The IEEE Standards Association has released the 2017 National Electrical Safety Code (NESC). The NESC is the authoritative code for ensuring the continued practical safeguarding of persons and utility facilities during the installation, operation and maintenance of electric supply and communication facilities.
Some impactful changes to the code include revised requirements for substation impenetrable fences, required consideration of Aeolian vibration for conductors, changes to accommodate new industry insulator ratings, as well as revisions to the rules in Part 4 that align with changes made to 29 CFR by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Information on updates to the code can be found on the NESC homepage and subscribers can now view the code in the IEEE Xplore digital library.
“The NESC celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2015. Today we are anticipating and addressing new technologies impacting electrical safety requirements in order to keep the code current and relevant. There is also a concerted effort to make the code more logical and useful for up-and-coming engineering graduates,” said Nelson G. Bingel III, chair, NESC. “Increased exposure to the NESC will be driven by the new NESC mobile app, online learning courses and annual national events, encouraging a broader level of participation to improve the code — a movement I look to support through my leadership role over the next code cycle.”
An upcoming NESC Workshop is scheduled for Oct. 18-19, 2016 in San Antonio, Texas. A review of the changes in all sections of the code will be presented on the first morning. Additional segments will discuss renewable energy generation, microgrids, distributed energy resources, and interconnection as new technologies to be considered for future iterations of the code. Registration for the NESC Workshop is open now.
