Basic Requirements for Electrical Installations

Mar 19, 2014Mike Holt | Electrical Construction and Maintenance

The rules in Art. 110 aren’t difficult to interpret, so why are Code violations so common?

Article 110 contains some of the most important but neglected parts of the
Code. It also answers these basic questions:

• How should conductors be terminated?

• What kinds of warnings, markings, and identification does an installation require?

• How much working clearance is enough?

It also covers the general requirements for the examination and approval, installation and
use, access to, and spaces about electrical equipment. In addition, it lists general
requirements for enclosures intended for personnel entry (manholes, vaults, and tunnels).

Goes without saying

After the statement of scope, the next nine sections provide requirements that may seem
like common sense. For example, it seems unnecessary for the Code to explicitly state your
installation must be free from short circuits, but it does [110.7].

Make sure you understand the implications of the “common sense” requirements, rather
than gloss over them. For example, actually complying with the “free from short circuits”
requirement may require testing in the field.

Short circuit current

Available short circuit current is the current available at a given point in the electrical
system. It’s different at each point — the highest at the electric utility transformer and
lowest at branch circuit loads.

Electrical equipment must have a short circuit current rating that permits the circuit
protective device to open from a short circuit or ground fault without extensive damage to
the equipment [110.10]. To meet these requirements, use equipment listed for the
application.
Execution

Under the heading “Mechanical Execution of Work,” the Code requires installing equipment
in a neat and workmanlike manner [110.12]. EC&M’s “Code Violations” department often
shows installations so sloppy that “execution” seems an appropriate penalty for the installer.
But your work doesn’t have to be that bad to violate the intent of this section.

How can you understand and apply accepted industry practices when 110.12 provides only a
few details on what’s expected? A good resource is ANSI/NECA 1, “Standard Practices for
Good Workmanship in Electrical Construction.”

Electrical equipment must be firmly secured to the surface on which it’s mounted [110.13].
This is obviously part of workmanlike execution, but the Code provides this and other
mounting requirements separately from 110.12 (see 314.23 for similar requirements for
boxes]. It also does that with requirements for conductor terminal and splicing devices
[110.14], providing nearly a whole page of requirements.

Fig. 1. A high-leg conductor must be identified at each connection point where the neutral conductor is present.

High-leg
On a 4-wire, delta-connected, 3-phase system, where the midpoint of one phase
winding of the secondary is grounded, you have a high-leg system. The conductor
with 208V to ground must be durably and permanently marked by an outer finish orange in
color (or other effective means) [110.15]. Place this identification at each connection point
where the neutral conductor is present [230.56] (Fig. 1).

The Code provides other important rules relating to the high leg. For example, consider
panelboards. Units supplied by a 4-wire, delta-connected, 3-phase system must have the
high-leg conductor terminate to the “B” phase of a panelboard [408.3(E)].

Arc flash hazard warning

Previous versions of the Code required manufacturer-applied arc-flash warnings on certain

equipment [110.21(A)]. New with the 2014 Code is an additional requirement for field-
applied warnings [110.21(B)]. Where caution, warning, or danger signs or labels are
required, the labels must meet the following:

1) The markings must use words, colors, or symbols that effectively warn personnel.Note:
ANSI Z535.4, “Product Safety Signs and Labels,” provides guidelines for the design and
durability of signs and labels.

2) The label can’t be handwritten and must be permanently affixed to the equipment.
Exception: Labels that contain information that’s likely to change can be handwritten, if
legible.

3) The marking must be of sufficient durability to withstand the environment involved.

Mark Disconnects

Each disconnecting means must be legibly marked to indicate its purpose unless located and
arranged so the purpose is evident [110.22]. The marking must be of sufficient durability to
withstand the environment, as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2. Labeling is a key requirement of the NEC.

Where the Code requires that a disconnecting means is lockable in the open position, the
provisions for locking must remain in place whether the lock is installed or not [110.25]
(Fig. 3).
Fig. 3. Locking requirements for disconnects can be found in Sec. 110.25 of the NEC.

Exception: Locking provisions for cord- and plug-connected equipment don’t need to
remain in place without the lock installed.

Tested series-rated installations must be legibly field-marked per 240.86(B) and 110.21(B)
to indicate the equipment has been applied with a series combination rating.

