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    70 IAEI NEWS November.December 2006 www.iaei.org

    the value of electrical inspection

    70 IAEI NEWSJuly.August 2006 www.iaei.org

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    www.iaei.org November.December 2006 IAEI NEWS 71

    the value of electrical inspection

    by Michael J. Johnston

    here is signicant intangible value in many o thethings we take or granted. For example, essentialresources such as the air we breathe and the water

    we drink and use are oten taken or granted. Societyexpects these lie essentials to be sae, and not muchthought is given to how sae they really are. Only whenan identied problem suraces, do people get concernedand ear sets in. Te electrical power and lighting thatpowers society has become a resource that is taken orgranted. People generally dont think twice about theelectricity they use until it is not available. Ten its lack

    of

    ElectricalInspection

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    ValueValuehe

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    is inconvenient and creates challenges they are not usedto. Te coee has to be brewed in the morning and theV has to work in the evening, not to mention mealsthat have to be cooked and laundry that must be washedand dried. Society just expects things to work. Another

    expectation is that the electrical system within theirdwelling or place o business is sae.

    Why Is It Sae?Did you ever wonder how sae an electrical system re-ally is? Tink about the dwelling where you live and thebusiness where you work. Electrical wiring is oten bur-ied within the hollow, inac-cessible construction o thestructure, so it would be di-cult to detect deterioration

    o the electrical wiring. Mostpeople just assume it is sae.Out o sight, out o mind,so to speak, so the questionarises, how sae is the electri-cal system, and what are thereasons it is sae? What im-pact would it have i it werenot sae? Could the buildingbe subject to re? Could theresidents or building occu-pants be subject to electrical

    shock or even electrocution?Te answer is, when electric-ity is in the mix, all o theseevents are possible. So whatmakes our electrical systemssae? Tey are sae becauseo qualied persons install-ing and qualied electricalinspectors veriying that minimum requirements are metor installations that are essentially ree o electrical haz-ards. Tis article looks at the value o qualied electrical

    workers, and specically the value o qualied electricalinspectors and the unseen job they perorm on a dailybasis so an expecting society can live saely.

    Qualifed Electrical Work ForceWorking in the electrical eld requires training, andlots o it. Te uniqueness and intricacies o the electri-cal eld warrant extensive training initially or one tobecome a qualied and competent industry proessionaland require continuing education. Many states and lo-cal jurisdictions have laws that require these qualied

    workers to be licensed and to maintain their licensesthrough continuing education. Tis is essential becausethe electrical eld is so dynamic. New technologies,methods, and products are constantly being introducedand installed. Not only do qualied electrical workers

    need to stay inormed and trained in current technolo-gies and applications, electrical inspectors really do too.Staying current is an essential part o their jobs.

    Unsung Heroes Te Electrical InspectorsTe responsibilities o a building saety inspector are enor-mous, especially so or an electrical inspector. Te value

    o what they do is an intan-gible, necessary benet to so-ciety. People not only expectthe electrical wiring to work,

    they expect it to never ail,and they denitely expect itto be sae. Te services pro-

    vided by electrical inspectorscan be compared to otherproessions that relate to sae-ty, such as re department

    workers, police departmentworkers, and medical work-ers. Te dierence is thatthese aorementioned heroesare very visible to the general

    public. Te services o build-ing saety inspectors are nototen visible to the public,but the resulting installationand service it provides is.

    Te ResponsibilitiesIts a tough job, but someone

    has to do it. Does that phrase sound amiliar? Tink aboutthe responsibilities o a police ofcer, a reman, or a doctor.Te saety services they provide help protect people and

    save lives. Te services they provide are based on needs ata point in time. When people become ill, they seek theservices o medical personnel. I a building catches re, there department will respond, hopeully, in time to savethe lives and the building i possible. Te police ofcer re-sponds to speeding vehicles, crimes being committed, andother actions requiring intervention o law enorcement.

    All o these services are associated with the saety o society,but are provided in a reactionary ashion or the most part.In comparison, the unsung heroesthe electrical inspec-torsurnish services that proactively provide environ-

    Photo 2. Generator paralleling equipment

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    ments sae rom the hazards o electricity which can injureor kill people just as quickly as do re or crimes. Electricalinspectors can prevent the smoke rom happening, yet theynever get much credit. In act, electrical inspectors usu-ally get negative attention because o the job they must do,such as sometimes rejecting an installation, which is notnecessarily the popular thing. So the inspector oten gets a

    bad rap or doing a good job.

