The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) announced the availability of the new National Electrical Safety Code (NESC)—2012 Edition. Produced exclusively by IEEE, the NESC provides practical guidance to help safeguard employees and the public when electrical supply and communications lines are installed operated and maintained, including overhead and underground electrical supply lines, telephone or cable and TV lines, and signal and power installations for railroads.

Some of the revisions in the NESC 2012 edition include the following:

• Scope, application and definition rules were extensively revised to provide clarification improvements, particularly with respect to whether the NESC or the National Electrical Code applies in certain situations.

• Grounding rules added specificity to the methods to be used to help achieve effective grounding connections.

• Electrical supply stations rules added options for improved protection of energized parts from interference by activities outside the stations and for guarding inside the stations. The overhead general rules revised requirements for inspections and for facilities to be grounded or insulated.

• Underground rules revised the inspection rules and clarified requirements for direct-buried cables and conduits not part of a conduit system.

• Work rules added options for determining appropriate arc ratings for apparel to be worn while working on energized lines, including a new section on clothing requirements for less than 1,000 volts and added maximum clearing times allowed for specified apparel arc ratings.

• Minimum approach distances were revised to meet the requirements of IEEE 516-2009 and revised specification for the location of employee protective grounds.

Full details of the revisions made in the 2012 edition can be found at http://standards.ieee.org/about/nesc/2012.html.