Hi Michael:
Yes, approval (or safety certification) must be obtained
BEFORE the equipment is put into service.
You have cited several different regulatory authorities:
AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction)
29CFR1910 subpart S (OSHA)
NFPA 70 (NEC - National Electrical Code)
NFPA 79 Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery
In the U.S.A., we have two independent laws governing the
safety of electrical equipment. One is a federal law for
employees using electrical equipment. The other is a
State, County, or City building code law for the general
public.
1) The U.S.A. Department of Labor, OSHA, requires
safety for employees. With regard to electrical equipment
used by employees, if the equipment is certified by an
NRTL, then the equipment is deemed acceptably safe for use
by employees. All of this is specified in 29CFR1910
subpart S which can be read on the web.
With respect to OSHA, the AHJ is:
Approved. Acceptable to the authority enforcing this subpart. The authority
enforcing this subpart is the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational
Safety and Health. The definition of "acceptable" indicates what is
acceptable to the Assistant Secretary of Labor, and therefore approved
within the meaning of this subpart.
2) The electrical section of local building codes
are administered by an AHJ. Such codes can be State,
County, or City. These codes are for the safety of the
general public and, by law, do not apply to equipment used
by employees in the workplace. The local AHJ specifies
safety certification of electrical equipment. Sometimes,
the AHJ specifies what labs are acceptable. The AHJ can
defer to the NRTL recognition; the City and County of San
Francisco has done this.
http://sfgsa.org/index.aspx?page=378
Here is a definition of AHJ:
http://www.specsandcodes.com/Articles/The%20Code%20Corner%20No.%209%20-%20Au
thorities%20Having%20Jurisdiction.pdf
The National Electrical Code is a model code intended for
adoption by local AHJ. It is not in itself a "national"
standard. Likewise for NFPA 79. The cities of Los
Angeles and Chicago have written their own electrical
codes that are quite different from the NEC. The state
of Oregon has adopted the NEC with modifications.
http://www.bcd.oregon.gov/programs/online_codes.html
The implication in both OSHA and NEC rules is that
safety certification must be complete before the
equipment can be energized. I can't find any explicit
statements to this effect. Under OSHA, an inspector
will look for the certification mark. An employer
would be taking quite a risk by energizing equipment
without such a mark. Under local electrical codes,
an inspector must sign off on the installation before
it can be put to use.
Best wishes for the holiday season,
Richard Nute
Product Safety Consultant
Vancouver, Washington, U.S.A.
-----Original Message-----
From: emc-p...@ieee.org [mailto:emc-p...@ieee.org] On Behalf Of Michael
Loerzer
Sent: Friday, December 23, 2011 4:45 AM
To: IEEE PSES
Subject: Electrical installation - Approval or required permission by an AHJ
in the US (29 CFR 1910 subpart S, NFPA 70/79)
Hi,
is an approval or the obtaining of an official permission by the local AHJ
(fire marshal, state inspector, ..) in the foreseen state before operation
of an electrical machine mandatory?
If yes, in which chapter of the NEC or 29 CFR 1910 subpart S can I find this
requirement?
Best regards and a very peaceful X-mas and a happy new year
Dipl.-Ing. Michael Loerzer
Managing Director
Regulatory Affairs Specialist
-
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