractors face unique challenges at every phase of a project — whether in planning, executing, or ongoing operations. Projects often encounter unexpected issues that require rapid problem solving.

Large projects add another layer of complexity because they require several types of contracting companies to work together, which creates a mixture of best practices being utilized on the project site. To ensure all workers are on the same page and avoid confusion, inefficiencies, and even safety hazards, electrical contractors have the option to leverage the wealth of knowledge available from consultants or materials manufacturers. In increasing fashion, these upstream stakeholders are offering to provide best practices in training, equipment, and processes in the areas of standardization, safety, efficiency, training, quality control, and code compliance.

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SAFETY

Standardized safety practices are essential to maintaining safe working conditions for everyone. Many contractors simply rely on OSHA safety training; however, regulatory safety requirements only focus on the minimum safety protocol standards. According to Associated Builders and Contractors, a comprehensive onboarding process focused on a company’s specific safety culture, systems, and processes can lower incident rates by up to 45%, compared to companies that only cover basic compliance. These findings indicate that basic regulatory standards are insufficient on their own and should be supplemented with more proactive safety protocols.

One example of advanced safety practices can be found in the area of feeder and medium-voltage cable installations.

Contractors can enhance worker protection and enhance their customers’ investment with a few simple changes.

PREPLAN CABLE PULLS

Pulling devices and conductors have high allowable tension ratings; however, structural support limitations and maximum sidewall bearing pressure can often reduce the allowable tension on these pulls. Cable-pulling software can help contractors account for those tension limitations and plan accordingly. Though not required by regulation, software tools like this add a critical layer to worksite safety.

USE MANUFACTURER-INSTALLED PULLING HEADS

Most cables do not come with pulling heads attached, requiring workers to add them on site. This involves the use of a knife, which could result in injury. Another drawback is that the field-made wire head may not fit in the conduit or around a tight turn. In addition, approximately 3 feet of cable is wasted on every phase of an install. Using cut-to-length cables with manufacturer-installed pulling heads, contractors are assured that the cable will always fit, safety risks are minimized, and waste and cleanup labor are minimized.

USE LOW-FRICTION PULLING ROPES AND FOOT TRIGGERS

S

UN co

Low-friction ropes reduce the risk of snapping due to excessive force or friction, and using low-absorbency ropes helps prevent water absorption and rot. Implementing these safety standards across all projects ensures that crews are not operating with a false sense of security, enhancing overall job site safety.

EFFICIENCY

Consistent, standardized practices can also streamline workflows, leading to enhanced productivity and reduced downtime. Efficiencies are particularly beneficial due to the baby boomer retirement wave and the ongoing skilled labor shortage.

For example, by utilizing innovative packaging solutions from manufacturers that ease material handling, electrical

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Southwire

every cable pulled through a conduit should be carefully calculated, but there is a significant amount of detail involved. A standardized approach to training ensures that all variables are considered while imparting knowledge of why certain steps are necessary. This ensures that all team members understand the “how” and “why” behind the protocols for each scenario.

Instead of creating these training programs themselves, contractors should investigate the training programs offered through their suppliers, so they can focus their attention on their upcoming and ongoing projects.

QUALITY CONTROL AND COMPLIANCE

Innovative reel systems reduce the amount of other tools and equipment needed to pull wire into conduit, and many of them drastically reduce the amount of work and strain on handling the reels while getting them into position.

contractors can reduce the physical effort normally needed to position larger reels for pulling or pulling smaller wires out of packaging. Adopting these packaging solutions would involve moving away from spools on circuit wiring and instead leveraging coils enclosed in a plastic shell. For larger gauge wires, contractors can procure exact lengths and configurations on an easily movable piece of reusable reel-like equipment, which aids in minimizing waste by reducing the amount of scrap reels.

Taking advantage of manufacturer engineering services is another best practice that can help ease labor shortage challenges. For example, these engineering services can be leveraged to speed installation with optimized wire color combinations and circuit labeling. They can also provide detailed, standardized drawings that help new crew members complete tasks quickly and accurately, ensuring projects stay on schedule. Standardization offers time and labor efficiencies that can be redeployed to other essential project tasks, and savings can be passed on to the customer.

TRAINING

Standardized training procedures are yet another area where the industry can utilize best practices to improve knowledge and safety for its team members. Currently, many training programs are led by industry veterans, whose experience is invaluable; however, these programs may not include the latest technology and practices due to reliance on older methods and equipment. By standardizing training, companies can simplify and quicken the onboarding process for new team members, ensuring everyone quickly aligns with safety protocols and project expectations.

Standardized training programs help workers understand the differences in approach for specific scenarios. For example, 56

With everyone following consistent practices and utilizing standardized processes and equipment, collaborating contractors can ensure the margin for error is small and quality is never compromised on projects. For example, electricians sometimes risk damaging cables when using trucks or forklifts to pull them into place. When standardized practices require pre-planning the cable pulls with tension and sidewall calculations, contractors can be confident that cables have been installed correctly and will perform as expected. It also provides contractors and their clients with peace of mind, knowing that their investments are properly safeguarded and have been handled by professionals trained to the highest standards. By maintaining quality control, contractors can ensure the long-term reliability of installations, avoid costly repairs, and protect the project’s reputation.

Code compliance is an obvious requirement for every construction project and is essential to maintaining customer and employee trust as well as a positive reputation. A contractor’s success often depends on their ability to deliver projects on time and within budget. However, if Code compliance is overlooked or safety incidents occur because protocols are not followed, contractors can face liability issues, jeopardizing their business and reputation. By standardizing safety protocols and training, large projects that have multiple contractors on site can minimize the possibility of accidents and failed inspections, knowing they are all operating with the same knowledge to protect both lives and the success of the project.