    Benefts o Electrical InspectionAlthough construction code inspectors are oten viewedas a necessary evil, there are signicant benets o aquality inspection program. Tis article is built aroundthe value o electrical inspection. When one takes aclose look at the value o electrical inspection, a ewthings come to mind. One value is the peace o mindthat comes rom knowing an electrical system is essen-tially ree rom hazards because it was inspected. Formany, this is the most important value, but the business

    o electrical code enorcement provides other monetaryvalues. It might not be viewed as an economic value oradvantage, but in the bigger scheme o business, a goodelectrical inspection and building saety program canresult in signicant value or consumers. Te InsuranceServices Organization (ISO) is concerned with providingaccurate assessments o the services jurisdictions providethat result in saer buildings. Where inspection depart-ments are providing quality and sufcient building saetyinspection and plan review services, those jurisdictionsare awarded a rating that can oten result in lower insur-

    ance rates. Sounds like a pretty good value, saety, peaceo mind, and lower insurance rates. What are the ISO rat-ings awarded to the jurisdiction in your area? Tese canbe a good indication o whether public saety is decientand in need o improvements. Te ortunate aspect oknowing this inormation and understanding its impactis that jurisdictions can become proactive so the services

    they continue to justiy provide the desired results.Another intangible value that electrical inspectorsprovide is the contribution to the electrical Codedevel-opment process. Te electrical inspector is representedon each NECcode-making panel. Te value they pro-

    vide is asserting the voice o code enorcement in thisprocess to assure that the saety rules produced in eachnew edition are practical, understandable, and, mostimportantly, enorceable. Te International Associationo Electrical Inspectors is committed to supporting thisCodedevelopment process or these reasons and to pro-moting electrical saety through uniorm application

    and understanding o the electrical codes and standards.Electrical inspectors also provide value to the productsaety standards development through their contribu-tions on the standards technical panels and the ULElectrical Council. Te electrical inspector providesdiligent service to the industry in these two areas, but itall happens out o the limelight. Te recognition is notimportant, the service is. Tat is why they unselshlygive their time and expertise to this segment o the elec-trical industry. Electrical inspectors are teachers as well.Te job they perorm usually results in learning.

    Photo 3. Installers work to achieve code-compliance; inspectors verify it.

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    Te Electrical Saety SystemFrom the beginning, the quest to understand and useelectricity has been an adventure. Lives have been lost,injuries sustained, and buildings have burned. Not longater electricity was discovered and rened to a usable

    status, society was provided with signicant evidence oits orce and how dangerous and even lethal it can be

    when not installed and used properly. Insurance com-panies recognized early on that regulation o electricalinstallations and the use o electricity were necessary orsaety o persons and property. Insurance companiesplayed an important role in the initial development othe National Electrical Codewe use today. Te North

    American Electrical Saety system has had an unprece-dented role in developing necessary codes and standardsrelating to the sae electrical installations. Sae electrical

    installations o today resulted rom years o experienceand knowledge gained by unortunate events that led tolosses. Tis is the harsh reality o this powerul orce, thatsociety views complacently. Te electrical industry has along history o establishing an unprecedented electricalsaety system that is every bit as eective and necessarytoday as it was in the past. In many cases even more so,as a result o todays more complex, intricate electricalpower systems and their diverse use. Te saety aordedby regulation cannot be taken or granted at all.

    Te electrical saety system is the reason society can

    live and unction in an electrically sae environment.Some essential elements that make up the electrical sae-ty system that provides this protection are the qualiedelectrical testing laboratories, manuacturers, a quali-ed electrical work orce, and quality electrical inspec-tion o installations, equipment and systems. Each othese entities plays an important role in the saety we areaorded. Without a doubt, sae electrical installationsare the result o each o these entities ullling its rolein the electrical industry. Without all o them workingor the same objectives, saety can be, and oten is, com-

    promised. Its something to really consider when askingquestions such as how sae is an electrical installation?

    What are the contributing actors that ensure it is sae?

    Te Role o ManuacturersHow do electrical product and equipment manuactur-ers contribute to the electrical saety system? By build-ing quality products that meet or exceed the minimumelectrical product saety standards that have been de-

    veloped and established through research and experi-ence. ime has provided the opportunity to invent and

    develop electrical products and equipment and otenthrough the school o hard knocks, electrical saetylessons were learned. Its a shame that lives had to belost, injuries sustained, and properties damaged or lostalong the way, but that is the nature o this powerul

    orce. Electrical equipment manuacturers have cometo depend on the established electrical saety system orthe success o their business. By manuacturing equip-ment to meet or exceed minimum electrical standards,there are reasonable assurances that it will provide thelevel o service anticipated by a wealth o continuousindustry needs. By having electrical products evaluat-ed and tested to developed standards, their products be-come very marketable in an electrical industry that cre-ates such demand. Tese manuacturers nd comort inthe third party evaluation and testing and product cer-tication process because they understand how valuableit is rom a liability, marketing, and saety standpoint. Itstands to reason that our electrical saety system is verydependant on electrical equipment manuacturers ul-lling their role in producing and certiying productsthat will meet the minimum standards or saety whileproviding a supply to the electrical industry.

