Understanding General Requirements of the NEC, Part 19

Article 110 provides general requirements for all installations. These are the ones that are codified in the NEC. But the NEC requirements are merely “adequate” [Sec. 90.2(B)(C)]. An installation that is NEC compliant can still fail an inspection by the customer. Whether that is the internal customer of a maintenance organization or the external customer of an electrical services firm, “it meets Code” may not satisfy that customer.

Remember also that the NEC covers the installation and removal of conductors, equipment, and raceways for electrical systems, signaling/communication systems, and fiber-optic systems [Sec. 90.2(A)(1)]. But a maintenance or service job may involve other types of systems, mechanical adjustments, disturbing electrical or other conductors even though they were not installed or removed as part of the job, and so on.

Consider these additional general requirements and apply them as appropriate:

• For an existing system, document its “as found” condition. Photos, written record of settings, written record of initial testing results, written summary of observations, notes on operator or owner complaint(s), and other data gathering may be necessary.
• Report any safety or environmental issue to the proper person, preferably with no delay. An oil leak (or chemical spill) is both a safety and environmental issue and thus a higher priority to address than the actual job you are doing. This may have nothing to do with the equipment per se, but it’s a general requirement of being a responsible employee.
• Record any NEC violations that you observe. If something looks like it might violate a code you are unfamiliar with (e.g., the National Plumbing Code) make a note of the anomaly and suggest that a qualified person assess it. Present these findings to the appropriate person or submit them per the standard procedure established by your company.
• Note any issues that aren’t NEC violations but may affect performance or reliability of the system. Present these findings to the appropriate person or submit them per the standard procedure established by your company.
• Inspect all safety devices related to the system or equipment you are working. Don’t be the guy who walked away from a system with a broken e-stop switch and didn’t say anything.
• Don’t get in over your head. If you encounter something you lack the training for or in some other way can’t proceed confidently, then stop. Contact your supervisor. Nobody expects you to know everything. They do expect you to ask for help when you need it.
• Document the “as left” condition, using means similar to those for the “as found” condition. If something must be left in a way that is not up to standard, then point it out and add a brief explanation.
• For new work, label everything. This is often done poorly, if at all. Sharp-looking labels that identify controls and major components are a good way to “dress” the work. In a maintenance environment, you need to maintain the labeling; this usually amounts to a quick visual inspection and a noting of anything that needs replacing.
• Always perform basic static testing after the work is complete. Do this for the system. If you replaced a motor but failed to check the oil level in the gearbox, you did not perform the basic requirements of doing a complete and professional job.
• If practical, perform functional testing. For example, if it’s a backup power system make sure you don’t just test the transfer switch and call it good. Simulate a power loss and make sure the picks up, and carries, the load.
• Leave the work area at least as clean as you found it. Dispose of detritus generated during the work, such as drive belts, old gasket scrapings, wire stripping waste, phasing tape waste, and cable tie waste. Clean up anything else you see even if it did not come from you, unless it is a major mess in which case you report it.
• Review the work with the customer contact. In a maintenance environment, this might be the equipment operator if the job you just did was a repair.