RE

Au Gr Re

CONCLUSION

Standardization within the construction industry should be considered more than just a best practice — it is a necessity. By creating consistent approaches in safety, efficiency, training, and quality control, contractors can streamline workflows, improve project outcomes, and protect their workforce. While some may fear that standardization could stifle job-site ingenuity that has in the past led to new methods and practices, the reality is that it enables innovation to thrive within a structured framework, where risks are minimized, and productivity is maximized. As the industry faces a skilled labor shortage and more complex projects, standardization will play a pivotal role, allowing contractors to continue to deliver high-quality projects even as they face both old and new challenges.

Jason Faircloth is the Director of Southwire Solutions. As the leader of Southwire’s Contractor Solutions Organization across the U.S., Jason and his team spend their time training contractors on the benefits of adopting the most recent technology to make their work more safe, more efficient, and ultimately, more profitable.

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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Navigating the NEC’s Requirements for Hazardous (Classified) Locations An inside look at how the NEC defines, classifies, and safeguards electrical installations in environments where fire and explosion hazards are more than just theoretical ID 318095317 © Emilyprofamily | Dreamstime.com

By Randy Barnett, NTT Training

R

ules for hazardous (classified) locations can be found in Chapter 5 [Special Occupancies] of the National Electrical Code (NEC).

What are these specific locations, and why is the word “classified” in parentheses? These are typically two of the first questions people ask when they review this chapter in the Code.

In the early days of the NEC, electricity itself was considered hazardous.

Certain locations, where gasoline vapors might be present, were considered 58

“extra-hazardous.” An electrical spark or heat from electrical equipment may ignite the vapors with catastrophic results. As the Code evolved, we have successfully managed the everyday hazards of electricity through proper installation. In specific locations where flammable gases or vapors, combustible dusts, fibers, or flyings may be present, specific installation practices must be followed to prevent fire and explosions.

Such locations are “classified,” and installation work must meet the requirements for that specific classified location.

CLASSIFICATION OVERVIEW

Determining if certain areas are to be classified is the job of a team of professionals. Depending on needs, electrical and chemical engineers and design and operations personnel work together during the design process to classify the area. In addition, the likelihood of when, during system operation, the materials may be present in ignitable concentrations is also the job of the classification team.

Area classification drawings are produced with detailed information that will later become valuable to workers in the field.

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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Class/Division System — Classes I, II, III and Divisions 1 and 2

Article 500 Hazardous (Classified) Locations

Articles based on materials

Present during normal operation?

Article 501 — Class I Gases/Vapors

Division 1

Article 502 — Class II Combustible Dusts

Division 1

Article 503 — Class III Fibers/Flyings

Division 1

Division 2

Division 2

Not enough energy to cause ignition

Article 504 Intrinsically Safe Systems

Division 2

Fig. 1. The division system of area classification was introduced in the 1931 NEC. The system has evolved to meet industry needs and incorporate technological advancements. Article 500 provides an overall understanding of the division system. Articles are then based on the materials present (Class) and whether the material is expected to be present during normal operation (Division 1) or where they may be expected only during non-operating conditions, such as maintenance (Division 2).

CHAPTER 5 OF THE NEC

The NEC allows for two different methods to classify hazardous locations based on the type of materials present in the same area as electrical equipment. In 1931, the Class/Division system (Division System) was introduced in the Code. In 1996, the International IEC Zone Classification system (Zone System) was introduced in the Code. “Codes Working Together for Safety” and “The Zone System of Classification” Sidebars are available exclusively at ecmweb.com/55285004. The systems are similar and perform the same purpose — fire and explosion prevention —but there is enough difference that they cannot be used interchangeably. The NEC forbids using both methods to classify the same location.

The Division system is laid out logically in the NEC (Fig. 1). You can find it in Art. 500 Hazardous (Classified) Locations, Classes I, II, and III, Divisions 1 and 2, which is sometimes referred to as the textbook for hazardous locations. It contains information regarding all three Classes and their Divisions with ample informational notes and examples of materials found in different groups.

The Division system divides materials into three different classes (with examples): • Class I — flammable gases (acetylene) and flammable vapors produced from certain liquids (gasoline) and combustible vapors produced from liquids (diesel fuel). The main difference

between a combustible and a flammable liquid is their flash point — the temperature at which a liquid gives off enough vapor to ignite in air. Flammable liquids reach their flash point at less than 100°F (37.8°C). Combustible liquids reach their flash point at temperatures equal to or greater than 100°F (37.8°C). Gasoline has a flash point of -50.8°F, making it flammable. Grade 2-D diesel fuel has a flash point of approximately 125°F to 160°F (52°C to 71°C) or more, depending upon composition. Thus, diesel fuel is combustible, and locations are typically not classified as hazardous.

• Class II — combustible dusts (aluminum dust, flour, grain). See Photo 1.

• Class III — combustible fibers/ flyings or ignitable fibers/flyings (rayon, cotton, types of textile mill products, certain areas of woodworking facilities).

Within each Class, it must be determined if the material is expected during normal operation (Division 1) or only at certain times, such as maintenance (Division 2). Specific Code Articles then address each class.

• Article 501 Class I locations • Article 502 Class II locations, and • Article 503 Class III locations.

Article 504 [Intrinsically Safe Systems] provides installation rules for those systems where a spark or heat produced by this intrinsically safe equipment will not have enough energy to ignite a surrounding mixture.

Article 505 Zone 0, 1, and 2 locations is the alternative method to Area Classification. The Zone system classifies flammable gases, vapors, or liquids by Zone rather than Class and Division.

Article 506 Zone 20, 21, and 22 locations for combustible dusts or ignitable fibers/flyings is the Zone system providing an alternative method of classification for Class II (combustible dusts) and Class III (ignitible fibers) found in the Division system.

A set of NEC Articles for specific locations that are routinely constructed appears in Arts. 511 – 517. See Fig. 2 on page 60.

Photo 1. Flour dust is a Class II, Group G combustible dust. Compliance with installation and protection methods in Art. 500 and Art. 502 are required. Wheat flour (whether in a cloud or a layer), as whown in this image, has an ignition temperature of 680°F (360°C).

