Electrical code

An electrical code is a set of regulations for electrical wiring. The intention of an electrical code is to provide standards to ensure electrical wiring systems that are safe and unlikely to produce either electric shock or fires. Ways in which electrical codes ensure safety include ways to prevent (or mitigate) short circuits, ground faults, and overheating from inadequate current-carrying capacity (ampacity). Appropriately rated fuses or circuit breakers are used to interrupt a circuit loop whose ampacity is exceeded to avoid overheating of wires or other fixtures. Electrical codes are usually devised by national or international technical organizations, and adopted as law to make them enforceable. Electrical codes differ based on geographic area. See the following:

DIN VDE (German Institute for Standardization) published by DIN-Norms is used in Germany
National Electrical Code has been adopted for electrical wiring in the United States and for Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Colombia
IEC 60364 is used as a basis for electrical codes in many European countries
Canadian Electrical Code published by the CSA is used in Canada (see Electrical wiring in North America).
British Standard BS 7671 is the set of regulations for electrical wiring in the United Kingdom.
Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 3000:2007 Wiring Rules is used in Australia and New Zealand.
NF C 15-100 (fr) is used for low voltage installations in France
RGIE (fr) (Réglement Général sur les Installations Électriques) is used for installations in Belgium.
AREI (nl) (Algemeen Reglement Elektrische Installaties) is used for installations in Flanders, Belgium.N In the CoP, in addition to all the definitions used in the Electricity Ordinance and its Regulations, the following definitions shall apply— ‘appliance’ means an item of current using equipment other than a luminaire or an independent motor or motorised drive. ‘appliance, fixed’ means an appliance which is fastened to a support or otherwise secured or placed at a specific location in normal use. ‘appliance, portable’ means an appliance which is or can easily be moved from one place to another when in normal use and while connected to the supply. ‘barrier’ means an effective means of physically preventing unauthorised approach to a source of danger. ‘basic protection’ means protection against dangers that may arise from direct contact with live parts of the installation ‘bonding’ means the permanent joining of metallic parts to form an electrically conductive path which will assure electrical continuity and has the capacity to conduct safely any current likely to be imposed. ‘bonding conductor’ means a protective conductor providing equipotential bonding. ‘bunched’ means two or more cables to be contained within a single conduit, duct, ducting or trunking or, if not enclosed, are not separated from each other. ‘busbar trunking system’ means a type-tested assembly, in the form of an enclosed conductor system comprising solid conductors separated by insulating material. The assembly may consist of units such as expansion units, feeder units, tap-off units, bends, tees, etc. Busbar trunking system includes busduct system. ‘cable channel’ means an enclosure situated above or in the ground, ventilated or closed, and having dimensions which do not permit the access of persons but allow access to the conductors and/or cables throughout their length during and after installation. A cable channel may or may not form part of the building construction. ‘cable coupler’ means a device enabling the connection or disconnection, at will, of two flexible cables. It consists of a connector and a plug. ‘cable ducting’ means a manufactured enclosure of metal or insulating material, other than conduit or cable trunking, intended for the protection of cables which are drawn-in after erection of the ducting, but which is not specifically intended to form part of a building structure. 11 ‘cable trunking’ means a manufactured enclosure for the protection of cables, normally of rectangular cross section, of which one side is removable or hinged. ‘circuit breaker’ means a mechanical switching device capable of making, carrying and breaking currents under normal circuit conditions and also of making, carrying for a specified time, and breaking currents under specified abnormal circuit conditions, such as those of short circuit. ‘circuit protective conductor’ means a protective conductor connecting exposed conductive parts of equipment to the main earthing terminal. ‘connector’ means a device which is provided with female contacts and is intended to be attached to the flexible cable connected to the supply. ‘danger’ means a risk of bodily injury or loss of life or health from shock, burn, asphyxiation or other causes. ‘dead’ means at or about zero voltage and disconnected from any live system. ‘duct’ means a closed passage way formed underground or in a structure and intended to receive one or more cables which may be drawn in. ‘earth electrode resistance’ means the resistance of an earth electrode to earth. ‘earth fault loop impedance’ means the impedance of the earth fault current loop (phase to earth loop) starting and