    Te Role o Saety StandardsDevelopment OrganizationsDid you ever wonder what is behind an electrical productcertication mark such as UL, CSA, EL, ME, UV,

    or others? Tese marks o electrical products serve as anindicator to the electrical industry and society that a prod-uct meets the saety criteria or which it is intended. Tereare many qualied electrical testing laboratories in theindustry today. It has become big business, and rightly so,

    with the ever-expanding use o electrical energy. Te roleo the qualied electrical testing laboratory is to deter-mine that electrical products are essentially sae by veriy-ing they meet the minimum requirements in establishedelectrical saety standards. Tis awards an electrical man-uacturer with recognition as a qualiying contributor to

    electrical saety. Te qualied electrical testing laborato-ries play an important role in the electrical saety systembecause their work provides the electrical code enorce-ment community with a strong basis or their approvals.

    When inspectors are aced with equipment that does notbear such a mark indicating it meets electrical saety cri-teria and standards, the approval process is more difcult.Many authorities having jurisdiction base their approvalson the use o equipment that has been saety evaluated bya qualied electrical testing organization, such as thosementioned above. Tis is an essential part o the electrical

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    about the electrical eld understand the hazards electric-ity can bring to persons and property i it is not properlyinstalled. Inspectors have a serious responsibility and theconsequences o not ullling those obligations can besevere. So how important is the role o electrical inspector

    to the electrical saety system? It is extremely important,yet immeasurable. No one can place a dollar amount onthe value o the job the inspector does; but examine themany cases where saety is not put rst and the results areproperty losses and injuries and death. How essential arethe services provided by electrical and other constructioncode inspectors? Te answer rests with the consumer. Tepublic wants electrical systems to provide quality service

    without interruption, and they just expect it to be sae.Tereore, the role and services o the electrical inspectorare equally as essential as the visible services and work othe re and rescue teams and the law enorcement de-partments. Tey are unsung heroes and their work is asessential today as it was back in time when society rststarted working with this powerul orce.

    IAEI Focus on Electrical SaetyIAEI is committed to electrical saety and the role o theelectrical inspector and has been since long beore the o-cial establishment o the organization. IAEI continuesto promote the uniorm understanding and applicationo electrical codes and standards to installations and sys-tems. Tis is an essential element o the electrical saety

    system. Te ocus o IAEI has always been on saety, andthe value o the electrical inspector has always been inthe interest o the association. Our industry would not be

    where it is today, nor would it be as sae, i it were not orthe electrical inspectors and the job they do. Althoughthe electrical inspector might not have the ront page pub-licity o police ofcers, reghters, and other emergencyresponse team personnel, they are truly equally as valu-able because their work is proactively resulting in electri-cal saety or society in general and, more specically, oramilies and the way o lie weve come to expect.

    Tese dedicated members o the electrical eld dont ex-pect recognition or what they do; they have chosen this ca-reer path because in their hearts they know and understandthe importance and the need. Electrical code enorcementofcials are necessary and the value they provide to societyis more than just evident, it is undeniably essential.

    Michael J. Johnston is IAEIs director o education, codes andstandards and an IAEI principal member on CMP-5. Johnstonwas ormerly employed as an electrical feld inspections supervisoror the city o Phoenix, Arizona. He is ul ly certifed in many ar-eas. He is a member o the IBEW. He achieved both journeymanE-2 and master electrician E-1 licenses in the state o Connecticut.

    Additionally, he holds all IAEI certifcations . He also hold s ICCElectrical Inspections Certifcation. He is a member o the UL Electrical Council.

    saety system and is the common inspector approval cri-teria utilized where approvals o electrical equipment andinstallations are sought. From the beginning o electricalhistory, product saety evaluation and testing has beenthere and has seen the growth and demands paralleled inthis industry. It is logical that the electrical saety systemdepends on the continuous contributions and services

    provided by qualied electrical testing laboratories andstandards writing bodies.

    Te Role o Inspectors and Inspection JurisdictionsBeing involved in electrical inspection and promotingelectrical saety through quality code enorcement is anoble proession. Many o the qualied electrical in-spectors in the business today have evolved rom beingqualied electrical workers to becoming qualied elec-trical inspectors. Teir contributions to the electricalsaety that society enjoys today are taken or grantedand expected.

    Tere is no room or complacency when it comesto sae electrical installations. Te role o the inspectoris vital to the industry and as this industry progressesto include more and more advanced technologies andmethods o electrical power distribution, the impor-tance o the electrical inspector and his or her role aresel-evident.

    Te responsibilities o electrical inspectors are o-cused on saety. Tats why they have chosen that careerpath. Te service they contribute helps people. It is im-portant to recognize that those that are knowledgeable

    Photo 4. Violations are evident to inspectors.