Hazardous (classified) locations are covered by the National Electrical Code in articles 500 through 516. Any equipment installed in such an area must be protected using one of the protection methods in sections 500.7 or 505.8, such as the intrinsically safe (IS) protection method provided in 500.7(E) and 505.8(C). How well do you understand these protection methods?

Most fire alarms must be monitored to be code compliant. How well do you know the requirements for supervising station alarm systems? Take this quiz and test your knowledge.

How well do you know the requirements for emergency communications systems based on the 2025 NFPA 72? Take this quiz and test your knowledge. 

Chapter 2 of the National Electrical Code addresses wiring and protection and includes electrical grounding and bonding requirements. While many electrical systems today under 1,000V require grounding, there are a few justified reasons it is prohibited. In these cases, installing and operating the system ungrounded provides additional or increased protection. Ungrounded electrical systems provide a greater level of assurances of continuity of electrical power, even during a first, phase-to-ground fault event. 

Numbers help us understand things. They tell us how big something is, how far away it is, how much time passes and a bunch more. Let’s explore the numbers for fiber optics.

How well do you know the 2023 National Electrical Code requirements for fire alarm wiring? Take this quiz and test your skills.

What is the best code-compliant way to test each of these items on a periodic test? Take this quiz to check your knowledge. 

The success of a fiber optic project depends on having a proper design and effective project management. How well do you know what is needed to manage a project?

General requirements are provided in Chapter 1 of the National Electrical Code, specifically Article 110. In Section 90.2(A), the NEC’s purpose is clearly protection of people and property from hazards arising from electricity use. There are a few Code rules and informational notes that directly relate to the general requirements provided in Section 110.10. Let’s test how well you understand these requirements and how they work. 

How well do you know the NFPA 72-2025 requirements for emergency control function interfaces? Take this quiz and test your knowledge. 

Fiber optics dominates communications networks today, building on 50 years of research and development. What have been the technological advances in fiber optics since its inception? 

How well do you understand the fire alarm fundamental requirements in the 2025 edition of NFPA 72? Take this quiz and test your knowledge. 

The National Electrical Code generally does not provide minimum or maximum heights for equipment. However, one exception is circuit breakers and switches containing fuses. Additionally, the Code contains information about ADA standards for accessible designs, which addresses equipment heights and may be mandated by other codes and standards, but not by the NEC. Dedicated space for electrical installations is addressed in Section 110.26(E). 

Fiber has taken off and network speeds have grown. Over the course of history, local area networks (LANs) have used a variety of cable types for bandwidth capability. How well do you know the evolution of LAN cabling? 

The National Electrical Code, NFPA 70E and NFPA 70B all correlate. There are rules in each that address equipment disconnecting means, which are a safety requirement. Part IX of NEC Article 430 addresses disconnecting means location, types of disconnects, capacity and group installations served by a single disconnecting means. Generally, the disconnecting means must disconnect the motor(s) and motor controller(s) from the circuit. 

How well do you know the NFPA 72-2025 requirements for radiant energy detectors? Take this quiz and test your knowledge. 

Outside plant (OSP) fiber optic construction has potential hazards that require special procedures. Techs may be working near heavy equipment and traffic, climbing poles or digging trenches. How familiar are you with the safety issues in OSP construction?

Signal transmission requirements have changed extensively in the last few code cycles. How well do you know the requirements for circuits and pathways based on the 2022 edition of NFPA 72? 

Although residential, commercial and industrial occupancies have traditionally been supplied by only one service, these days there are an increasing number of power sources present at these buildings and structures. Each occupancy served by a utility is required to have a service disconnecting means intended to cut off the utility power from the premises. The National Electrical Code has requirements specific to service disconnects, including essential rules addressing the number of services supplying a building. 

One of the most important aspects of a fiber optic project, from concept to operation, is cost. Proper concepts and decisions can make a big difference in costs. Let’s test your fiber optic financial knowledge.