ending at the point of earth fault. ‘earthed’ means connected to the general mass of earth in such a manner as will ensure at all times an immediate discharge of electrical energy without danger; when applied to electrical equipment, all phases short-circuited and effectively connected to earth. ‘earthing conductor’ means a protective conductor connecting a main earthing terminal of an installation to an earth electrode or to other means of earthing. ‘enclosure’ means a part providing an appropriate degree of protection of equipment against certain external influences and a defined degree of protection against contact with live parts from any direction. ‘equipment’ means electrical equipment. ‘equipotential bonding’ means electrical connection putting various exposed conductive parts and extraneous conductive parts at a substantially equal potential. ‘extra low voltage’ means voltage normally not exceeding 50V root mean square alternating current or 120V direct current, between conductors or between a conductor and earth. 12 ‘fault protection’ means protection against dangers that may arise from indirect contact with live parts of the installation (contact with an exposed conductive part that is not normally live but has become live under fault conditions). ‘fuse element’ means a part of a fuse designed to melt when the fuse operates. ‘fuse link’ means that part of a fuse, including the fuse element, which requires replacement by a new fuse link after the fuse element has melted and before the fuse can be put back into service. ‘high voltage’ means voltage normally exceeding low voltage. ‘H.V. enclosure’ means a substation, standby generator house, distribution centre and a room or other enclosure wherein high voltage apparatus is installed. “Danger” notice shall be permanently affixed outside H.V. enclosure access doors. ‘installation’ means electrical installation. ‘live’ means electrically charged. ‘live work’ means electrical work on or near any live conductor. This is anywhere a worker is exposed to energised conductors, terminals, busbars or contacts. ‘low voltage’ means voltage normally exceeding extra low voltage but normally not exceeding: between conductors, 1000V root mean square alternating current or 1500V direct current, or between a conductor and earth, 600V root mean square alternating current or 900V direct current. ‘overhead line’ is defined in the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations as a conductor that is placed above ground and is suspended in the open air. ‘PELV (Protective Extra-Low Voltage)’ means an extra-low voltage system which is not electrically separated from earth, but which otherwise satisfies all the requirements for SELV. ‘permit-to-work’ means an official form signed and issued by a responsible person to a person having the permission of the responsible person in charge of work to be carried out on any earthed electrical equipment for the purpose of making known to such person exactly what electrical equipment is dead, isolated from all live conductors, has been discharged, is connected to earth, and on which it is safe to work. 13 ‘powertrack system’ means an assembly of system components including a generally linear assembly of spaced and supported busbars by which accessories may be connected to an electrical supply at one or more points (pre-determined or otherwise) along the powertrack. ‘protective conductor’ means a conductor used for some measures of protection against electric shock and intended for connecting together any of the following parts: (i) exposed conductive parts, (ii) extraneous conductive parts, (iii) main earthing terminal, (iv) earth electrode(s), (v) the earthed point of the source, or an artificial neutral. ‘residual operating current’ means residual current which causes the residual current device to operate under specified conditions. ‘responsible person’ means a registered electrical worker of an appropriate grade or a registered electrical contractor appointed in writing by the owner of an electrical installation to operate and maintain his installation. ‘restrictive conductive location’ means a location comprised mainly of metallic or conductive surrounding parts, within which it is likely that a person will come into contact through a substantial portion of their body with the conductive surrounding parts and where the possibility of preventing this contact is limited. ‘rising mains’ means that part of the installation which is used for distribution of electricity throughout any building normally used for multiple occupation. ‘screen’ means an effective means of identifying or shielding the safe working area from a source of danger. ‘SELV’ (Separated Extra-Low Voltage) means an extra-low voltage which is electrically separated from earth and from other systems in such a way that single fault cannot give rise to the risk of electric shock. ‘short circuit current’ means an overcurrent resulting from a fault of negligible impedance between live conductors having a difference in potential under normal operating conditions. ‘socket outlet’ means a device, provided with female contacts, which is intended to be installed with the fixed wiring, and intended to receive a plug. 14

See also