The combustible dust accumulating on top of the transformers not only affects the cooling of the transformer but could also be ignited by a failure of the equipment. Note the ventilation opening where combustible dust has no doubt entered the interior of the transformer. www.ecmweb.com • May 2025

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Article 511

Commercial Garages, Repair and Storage

Article 512

Cannabis Oil Equipment and Cannabis Oil Systems Using Flammable Materials

Article 513

Aircraft Hangars

Article 514

Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities

Article 515

Bulk Storage Plants

Article 516

Spray Application, Dipping, Coating, and Printing Processes Using Flammable or Combustible Materials

Article 517

Health Care Facilities

Fig. 2. Articles 511 – 517 provide electrical installation rules for facilities that are routinely constructed, thus minimizing the need for area classification work during design. In 1971, Art. 517 was changed from “Flammable Anesthetics” to “Health Care Facilities.” Diethyl ether has a flashpoint of -49°F (-45°C), making it very flammable, yet modern health care facilities no longer use flammable ether for anesthesia.

THE MATERIALS

Understanding NEC installation requirements means understanding the basics of the materials involved.

For example, in a commercial garage, a light switch installed in a pit beneath the vehicle where the mechanic is making repairs is classified as Class I, Division 1 if gasoline or LPG vehicles are being serviced. However, if certain ventilation requirements are met, the pit may become a Class I, Division 2 location.

Why? Gasoline vapors are three times heavier than air. LPG (mostly propane and butane) is approximately twice as heavy as air. These flammable vapors would then tend to accumulate in the pit. Ventilation would help minimize the concentration, thus dropping the classification to Division 2. The bottom line for the installer is the nameplate on the switch enclosure must specifically state it is applicable for Class I locations — then Division 1 or 2 as appropriate.

Using an ordinary switch box in the enclosure is setting the area up for a fire or explosion.

NEC Sec. 500.6 [Materials] places materials into distinct groups based on their properties. The exception is Class III, which does not have any material groups assigned.

Class I materials with examples: • Group A – Acetylene • Group B – Hydrogen • Group C – Ethylene • Group D – Propane Class II materials with examples: • Group E – certain metal dusts, such as zirconium and uranium 60

• Group F – coal and coke dusts in specific concentrations • Group G – Flour, grain, wood, plastics, and chemicals The operating temperature of electrical equipment must not exceed the autoignition temperature of gases or vapors. The autoignition temperature is the minimum temperature required for ignition, and the operating temperature of electrical equipment must never be allowed to exceed this temperature.

The NEC uses a set of Temperature

Codes (T Codes) to simplify meeting this requirement. NEC Table 500.8(C) (4) Classification of Maximum Surface Temperature provides these T Codes.

Given the information above on the different materials, it only makes sense that enclosures, wiring devices, and wiring methods must be able to protect against hazards. The practical side for installation and maintenance is “read the nameplate.” The Class, Division, material group, and T Code will all be on the nameplate as applicable. Refer to area classification drawings as necessary and obtain engineering help if necessary, as shown in Photo 2.

PROTECTION

Several techniques and methods are used to prevent ignitable materials from coming in contact with electrical ignition sources and will mitigate the results should an explosion occur within the equipment.

The most obvious method of protection is to simply remove the electrical equipment from the classified area. Since this is not always possible, other methods, such as ventilation to remove or reduce mixtures, proper grounding and bonding, the use of an intrinsically safe system, static protection, and automatic

Photo 2. This nameplate on a snap switch enclosure identifies the specific hazardous (classified) locations the enclosure can be installed. The switch handle was removed to obtain this image. This enclosure can be installed in Class I areas, where Groups C or D are present (such as ethylene or propane). It is also identified for installation in Class II areas where Group E or G materials are present (such as certain metal dust or coal dust). Note the “Caution” at the bottom of the nameplate requiring removal of the electrical energy before opening the enclosure to prevent explosions.

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system shutdowns, are examples of various methods that can be used to prevent fire and explosion.

Beyond the above-listed methods, specially designed and constructed electrical equipment is used to provide protection.

Explosionproof equipment is not designed to prevent an explosion, but allows the explosion to occur within the enclosure and provide an escape route for the hot gases produced to escape into the surrounding classified location only after they are cooled below the temperature to cause ignition in that surrounding area (Photo 3).

Dust ignitionproof equipment is found in Class II, often Division 1 locations, and does not permit any heat generated inside the enclosure, such as from an electrical arc or spark, to cause ignition of specified dust in the vicinity of the equipment.

Dusttight enclosures do not allow dust to enter.

Purged and pressurized equipment maintains a positive pressure within the

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Photo 3. Explosionproof equipment is often used in many applications, with different methods used to obtain this protection technique. This enclosure uses “threadedjoint” construction to allow an explosion to occur within the enclosure. The hot gases produced by the explosion will cool sufficiently as they pass over the threads to escape the box. These cooled vapors will not be of sufficient temperature to ignite the surrounding atmosphere outside of the box.

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Photo 4. Type metal clad – hazardous location (MC-HL) cable is a common wiring method found in hazardous (classified) locations in addition to rigid conduit. The listed cable has a gas and vapor-tight continuous corrugated metallic sheath with a PVC jacket. The separate equipment grounding conductor (bare copper in the image) is also required. The cable connector at the bottom of the image is identified for MC-HL cable use in hazardous (classified) locations.

enclosure to prevent the entry of materials.

Nonincendive circuits, equipment, and components are found in Class I and Class II systems. They are low-energy and will not cause fire or explosion under specified conditions.

Oil immersion places electrical equipment in a protective liquid.

Photo 5a. Properly spacing conductors as they pass through the fitting, then pouring a sealing compound into the fitting, minimizes the passage of gases, vapors, and flames from one portion of a conduit system to another. This seal can be poured in a vertical position by removing the smaller plug.

