NEMA Publication The Strengths of an Effective Electrical Safety System

Published by: National Electrical Manufacturers Association 1300 North 17th Street, Suite 1847 Rosslyn, Virginia 22209 www.nema.org

Copyright 2004 by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. All rights including translation into other languages, reserved under the Universal Copyright Convention, the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, and the International and Pan American Copyright Conventions.

The Strengths of an Effective Electrical Safety System

Overview We often take electrical safety for granted. Over the past 100 years, the electrical community has done a tremendous job reducing injuries and loss of life due to electrical shock and reducing property loss from electrically related fires. However, a good record of accomplishment can make us complacent. It is easy to forget that this was accomplished through ongoing improvements in electrical safety based on a robust and cohesive electrical safety system. Electrical safety comes at a price, and there is constant pressure to relax certain of the safety aspects for perceived operational and economic benefits. We see examples such as the large industrial user that considers the presence of experienced supervisory personnel as a means to justify the relaxation of objective enforcement or prescriptive rules. Industry experience continues to show that electricity can be dangerous in both supervised and unsupervised areas. With changes in building ownership and the increasing trend toward outsourcing of labor and engineering, how can one rely on claimed familiarity with the systems as justification to relax the rules? The objective of this document is to provide commentary on the key elements of our electrical safety system and how they are connected and to also remind everyone that this achievement in electrical safety was not an accident, but a result of 100 years of extensive work and system development. The System An effective electrical safety system has three distinct, but interconnected components. Shown below is a graphic illustration of the system:
Installation Code Product Standards and Certification Review and Enforcement

Safe Products and Safe Installations

Each portion of the system has to be capable of meeting the diverse needs of the segments of the electrical community. The segments of concern include users, consumers, electrical contractors (designers/installers), electrical inspectors, testing laboratories, manufacturers, electrical workers (maintenance), and insurers. The system has to represent a consensus among the various segments. Not all segments will be satisfied with all elements of the system. A better level of overall acceptance and safety can be achieved by using a consensus-based approach that draws upon the expertise offered by each of the concerned segments. In order to be effective, each of the three system elements must have the following key features. Installation Codes The installation code is the key driver for the system. It provides the fundamental safety principles and installation rules that will provide a safe electrical system. The following key elements must be included in an installation code. Compatibility with Product Standards Although installation code rules are generally the driver, the development of those rules must take into account the standards requirements for products contemplated to be installed in the system. The installation code and the product standard must be compatible. This compatibility ensures that products support the safety objectives and are used and installed in a manner as contemplated by the manufacturer. It is erroneous to assume that one can simply select an electrical product built to any standard and safely install it in any system. Electrical code rules are written with the expectation that products comply with established requirements that are compatible with the code. Improper or vague code rules increase the potential for misapplication of products and the installation of incompatible system components that can lead to increased hazards for persons and property. Enforceable Prescriptive Language An installation code must be written in enforceable language with rules that clearly set out the installation parameters for a product. One key to standardization is to have everyone working from the same basic level of safety. Enforceable rules must be able to be measurable and are often necessarily prescriptive. Without this basic prescriptive level, the benefits to standardization (both economical and safety related) are lost. For years, there has been discussion of a performance-based or objective-based approach to codes. A performance-based approach makes sense for some areas of building design. Design of fire protection systems is a good example. There are sophisticated models for determining the required level of protection for various fire scenarios and use of these models can help establish the system design. However, this

type of approach does not work for determining the basic levels of electrical safety. Conductors have to be protected, disconnects have to be readily available and working space must be provided. These cannot be modeled; they are fundamental safety principles that manifest themselves in rules based on extensive experience. In addition, electrical codes have already embraced a performance design where it may be appropriate. This can best be shown by using an example from the National Electrical Code. NEC 310.15 recognizes a methodology for determining the ampacity of a conductor using the Nehr-McGrath formulas. A designer can certainly use this to determine the ampacity of a conductor in a specific application. However, that conductor has to terminate in some type of electrical device. The terminations on this device are designed to operate at a maximum temperature. This maximum temperature is established by the product standards and covers many parameters that must be considered in product design. The relationship to the product standard is critical since this is an element that cannot be modeled in the field. Selection of a conductor that is too small results in overheating of the device terminations. In order to avoid this problem, there are specific prescriptive rules that establish the minimums for the conductor sizing that are consistent with the design of the product. Product Standards and Certification Product standards establish the minimum level of safety and associated reliability for a product. Key areas for an effective product standard are as follows: Compatibility with the Installation Code Like an electrical code, product standards cannot exist in a vacuum. Product standards must be directly compatible with the electrical installation code that covers electrical products used in the electrical system. In order to properly test and certify a product there have to be established ground rules for the installation of the product. These ground rules are set forth in the form of an electrical code as outlined above. Active Development Process Product standards need to be developed with wide input and review from various electrical community segments. It is also critical that there not be multiple conflicting product standards. The best way to accomplish this objective is to process standards through a nationally recognized process that provides for wide participation of the electrical community. This wide review ensures that the product standard reflects the level of safety and the necessary infrastructure compatibility for the system within the defined scope of the standard. Designers, installers, or other users should not make the mistake of assuming that they can select a product built to any standard and expect that product to perform safely within their defined system. It is the formal review and adoption for the standards that establish them as the minimum requirements in a country. Despite their appearance and traditional use, standards are not purely technical. They reflect social objectives. They articulate what a society agrees are acceptable levels of

risk.1 This is one reason for striving for balanced membership on standards making bodies. One example of the society driving product standards requirements can be found in the area of warnings and cautions used to prevent foreseeable accidents. These are a large part of many product standards. In societies where tort law reaches into standards writing, these considerations are paramount. Support of Consistent Certification Regardless of the method of certification used, product standards must be written in a manner that allows for consistent interpretation and enforcement. Inadequate testing protocols and vague language can lead to inconsistent application and could result in missing key safety elements of a product. Furthermore, it is critical to avoid having multiple product standards that cover the same product differently within a given safety system. Multiple standards lead to inefficiencies for the manufacturer, installer, inspector and user. Review and Enforcement Most often overlooked in an effective safety system is the need to have an efficient and effective system of enforcement for compliance. Having solid electrical inspection programs that utilize qualified inspectors provides the needed controls for the system. There is a growing concern associated with the quality assurance based inspection approach. These systems rely on review of the plans and limited auditing in lieu of thorough and timely on-site inspections throughout the course of the construction. The majority of the electrical community welcomes a system of inspections that provides needed checks and balances. By contrast, taking a quality assurance approach only serves to keep the revenue from permit fees flowing without adding any value. Summary Electrical safety is not an accident. Each component (codes, product standards/certification and enforcement) is interconnected and must be coordinated to achieve the expected level of electrical safety. History has proven that a system containing all of these elements works very well. The electrical community should resist pressures to relax the uniform application of the safety system.

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