Available fault current

Service equipment in other than dwelling units must be legibly field-marked with the
maximum available fault current (including the date the fault current calculation was
performed) and be of sufficient durability to withstand the environment 110.24(A), as
shown in Fig. 4.
Fig. 4. These marking requirements are to meet compliance with Secs. 110.9 and 110.10.

If modifications might affect the available fault current at the service, recalculate and
remark [110.24(B)].

The markings required here are for compliance with 110.9 and 110.10. They’re not for arc
flash analysis. Arc flash hazard information is available in NFPA 70E, “Standard for
Electrical Safety in the Workplace.”

Part II and beyond

The preceding requirements apply to all electrical installations. Part II of Art. 110 provides
more requirements, but only for systems 600V or less. Part III provides more requirements,
but only for systems greater than 600V. Part V covers tunnel installations over 600V. Part V
covers manholes. Going forward, we’ll look only at Part II.
Space: A Constant Frontier

Due to widespread misunderstanding, meeting the equipment space requirements is a

constant struggle at many facilities. One commonly overlooked fact is that the NEC rules on
space aren’t recommendations. They are federal law. OSHA uses the NEC text and tables
almost verbatim. Violations can result in far more than a warning from the AHJ.

A commonly accepted myth is that if you have exactly 3 ft of space in front of a panel (after
moving boxes and crates away), the installation is legal. The Code has many other space
requirements, and an installation could be deficient even with 4 ft of space in front of a
panel. In addition, those boxes and crates aren’t permitted; OSHA regulations plainly state
these spaces “shall not be used for storage” [29 CFR 1926.403(i)(1)(ii)].

Equipment that people might need to work on must have access and must have adequate
working space around it [110.26]. The NEC provides minimum distances in Table
110.26(A)(1).

For most installations, you can use these figures and have no issue with the AHJ or the
OSHA inspector. But examine the installation for complicating factors that call for
exceeding these distances. For example, the width of the equipment may be reason to go
beyond the table value [110.26(A)(2)].

If facility management resists increasing these limits, refer them to 29 CFR 1926.403
(OSHA’s electrical space requirements).
Fig. 5. The Code doesn’t mandate excess space; it mandates adequate space for doing the work.

As you go about figuring out how much space needs to be where, account for such things as
the fact that working space isn’t required for the back or sides of assemblies where all
connections and all renewable or adjustable parts are accessible from the front
[110.26(A)(1)(a)], as shown in Fig. 5. The Code doesn’t mandate excess space; it mandates
adequate space for doing the work.

Entrance and egress requirements also apply. For example, you must have an entrance to
and egress from each end of the working space of electrical equipment rated 1,200A (or
more) that’s more than 6 ft wide. The opening must be at least 24 in. wide and 6½ ft high
[110.26(C)(2)], as shown in Fig. 6.
Fig. 6. For equipment rated 1,200A or more and more than 6 ft wide, an entrance to and egress from (2 ft wide by 6½
ft wide) is required at each end of the working space.

Note also that switchboards, panelboards, and motor control centers must have dedicated
equipment space [110.26(E)]. Different rules apply to indoor installations versus outdoor
ones.

Let there be light

Service equipment, switchboards, panelboards, and motor control centers located indoors
must have illumination. And it can’t be controlled by automatic means only [110.026(D)].
The NEC doesn’t specify how much light is adequate, so apply common sense. If in doubt,
err on the side of too much light.

Guarding

Live parts of electrical equipment operating at 50V or more must be guarded against
accidental contact [110.27(A)], which can be done by:

1) Locating them in a separate room, vault, or enclosure.

2) Guarding them with a partition or screen.

3) Locating them on a balcony or platform.

4) Elevating them above the floor or working surface (8 ft for 50V through 300V, 8½ ft for
301V through 600V).

Entrances to rooms and other guarded locations containing exposed live parts must be
marked with conspicuous signs forbidding unqualified persons from entering.

Keeping In Compliance

The rules in Art. 110 aren’t hard to understand or implement. So why are Code violations so
common, and what can you do about this problem? Many violations arise due to
misunderstanding, as with space issues. Many arise due to inattention to the rules, such as
when a control panel is modified over the years, but proper markings and good
workmanship are neglected.

To solve these problems, update your construction and maintenance documentation to

specifically include and reference Art. 110 requirements. Then create test procedures and
inspection checklists for confirming compliance when the work is done.