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Hermetically sealed indicates electrical equipment sealed by the fusion of metal to prevent the entrance of external atmospheres.

Combustible gas detection systems utilize stationary gas detectors to provide input to control systems.

Different optical radiation protection techniques are needed because of the ignition danger posed by the use of fiber optics, optical communication equipment, LED lighting, and laser systems.

Skin effect trace heating “IEEE 844.1” is designed for heat trace systems that utilize a high-frequency AC to heat the surface of pipes and vessels.

The wiring methods for each Class and Division can be found in Secs.

501.10, 502.10, and 503.10 as applicable for the Class location.

Rigid metal conduit and MC-HL cable are common wiring methods in many

locations. The NEC permits rigid and intermediate metal conduits in all locations.

MC-HL Metal Clad Hazardous Location cable requirements are found in Sec. 330.130 of Article 330 MC Cable.

MC-HL cable is constructed of a gas/ vapor-tight continuous corrugated metallic sheath, has an overall jacket of a polymeric material such as PVC, and must have a separate equipment grounding conductor, as shown in Photo 4.

A conduit seal fitting is used in electrical conduit runs to prevent the passage of gases, vapors, or flames through the conduit. To work effectively, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when pouring sealing compound into the fitting. Seal location requirements are found in Sec. 501.15 [Sealing and Drainage], as shown in Fig. 5a and 5b.

SUMMARY

Any installation or maintenance work in Hazardous (Classified) locations must meet the specific requirements found in Chapter 5 [Special Occupancies].

Article 500 provides much useful information. The individual Articles for each class then provide the specifics for Class I – gases and vapors, Class II – combustible dusts, and Class III – fibers/ flyings. Protecting people and property from fire and explosions is what makes the proper installation and maintenance of hazardous (classified) equipment and systems necessary.

Randy Barnett is an NFPA-Certified Electrical Safety Professional, a long-time journeyman electrician, instructor and author with expertise in industrial electrical construction and maintenance. He is Program Manager Electrical Codes & Safety for NTT Training.

Photo 5b. A horizontal installation is achieved by removing the larger plug for pouring compound. Conduit seals are limited to 25% conductor fill.

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2505EC

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PRODUCT NEWS

ENT Fittings

Carlon electrical non-metallic tubing (ENT) two-piece fittings are designed to make contractors’ jobs easier while delivering labor/time savings. The company reimagined the design of traditional fittings by developing a high-performing polycarbonate two-piece ENT fitting to route and protect wiring for lighting, outlets, data, and communications systems.

Featuring an eight-tab snap to reduce insertion force and enhance pull-out strength, the new Carlon fittings demonstrated an average labor savings of over 20% in laboratory testing compared to Carlon single-piece fittings. Available in 0.5-in., 0.75-in., and 1-in. sizes, Carlon’s polycarbonate two-piece fittings feature an efficient snap mechanism for quick and easy concrete-tight installation.

ABB

Battery Charger

The M18 dual bay simultaneous super charger with 4-point mounting is designed to ensure minimal downtime and maximize productivity. It delivers up to six times faster charging and can charge an M18 REDLITHIUM FORGE XC8.0 and M18 REDLITHIUM FORGE HD12.0 battery to 80% in 35 minutes, and an M18 REDLITHIUM FORGE XC6.0 battery to 80% in only 15 minutes, according to the company.

It is COOL-CYCLE-capable, enabling significantly faster charge times and providing high-speed cooling for COOL-CYCLEcapable battery packs. Additionally, the charger features CHARGE ADAPT Adaptive Charge Distribution, which intelligently optimizes power delivery to charge up to two batteries simultaneously for maximum efficiency. The charger also features REDLINK Intelligence, which seamlessly communicates with batteries to monitor cell voltage, temperature, and charge status.

Milwaukee Tool

Recessed Cove Channel

Mudr ArcCove is a compact cornermounted recessed cove channel with an illuminated reveal. It features soft indirect light designed to illuminate corners at wallto-wall and wall-to-ceiling intersections.

Available in 3-in. and 4-in. models, both are compatible with 5/8-in. drywall, and Mudr ArcCove 3-in. variety is also compatible with ½-in. drywall. Designed to easily wrap around corners without the need for soldering or corner connectors that can create dark spots, it features a paintable surface for seamless integration with any decor or color palette. A Linking system provides a straightforward solution for connecting and perfectly aligning profile sections, ensuring a seamless, unified appearance without visible gaps or misalignment.

Alloy LED 64

Flood Lights

The Night Guard LED flood light offers selectable options to adjust the color temperature (CCT) and wattage to fit your environment. With offerings from 3,000K to 5,000K, the adjustable wattage allows more control over the illumination to optimize efficiency without changing the luminaires. The integrated selectable photocell also provides dusk-to-dawn operation, helping you save even more energy. It offers installation flexibility with multiple mounting accessories available, including a durable U-bracket for surface attachment, a slipfitter for easy pole installations, a ½-in. NPT knuckle, and a 24-in. arm for extended reach. Each mount is available in standard finishes or can be customized to match an existing color, ensuring a cohesive look.

US LED

Enclosed Drive System Enclosure

The 16-port HyperDropGEL IP68-rated patch and splicing enclosure (p/n HDPASGEL-E-16) secures and manages fiber optic connections in a variety of environments.

The product streamlines the splicing, extending, repairing, and splitting of fiber optic cables. Its all-plastic, IP68-rated design ensures connections are protected in a variety of environments over a long service life, and its gel-based sealing system ensures waterproof performance for both round and flat drop cable constructions, according to the company. In addition, the product can be pole mounted, wall mounted, installed aerially, or directly buried.

