A big change in federal construction project policy could affect electrical contractors doing that work.


As electricity becomes more integral with productivity in the workplace, power outages in facilities are becoming more unacceptable, and some federal organizations think they have identified the crux of the issue. Specifically, they say they have identified a problem with human error at points where medium-voltage cables are spliced and terminated.


As a result, the Department of Defense (DOD), U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers and the Unified Facilities Guide Specifications (UFGS) now require workers who splice the medium-voltage cables in their facilities to be certified by the National Cable Splicing Certification Board.


The National Electrical Code and other standards are designed to create guidelines that ensure cabling installations are safe and reliable, but these federal authorities cite “documented fault analysis” as revealing cabling installers do not always follow proper procedure and specifications.


The part of the UFGS that includes this change is called Division 33—Utilities, and it is available at www.ieci.org/media/media/download/1025.