Futuristic smart cities have been envisioned for years. TV shows from the last century predicted amazing technological leaps. “Lost in Space,” an early 1960s sci-fi show, forecast interplanetary travel in 1997. It also...
When I was first involved with the NEC , there were several ad hoc subcommittees. Some were assigned a very specific task to meet over lunch or in the evenings during a committee meeting. Others met between the panel meetings...
The last twenty years of the 20th century were filled with excitement and anticipation about what would happen in the century ahead. It would not be a normal change because we were entering a new millennium, and there were...
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Kodak, then the largest manufacturer of film and cameras, began a product promotion with a series of Christmas-themed advertisements with the tagline “Open me first.” The ad encouraged...
As I write this, the country is easing its way out of lockdown. It has been an extraordinary time, but not in a good way, because right now we don’t know when things will get back to the new normal. Much of our lives has been...
I recently received a message on LinkedIn from an attorney. That always gets my attention. Many consultants gravitate toward special expert witness work, but I have no interest in it. In court, your client’s attorney will try...
Fuses and circuit breakers protect lives and property from damage during electrical faults. The most common hazards include overload and short circuits. Some also protect against ground faults—whether they are ground-fault...
The winter of 1975 was pivotal for the electrical industry. Two major fires within a month reminded the industry of how fires in combustible cable insulation can have catastrophic results. Neither of the fires occurred in an...
In my columns on hazardous locations, I didn’t get around to equipment. Hazardous location classification provides opportunities to practice ingenuity in design. First, some background information from NFPA’s National...
As I finish my last of 10 cycles as Secretary of the NEC, I marvel at the changes during the nearly 40 years of my involvement. We have seen numerous new technologies, from electric vehicles to solar photovoltaic systems to...
In last month’s column, I introduced the traditional approach to hazardous locations. This month, I discuss hazardous materials grouping with some specific occupancy requirements, and I compare the traditional way of...
My 40-year career using the National Electrical Code (NEC) began in an unusual place, toward the center of the Code book, specifically Chapter 5. I began that phase of my career working for the research arm of a large...
Does the National Electrical Code (NEC) stand in the way of implementing new technology? In the words of Michael Johnston, chair of the NEC Correlating Committee, “The NEC’s purpose is to ensure the safe but sound...
A few years ago, I had a long discussion with an official from a government agency about emergency generators. He referred to small, portable generators as emergency generators. When I explained the difference, he insisted...
This column completes last month’s discussion on the history of working space requirements in the National Electrical Code (NEC) . Now, it is time to look to the more recent past and even into the future. 2002 Code Section...
The words in this headline opened every episode of the original Star Trek, along with some of the movies. Lately, when I hear those words, I think of Section 110.26 of the National Electrical Code (NEC) . Space in buildings...