NSI Industries

The SINAMICS G120XE is an enclosed drive system designed specifically for the demands of industrial pump, fan, and compressor applications in a wide variety of markets. Built around the popular SINAMICS G120X infrastructure drive, this new enclosed system is designed for fast design and commissioning in industries such as oil-and-gas/petrochemical, water/wastewater, power plants, industrial climate control, refrigeration, and chillers in harsh environments. A NEMA 1 enclosure is standard, with a NEMA 12 version optional, featuring appropriate ventilation and air filters. The base enclosure is suitable for wall-mounting to 75-hp applications, while the free-standing floor module accommodates uses to 200 hp.

Siemens

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Truck & Van Shelving

The Next-Generation shelving and accessory product line includes versatile, flexible shelving units that are configurable for a variety of pickup truck and van types. It is designed to minimize cargo dead space and provide better durability/safety. The shelving offers lengths up to 144 in. The design allows for mix-and-match customization, with four end panel heights, nine shelf lengths, four shelf depths, 12 drawer unit options, and six bin options.

Constructed from high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel, these shelves can hold an average of 50 lb/ft.

Adrian Steel

Flexible Housing Series

The new monitoring case system (MCS) is a flexible housing series designed for sensor, IoT, and IIoT applications. The wall-, pole-, and DIN rail-mountable enclosure allows fast and easy PCB installation, mounting, and maintenance. IP65 and IP67 variants protect electronics in harsh environments, while a more affordable IP40-rated option is available for less demanding applications. An IK07 rating ensures the housings can withstand a 2-joule impact from 20 cm high.

With its angled, clamshell housing edge design, the MCS can accommodate PCBs in either or both half-shells to increase board capacity and facilitate multiple connection directions. Optional hinges make device installation and maintenance more convenient.

Phoenix Contact

Power Conditioner Touchless Light Switch

The Pass & Seymour 277V Wave Switch lets users turn lights on or off with the wave of a hand, providing a touchless solution.

The product features an adjustable range to sense movement from ½ in. to 4 in. in front of the switch. Additional features include chemical- and impact-resistant Copolymer cover, surge protection, backwire pressure plate terminations for easy installation and time-savings, and a rating for 1/4 hp for control of small motor loads at 10A 120V and 277V. Legrand

Industrial LED

The Appleton IHC series high-lumen output LED luminaires support heavy industrial facilities requiring luminaires capable of withstanding maximum ambient temperatures of 167°F (75°C). The luminaires apply advanced thermal management to rapidly dissipate heat to extend the life of the luminaire. The IHC series supplies up to 250% more light output than standard LEDs on the market, according to the company. The product has multiple output levels of 50,000 lm, 60,000 lm, 75,000 lm, and 90,000 lm, and a choice of four optics (very narrow, narrow, medium, and very wide), and three color temperatures (5,000K, 4,000K or 3,000K). In addition, the product includes fully adjustable mounting brackets that come with several different hole patterns for retrofitting to existing mounting configurations.

Emerson

The Wavecrest power conditioner offers protection from volatile power quality conditions, such as harmonics, EMI noise, sag, swell, overvoltage, surge, and other transients. It is useful in protecting sensitive electronics, including LED lighting, door operators, computers, and circuitry inside heat pumps and hot water circulators from dirty power. The 30A unit also means users can scale the Wavecrest to either the whole facility or one problematic piece of equipment.

Mechanical Ingenuity Corp.

Smart Switch

The ABRA in-wall smart switch is a versatile Wi-Fi control that delivers strong performance and homeowner-friendly features.

The in-wall switch offers simple sevenday astronomic ON/OFF scheduling and makes it easy to create customized lighting scenes and smart home automations using traditional light bulbs. Designed for both residential and light commercial applications, the smart switch features an input voltage range of 120VAC-277VAC and supports electronic ballast/LED loads of up to 10A. Occupants can control lights and loads at the device using a simple paddle switch or use the ABRA app to control the switch wirelessly via smartphone or tablet.

The ABRA app also lets users control the switch by voice command through popular voice assistant platforms.

Intermatic www.ecmweb.com • May 2025

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CODE BASICS

NEC Requirements for Emergency and Standby Systems

Do you know how emergency power systems differ from legally required and optional standby systems?

By Mike Holt, NEC Consultant

E

mergency systems are classed as such, and thus required, by a governmental agency having jurisdiction [Art. 100]. These automatically supply illumination and/ or power essential for preserving human life. They may also provide power for such functions as ventilation (where essential to maintain life), fire detection and alarm systems, elevators, fire pumps, public safety announcing systems, and industrial processes (where interruption would produce life safety or health hazards).

Standby systems may be legally required or optional. Legally required standby systems are classified as such by a governmental agency. These automatically supply power to selected loads upon failure of the normal power source [Art. 100]. They typically supply loads such as heating and refrigeration systems, ventilation and smoke removal systems, sewage disposal, lighting, and industrial processes that, if stopped, could create hazards or hamper rescue or firefighting operations. They provide electric power to aid in firefighting, rescue, and similar operations.

Optional standby systems supply power where life safety does not depend on the system. These provide an alternate power source for industrial and commercial buildings, farms, and residences to serve loads, such as heating and refrigeration, data processing, and industrial processes that, if stopped (or suddenly stopped), can cause discomfort or economic loss.

66

Fig. 1. Article 700 covers the installation, operation, and maintenance of emergency systems.

STRINGENCY DIFFERENCES

Many of the requirements for these systems are similar. For example, a sign at the service disconnect must identify the location of each of these power sources.

And for each system, its components must be marked to show it is part of that system.

But they also differ in key ways, with the idea being that emergency and legally required systems have more stringent requirements than optional systems do. For example, emergency systems

and legally required standby systems must meet specific commissioning and maintenance requirements [Sec. 700.3 and Sec. 701.3], while optional standby systems do not.

Optional systems are excluded from the requirement that the OCPDs must be selectively coordinated with all supply-side and load-side OCPDs. The design must be made by a qualified person, and it must be documented and made available to those authorized to design, install, inspect, maintain, and

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operate the system [Sec. 700.32(A) and Sec. 701.32(A)]. If OCPDs are replaced, they must be re-evaluated to ensure selective coordination is maintained [Sec. 700.32(B) and Sec. 701.32(B)]. If modifications, additions, or deletions to the system(s) occur, selective coordination must be re-evaluated [Sec. 700.32(C) and Sec. 701.32(C)].

