Jim Pauley

Jim Pauley is vice president, industry and government relations, for the Schneider Electric North American Operating Division. He is an electrical engineer and a registered professional engineer.

Articles

Where a Successful Installation Begins and Ends: Understanding NEC rules about wire temperature ratings, terminations

Most electrical inspectors are aware that confusion about wire temperature ratings and equipment termination temperature requirements will likely result in a rejected installation. Information about this topic can be found in the National Electrical Code (NEC), testing agency directories, product testing standards and manufacturers’ literature, but many electrical system installers and designers typically do not consult these resources until after their installation has been rejected.
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2009

The Challenge of Increasing Electrical Safety, Part 3

The common thread throughout the first two articles in this series has been the need for electrical inspectors to be armed with the facts to counter challenges to electrical safety. Knowing the facts better enables inspectors to perform high-quality inspections that benefit the installer or electrical contractor, end users and the local jurisdiction.
MAY-JUNE 2009

The Challenge of Increasing Electrical Safety, Part 2

Is an electrical inspection in your area viewed as a public safety activity that is respected without compromise? Are the inspection services offered in your area properly funded, or are they under scrutiny for budget cutting? Do the inspectors in your area meet a rigorous set of qualifications and continuing education requirements? Is an inspection viewed as necessary to ensure the benefits of public safety, or merely an "activity required by law”?
MARCH-APRIL 2009

The Challenge of Increasing Electrical Safety, Part 1

Municipalities across the nation have faced unprecedented difficulties adopting the new 2008 National Electrical Code® (NEC®), from the National Fire Protection Association, Inc. (NFPA). In fact, national associations have launched public relations and political offensives to halt or slow adoption primarily due to claims that the new code will significantly increase the cost to build...
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009

Electrical Safety: Why Inspections Matter

Businesses are under more pressure than ever to improve bottom-line performance. But it’s a misconception to think that removing the cost of electrical compliance will create "real” savings. The short-term cost benefits will be quickly outweighed when the lack of compliance creates a tragedy.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2007

The Challenge to Having Global Codes and Standards

There has been an increasing emphasis in recent decades to achieve international codes and standards for electrical installations and products. Although the bene-fits of unified documents and products worldwide seem obvious, the migration to such internationalization requires management that considers regional differences of elements such as: the presently installed base, practices used in construction, infrastructure and expectations of users.
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2005

AFCI Testers – Not Really

The electrical industry has always had a fascination with testers. There are testers for GFCIs, voltage drop, circuit polarity, circuit continuity and now the latest addition—the arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) tester.
MAY-JUNE 2005

ANSI: What Is It and What Does It Do?

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) — Most in the electrical industry have heard of it, but do you really know what it does? ANSI does not develop standards. Rather, it helps to facilitate the development of standards by establishing the guidelines for consensus, due process and openness. Read on to learn more about this critical element of the US Standards System.
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2000

CE Marking – Is the Inspector Being Fooled?

Inspectors play a key role in the implementation of the North American Safety System and the job is not easy. In addition to being the enforcer of the electrical installation code, the inspector must also determine if electrical products are acceptable for use. To do this, the inspector typically relies on some method of conformity assessment. Recently, there has been a significant increase in questions from inspectors about CE Marking and its acceptability as a method of conformity assessment in North America. Typical questions include… What is CE? Is it like UL? Who is CE? Am I supposed to be accepting CE? The material in this paper is intended to shed some light on such questions.
MAY-JUNE 2000

Wire Temperature Ratings and Terminations

Many electrical inspectors can tell you that confusion about wire temperature ratings and equipment termination temperature requirements results in their rejecting installations. Information about this topic can be found in the National Electrical Code (NEC), testing agency directories, product testing standards, and manufacturers’ literature, but many people do not consult these sources until it is too late.
MARCH-APRIL 2000