Very few us enjoy reading dry definitions. Consequently, person A says one thing, and person B hears another. Most people won’t look up a word unless they feel they don’t know the meaning. The problem there is people often misuse words and misinterpret the words used by others because they don’t know what they don’t know.
For example, it’s common to say or write something like, “Those two colors compliment each other.” But a compliment is something one person gives another, and colors can’t give compliments. Colors can, however, complement each other. These words sound alike, but their meanings are not related.
Article 100 of NFPA 70E provides definitions of words used in the standard. As you’re reading the standard, you may come across a word, and think it means something other than what the authors intended. As you’re reading, your brain might slip in a definition that isn’t the right one. And you would never know. The problem is this could prove fatal.
That’s one reason the definitions are up front in Article 100 rather than in an appendix in the back. The definitions are provided not for your convenience should you need to look up a word while applying the standard, but as a foundation so you don’t have to look up a word while applying the standard.
There’s a big difference, for example, between “fault current” and “available fault current.” If there’s no problem with the circuit, you don’t really care about that circuit’s fault current because it exists only during a short-circuit condition. But you do care about the available fault current; you need to know this so you can implement the proper protection before a short-circuit condition arises. Also, confusing the grounded conductor with the grounding conductor can make for a rather unpleasant day.
You realize the importance of knowing the definitions in NFPA 70E, but you’d rather get a root canal than sit down and read them. Fair enough. A good approach is to break that task down into chunks you can handle. And then handle a chunk every day, preferably by scheduling this in your calendar app. It helps to read related definitions, so if you start at the top of the list you will see the first three are all some variation of “accessible.” The next three are some variation of “arc,” and the seventh has no variation.
Keep going this way, and you’ll familiarize yourself with all the definitions in less than a month. When you get to the end, you probably won’t remember all of the definitions. But you will have read them and that decreases the probability of “knowing” the wrong thing. It’s a good idea to repeat this exercise periodically.
About the Author
Mark Lamendola
Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.
Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.
Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.