EMERGENCY SYSTEMS

Article 700 covers the installation, operation, and maintenance of emergency systems (Fig. 1 on page 66).

An emergency system must have adequate capacity per Art. 220 or by another approved method [Sec. 700.4(A)].

The emergency system power source(s) can supply emergency, legally required system, and optional standby system loads, where a load management system includes automatic selective load pickup and load shedding to ensure adequate power to each system.

Audible, visual, and facility or network remote annunciation signaling devices must be installed where applicable for the purposes enumerated in Sec. 700.6(A) through (D). For example, to indicate the emergency source is carrying a load.

Emergency system conductors cannot be installed within any cabinet, enclosure, raceway, cable, or luminaire with nonemergency loads, except as noted in Sec. 710(B)(1) through (6). For example, wiring within a traveling cable to an elevator.

Line voltage supply wiring and Class 2 power-limited emergency lighting control devices must comply with Sec. 700.10. Class 2 power-limited emergency circuits must comply with Sec. 700.11(B) through (D). For example, exposed cable, cable tray, or raceway systems must be marked to be identified as a component of an emergency circuit or system within 3 ft of each connector and at intervals not to exceed 25 ft.

Emergency power must be available within 10 seconds upon failure of normal power. The emergency power supply must be one or more of the types described in Sec. 700.12(C) through (H).

For example, a generator.

In selecting an emergency power source, consider the occupancy and the

Fig. 2. Article 701 covers the installation, operation, and maintenance of legally required standby systems.

type of service to be rendered, whether of minimum duration, as for evacuation of a theater, or longer duration, as for supplying emergency power and

the duration determined by the system design. In no case can the duration be less than 2 hours of system operation unless used for emergency illumination in Sec. 700.12(C)(4) or unit equipment in Sec. 700.12(I).

Emergency circuits must supply only emergency loads [Sec. 700.15].

Emergency illumination (egress lighting, illuminated exit signs, etc.), per Sec. 700.16(A), must be designed and installed so that the failure of any illumination source will not leave in total darkness any space requiring emergency illumination [Sec. 700.16(B)]. For any emergency system, emergency illumination is required for an indoor service disconnect [Sec. 700.16(D)].

Emergency power must be available within 10 seconds upon failure of normal power. The emergency power supply must be one LEGALLY REQUIRED 701 covers the installation, or more of the types Article operation, and maintenance of legally required standby system (Fig 2). described in Sec. Equipment for a legally required standby system must be suitable for the 700.12(C) through (H). available fault current at its terminals lighting due to an indefinite period of current failure [Sec. 700.12(A)].

The emergency power source must be of suitable rating and capacity to supply and maintain the total load for

[Sec. 701.4(A)]. The alternate power supply must have adequate capacity per Parts I through IV of Art. 220 or by another approved method. The system capacity must be sufficient for the rapid load changes, and transient power and www.ecmweb.com • May 2025

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CODE BASICS energy requirements associated with any expected loads [Sec. 701.4(B)].

The alternate power supply can supply legally required standby system and optional standby system loads if there is adequate capacity — or where a load management system includes automatic selective load pickup and load shedding is provided that will ensure adequate power to the legally required standby system [Sec. 701.4(C)].

Audible and visual signal devices must be installed where practicable for the four purposes listed in Sec. 701.6 (e.g., to indicate a malfunction of the standby power source).

If the normal supply fails, legally required standby power must be available within 60 seconds. In selecting the power source for a legally required standby system, consider the type of service to be rendered, whether of shorttime duration or long duration [Sec. 701.12(A)]. Also consider the location or design, or both, of all equipment to minimize the hazards that might cause complete failure due to floods, fires, icing, and vandalism [Sec. 701.12(B)].

A generator approved by the AHJ and sized per Sec. 701.4 is permitted as the legally required standby system power source if it has the means to automatically start the prime mover upon failure of the normal power source [Sec. 701.12(D)(1)].

Power supply systems must consist of one of the types listed in Sec. 701.12(D) through (F). For example, a storage battery.

OPTIONAL SYSTEMS

Article 702 covers the installation requirements for permanent and portable optional standby systems [Sec. 702.1], as shown in Fig. 3.

If the connection of the loads to the optional standby system is manual or non-automatic, size the optional standby system to supply all the loads that are intended to operate at one time [Sec. 702.4(A)]. If the connection for a load to the optional standby system is automatic, size the optional standby system as follows: (a) Full load. The optional standby system must be capable of supplying the full load that is automatically connected, 68

Fig. 3. Article 702 covers the installation requirements for permanent and portable optional standby systems.

as determined by Art. 220 or another approved method. (b) Energy management system (EMS). Where a system is employed per Sec. 750.30 that will automatically manage the connected load, the optional standby system must have a capacity sufficient to supply the maximum load that will be connected by the EMS. Interconnection equipment or transfer equipment is required for the connection of an optional standby system to premises wiring [Sec. 702.5(A)]. Interconnection and transfer equipment must be listed and installed to prevent the inadvertent interconnection of all sources of supply.

In other than dwelling units, the short-circuit current rating of the transfer equipment, based on the specific OCPD type and settings protecting the transfer equipment, must be field marked on the exterior of the transfer equipment [Sec. 702.5(C)].

An optional standby system installed in parallel with other power production sources must comply with Parts I or II of Art. 705 [Sec. 702.5(D)].

Where a power inlet is used for the connection of a portable generator, a warning sign must be placed near the power inlet to indicate the type of generator permitted to be connected to the

inlet. The warning sign must comply with Sec. 702.7(C).

