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I am involved in discussions with contractors and the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) all the time about issues with the Code. Generally, someone is looking for you to back their position on a certain subject and will begin a sentence such as, “Wouldn’t you agree with me….?” That statement is fraught with misgivings and already sets the stage that they are intending for you to agree with them. They are not interested in the true intent of the code, just to get you to agree with their standpoint.
Flying by the seat of your pants when it comes to safety is not a good idea. A good safety plan can add value to your inspection program.
Lately, the electrical industry in Canada has been buzzing about newly developed CSA standard Z462 which covers requirements for workplace electrical safety. There are many in the industry who feel that this standard will impact on electrical work done under provisions of the CE Code, and that this standard will immediately affect electrical contractors involved [...]
Maintaining positive and effective working relations is essential in business and the electrical trade. We are often asked by electrical contractors, installers, and the public how to get along with local electrical inspectors. Sometimes it’s not easy (smile). This article is based on one electrical inspector’s point of view—a viewpoint believed to be shared by [...]
What does the term electrical safety really mean? Stop reading for a moment and think about what electrical safety means to you. The hazards are electrical shock, arc-flash and arc-blast. Electrical safety is achieved by taking all of the necessary steps to provide our homes with safe electrical systems and by ensuring that everyone goes [...]
Hazard-based product safety standards are now under development, and this hazard-based approach is likely soon to affect other product/equipment safety standards as well as installation codes. What is this hazard-based approach? How could it impact safety standards for equipment and installations? Are there relevant applications in electrical safety and practical examples for electric shock and [...]
Empirical data indicates that around 80 percent of all electrical interruptions are attributable to ground faults that are a result of an unintentional connection between system conductors and ground. The term grounding is commonly used in the electrical industry to mean both “”equipment grounding”” and “system grounding.” System grounding means the intentional connection of a [...]
It seems that many people do not take electricity and the associated hazards seriously enough. As the use of this great power has expanded into everyone’s daily life, electrical safety in the home and workplace is expected and taken for granted. People have come to expect electricity to work without interruption and have taken comfort [...]
There are many elements to electrical safety in the workplace. The entire process for each company is ultimately the responsibility of several key people or groups of people who will be involved at different times. First, there is the owner who needs certain things to happen, in an organized manner, including everything that will need [...]
During your career as an electrical inspector, have you ever received a shock while inspecting? Have you ever accidentally faulted a circuit between phases or to ground? Have you ever tripped over something on the floor in a construction site because your attention was focused elsewhere? Most inspectors who have been “in the business” for [...]
