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As an attempt to encourage international trade, industry and governments in North America have adopted the strategy of basing national standards on international standards whenever possible.

Striving to achieve this goal, National Standards Development Committees in North America have actively engaged in the concurrent process of adapting or adopting International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards as their national standards, and drafting harmonized regional standards which could be used as national standards in each of the participating countries (U.S., Mexico and Canada) through the CANENA process.

Although adoption of IEC-based standards is a utilization of these standards without amendments, the adaptation process involves making national deviations which are warranted due to specific, unique requirements of the adopting country.

Members of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Technical Committee on International Standards have adopted numerous IEC Standards for use in Canada. Upon adoption, these standards become Canadian National Standards, and are referenced in the list of Safety Standards for Electrical Equipment, Appendix A, in the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC), Part I. Most of the standards adopted through this process are for self-contained, cord-connected products where there is no impact on the electrical installation codes.

The process of adopting harmonized electrical standards through the CANENA process has been successfully maintained in Canada through CSA’s participation in the CANENA Technical Harmonization Committees’ activities, related to the development of harmonized North American Electrical Safety Standards, primarily in the areas of wiring and industrial products.

CANENA, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, fosters the harmonization of electrotechnical standards within the Nations of the Americas. CANENA has established a set of guidelines, intended to facilitate an effective, efficient and objective approach to adopting harmonized standards. Furthermore, each National Standards Development Committee that is involved in harmonization, also utilizes specific criteria for their representatives involved in the process. For example, the CSA Strategic Steering Committee responsible for development of the Electrical Product Safety Standards in Canada has identified a need to provide guiding principles to Canadian representatives participating on the CANENA Technical Harmonization Committees’ (THC’s).

These principles are intended to assist the members of the CSA Technical Committees and Technical Subcommittees with the review of the harmonization process. These guiding principles will be used by the CSA Technical Committee and Subcommittee members during their review of CANENA draft standards at the development stage of the CANENA THC’s operation.

Use of this review criteria, or trigger points, will make Canadian acceptance conditions uniform, consistent and more important, transparent for all participants in the development of harmonized standards, thus expediting the overall process.

The guiding principles (trigger points) that have been recommended for use by the Canadian participants in the harmonized CANENA standards development process are as follows:

1. there is a proposed national deviation(s), particularly a Canadian deviation(s);

2. there is an incompatibility with the installation requirements of the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I;

3. there is a new marking symbol introduced which has not been previously recognized in Canada;

4. proposed requirements deviate from those in existing CSA horizontal standards; (Standards that apply to all products, such as CSA Standard C22.2 No. 0, General Requirements);

5. proposed requirements will introduce new or different requirements in Canada (e.g. new products/types, new tests, additional markings, etc.);

6. if there is an incompatibility with other national installation codes (e.g. National Building Code, Elevator Code, etc.);

7. the proposed requirements conflict with unique Canadian health and safety requirements (e.g. EMI, radiation, harmonic content, etc.);

8. the proposed wording for a definition differs between countries;

9. proposed requirements will impact other related product standards (e.g. low temperature marking requirements for wire and cable products would be applicable to more than one standard and a common marking code across all related product standards would be desirable).

These trigger points have been already used in various deliberations by the CANENA THC’s. For example, the following deliberation illustrates the process of developing a harmonized standard involving service entrance equipment (combination panelboards).

Presently CSA Standard C22.2 No. 29, Panelboards and enclosed panelboards, requires that the service switching means must be located within the service box (Clause 7.4.1.1) and that "The main switch or circuit breaker shall be located in a separate section of the enclosure with a sheet-metal barrier or the equivalent, of the same thickness as the walls of the enclosure, having bushed holes or the equivalent, for the necessary wiring between compartments" (Clause 7.4.1.2).

Respectively, the requirements for neutral assemblies is specified in Clause 7.4.5.1. This clause states, "The main neutral assembly shall be located in the service box."

The referenced requirements of this standard relate to the essential principles of electrical safety, which are mandated by the specific installation Rules of the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I as follows:

1. Definition of a "service box"

2. Rule 6-200(1) — location of a consumer’s service in a single service box

3. Rule 10-516(2) — use of a grounded service conductor for bonding of service equipment

4. Rule 14-012 — requirement for electrical equipment to have a rating sufficient to interrupt available fault currents

5. Rule 14-500 — operation of switches to prevent exposure to live parts and to limit access to authorized persons only

The scope of each CSA electrical product safety standard states that the equipment covered by the scope is intended for use in accordance with rules of the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I. In the case of C22.2 No. 29, the scope indicates that "This standard applies to panelboards… for use in accordance with the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I..."

Therefore, the referenced example demonstrates the following objective conditions that must be evaluated by the Canadian participants involved in the development of a harmonized standard that includes service entrance equipment:

1. there is no exposure to live parts and limited access to authorized persons;

2. there is ability to manually isolate circuits;

3. there is provision for use of the grounded service conductor as bonding means of service equipment and ability to maintain integrity of bonding and grounding means via the service neutral;

4. there is a provision to minimize damage of the electrical equipment located on the load side of the service disconnecting means from the impact of the available faults.

This example also shows that a transparent use of relevant trigger points would lead to a need for adaptation of the harmonized North American CANENA standard on panelboards with particular Canadian deviations that are consistent with the five essential principles of electrical safety.

Regional harmonized standards help to facilitate trade by working to eliminate or minimize the differences in product safety requirements between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. There is no doubt that the continuing, multi-faceted participation in the harmonization of standards related to electrical products and electrical installations will further enhance trade and the safe and economical use of electrical equipment throughout North America.

CSA International is an independent, not-for-profit organization supported by 9,000 members and has a network of offices in Canada, the United States and around the world. The CSA certification mark appears on more than one billion products worldwide.

CSA International is a provider of product testing and certification services for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas and a variety of other products. Recognized in Canada, the U.S. and around the world, CSA’s marks appear on over one billion products worldwide. CSA International is a division of CSA Group which consists of CSA International, the Canadian Standards Association, a developer of standards and codes, and QMI for management systems registration.

Ark Tsisserev, P.Eng, is chief electrical inspector of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Mr. Tsisserev is also a member of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), serving as chair, CSA Steering Committee on CE Code, Part I and vice-chair, CSA Steering Committee on CE Code, Part II.

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