OPTIONS

As you can see, the NEC requirements for standby power systems that are classed as legally required or emergency are more stringent than the requirements for those that are optional. But the NEC isn’t concerned with optimizing equipment selection, design, or installation [Sec. 90.1]. If your system is optional, it might make sense to apply at least some of the Emergency System or Legally Required Standby System requirements to it.

A given site might have all three systems. For example, a plant may have an emergency system to facilitate quick evacuation. It may have a legally required system to facilitate the safe and orderly shutdown of chemical processes. And it may have an optional standby system to prevent financial loss due to power loss.

It would be necessary to coordinate all three while keeping them separate, so it is critical to understand the purpose and requirements of each.

These materials are provided by Mike Holt Enterprises in Leesburg, Fla. To view Code training materials offered by this company, visit www.mikeholt.com/code.

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CODE QUIZ OF THE MONTH

Test Your Code IQ

How much do you know about the National Electrical Code?

By Mike Holt, NEC Consultant

ID 135619708 © Eskymaks | Dreamstime.com

All questions and answers are based on the 2023 NEC.

Q1: For permanently installed spas or hot tubs in other than one-family dwellings, a clearly labeled emergency shutoff or control switch for the purpose of stopping the motor(s) that provides power to the recirculation system and jet system shall be installed at a point to the users and, not less than 5 ft away, adjacent to, and within sight of the spa or hot tub. a) accessible b) readily accessible c) available d) of the pneumatic type and accessible Q2: For all other installations supplied

by a feeder(s) or branch circuit(s) and not specifically identified in Sec. 225.39(A) through (C), the feeder or branch-circuit disconnecting means shall have a rating . of not less than a) 20A c) 40A b) 30A d) 60A 70

Q3: The primary overcurrent protective device for a transformer supplying a fire pump shall carry the sum of the locked-rotor current of the fire pump motor(s), pressure maintenance pump motor(s), and the full-load current of associated fire pump accessory equip. ment a) for 15 minutes c) for 3 hours b) for 45 minutes d) indefinitely Q4: A(An) , with an integral bushed opening, shall be used at the end of a conduit or other raceway that terminates underground where the conductors or cables emerge as a direct burial wiring method. a) splice kit b) connector c) adapter d) bushing or terminal fitting Q5: Under Art. 314, screws or other

fasteners installed in the field that enter

wiring spaces penetrating the wall of a conduit body shall be made . a) within 1⁄8 in. of the conduit body b) within 1⁄4 in. of the conduit body c) within 3⁄8 in. of the conduit body d) flush with the conduit body

Q6: If two or more branch circuits supply devices or equipment on the same yoke or mounting strap, a means to simultaneously disconnect the ungrounded supply conductors shall be . provided a) at the point where the branch circuits originate b) at the location of the device or equipment c) at the point where the feeder originates d) within sight of the device or equipment See the answers to these Code questions online at ecmweb.com/55285539.

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CODE VIOLATIONS

Illustrated Catastrophes

By Russ LeBlanc, NEC Consultant All references are based on the 2023 edition of the NEC.

DISASTROUS DISCONNECT LOCATION While the location of the disconnect for this nonsubmersible fountain pump is certainly within sight of the pump motor as required by Sec. 430.102(B)(1), a person actually being able to reach that disconnect would be extremely difficult. Operating the disconnect’s handle may be impossible without removing the wooden structure, which is blocking access to the switch.

Section 404.8 requires all switches and circuit breakers used as switches to be installed in locations where they can be operated from a readily accessible location.

I don’t think this switch complies with that requirement.

As for working space, Sec. 110.26 requires clear working spaces to be provided and maintained around all electrical equipment, including this disconnect switch, to provide space for safe operation and maintenance of such equipment. This installation does not provide the working space depth required by Sec. 110.26(A)(1). A minimum of 3 ft of depth is required. Either the switch or the wooden structure should be relocated to provide the required access and working clearances

THIS GIVES BUNDLING A WHOLE NEW MEANING

A close examination of this installation reveals a single liquidtight flexible metal conduit (LFMC), which is painted white and securely clipped to the building, is being used to support all kinds of other raceways, cables, and hoses,

including lines for the soda gun at the bar of this hotel. That LFMC is performing yeoman’s work in supporting that bundle of other stuff. As admirable as that might be, it is a violation to do so.

Section 300.11(C) generally prohibits

using raceways such as LFMC as a means of support for other raceways, cables, or non-electrical equipment. LFMC is not identified as a means of support.

One other note of concern is the lack of any expansion fitting on either of the two PVC conduits (also painted white) installed on the side of this building.

Section 352.44(A) requires expansion fittings to be installed to compensate for the thermal expansion and contraction when the conduit would experience a length change of 1/4 in. or more in straight runs between securely mounted items such as boxes, elbows, cabinets, or other conduit terminations. This New England location could easily experience a seasonal temperature change of 100°F from winter to summer, resulting in significant thermal expansion and contraction of the PVC conduit. www.ecmweb.com • May 2025

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Expandable Utility Risers (Patent Pending)

NEW

EXPANDABLE UTILITY RISERS

MAKE SURE YOU’RE IN FRONT OF KEY DECISION MAKERS

NOW AVAILABLE

Height adjustable for easy installation Impact and UV resistant Temperature tolerance (-40 to +230 °F) Allows for enhanced expansion and contraction with ground movement

BABA-COMPLIANT CHAMPION FIBERGLASS® EXPANDABLE UTILITY RISERS

Contact Steve Suarez at ssuarez@endeavorb2b.com to include your company in the next Marketplace section.

THE SAFE WAY IS THE ONLY WAY

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Corporate Headquarters:

REGIONAL OFFICES:

116 Hopping Brook Road Holliston, MA • (800) 421-0151

Pelham, AL • Doraville, GA Charlotte, NC • Durham, NC

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waynejgriffinelectric.com MA Lic 4536 A1 • MA Lic 8999 A • CT Lic ELC.0201601-E1

4/25/25 3:50 PM

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ADVERTISER INDEX Advertiser

SALES STAFF

Page #

Phone #

Web Address

Allied Moulded Products

44

800-722-2679

www.alliedmoulded.com

Arlington Industries, Inc.

20, 21

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Arlington Industries, Inc.

23

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Arlington Industries, Inc.

25

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Vice President

Arlington Industries, Inc.

27

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Mike Hellmann

Arlington Industries, Inc.

29

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Andover, MA

Arlington Industries, Inc.

31

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Phone: (978) 289-0098

Arlington Industries, Inc.

35

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

E-mail: mhellmann@endeavorb2b.com

Arlington Industries, Inc.

37

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Arlington Industries, Inc.

39

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Arlington Industries, Inc.

41

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Arlington Industries, Inc.

43

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

(949) 239-6030

Arlington Industries, Inc.

45

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Email: efishman@endeavorb2b.com

Arlington Industries, Inc.

47

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Arlington Industries, Inc.

49

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Northeast U.S. & Eastern Canada

Arlington Industries, Inc.

51

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

David Sevin

Arlington Industries, Inc.

53

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Account Manager

Arlington Industries, Inc.

55

800-233-4717

www.aifittings.com

Atkore

IFC

—

www.atkore.com

Champion Fiberglass, Inc.

72, BC

—

www.championfiberglass.com

Code Change Conference

19

—

codechangeconference.com

EASA - Electrical Apparatus Service Assoc.

54

314-993-2220

www.easa.com/convention

Facilities Expo 2025

57

—

www.facilitiesexpo.com

Jay Thompson

Glen Raven Technical Fabrics

11

—

www.glenguard.com

Account Manager

Independent Electrical Contractors, Inc.

13

—

www.iecspark.com

7450 W. 130th Street, Suite #210

Intermatic Inc.

3

—

www.intermatic.com

Overland Park, KS 66213

Mike Holt Enterprises

69

888-632-2633

www.mikeholt.com/Ultimate

Phone: (913) 967-7543

Orbit Industries, Inc.

61

213-451-6091

www.orbitelectric.com

Progressive Insurance

9

—

progressivecommercial.com

Southwire Company

IBC

—

www.southwire.com

SP Products Inc

7, 17

800-233-8595

www.spproducts.com

Media Account Exec

The Utility Expo

63

—

www.theutilityexpo.com

7450 W. 130th Street, Suite #210

Underground Devices

5

847-205-9000

www.udevices.com

Overland Park, KS 66213

Wayne J. Griffin Electric, Inc.

72

800-421-0151

waynejgriffinelectric.com

Phone: (816) 588-7372

(Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this index. However, the publisher cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions.)

To place a display ad (1/6 page or larger), call the Advertising Sales Representative for your area.

Western U.S. & Western Canada Ellyn Fishman Key Account Manager

24 Houghton Street Barrington, RI 02806 Phone: (401) 246-1903 E-mail: dsevin@endeavorb2b.com Midwest, Southeast,and Southwest

E-mail: jthompson@endeavorb2b.com Marketplace/Inside Sales Steve Suarez

E-mail: ssuarez@endeavorb2b.com

www.ecmweb.com • May 2025

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CODE VIOLATIONS

By Russ LeBlanc, NEC Consultant

H

ow well do you know the Code? Think you can spot violations the original installer either ignored or couldn’t identify? Here’s your chance to moonlight as an electrical inspector and second-guess someone else’s work from the safety of your living room or office. Can you identify the specific Code violation(s) in this photo? Note: Submitted comments must include specific references from the 2023 NEC. Hint: Working space worries.

‘TELL THEM WHAT THEY’VE WON...’

Using the 2023 NEC, correctly identify the Code violation(s) in this month’s photo — in 200 words or less — and you could win a $25 Amazon gift card. E-mail your response, including your name and mailing address, to russ@russleblanc.net, and Russ will select one winner (excluding manufacturers and prior winners) at random from the correct submissions. Note that submissions without an address will not be eligible to win.

MARCH WINNER Our winner this month was Jonathan Villarin, an EC&M reader and contest participant from Montgomery, Texas. He knew the receptacle should have a weatherproof enclosure that remains weatherproof whether or not something is plugged in. This type of receptacle cover is only weatherproof when closed and does not satisfy the requirements of Sec. 406.9(B)(1).

Receptacles rated 15A or 20A, 125V or 250V installed in wet locations shall have a weatherproof enclosure, whether or not any attachment plug cap is inserted. Outlet box hoods, sometimes called “bubble covers,” installed for this purpose shall be listed and identified as extra-duty.

Other listed products, enclosures, or assemblies that provide a weatherproof enclosure but do not utilize an outlet box hood are also permitted and are not required to be identified as extra duty. 15A and 20A, 125V and 250V nonlocking-type receptacles shall be listed and identified as weather-resistant (WR) type.

74

May 2025 • www.ecmweb.com

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2505EC

EFFICIENCY

EFFICIENCY//TRUST//INNOVATION//SUSTAINABILITY//

Save Time. Reduce Costs. Protect Your Team.

What if you could finish projects faster, safer, and with fewer mistakes?

With standardized processes and the right solutions, you can eliminate delays, reduce costly rework, and ensure every project meets industry standards.

Southwire helps streamline operations while keeping your team protected and your projects on track.

Improve Safety & Productivity!

See How Southwire Can Help.

©2025 Southwire Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

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4/9/25 2:40 PM 5/13/2025 11:39:29 AM

Expandable Utility Risers (Patent Pending)

NEW

EXPANDABLE UTILITY RISERS NOW AVAILABLE

Height adjustable for easy installation

Impact and UV resistant

Allows for enhanced expansion and contraction with ground movement

Temperature tolerance (-40 to +230 °F)

©2016 Champion Fiberglass, Inc.

BABA-COMPLIANT CHAMPION FIBERGLASS® EXPANDABLE UTILITY RISERS

BIM/REVIT

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