Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1992 - 51

disrriburion, you have misused rhe
produce. \X/elding cable was nor inrended
for use as a power disrriburion cable and
by using ir as such you, and nor rhe cable
manufacrurer, are now liable for any
accidems rhar may occur.
Ir is you rhar will have ro swear ir our
on a wirness srand, and ir is your
insurance rhar will pay rhe damages.
i\lany of you are lisred in rhe show's
program as "elecrrician" or "masrer
e1ecrrician." As such you have had some
experience. A lisr of previous producrions
YOU worked on can be found. Educarional
records and union affiliarion will also
arresr ro your experrise. \'\Ihile a liabiliry
judgemem againsr you or a rerm in jail
may be rhe furrhesr rhing from your
mind, wirh rhe informarion now given
you, you can w(lre your own scenarios.
The facr is rhar you are an experr, and
rherefore as such, you should have been
aware of rhe exisring rules, laws, codes,
and srandards governing your indusrry.
The producrs you use rherein are more
rhan sufficienr evidence ro find you
guilry. The courrs have ruled rhar you
should know berrer. Ignorance of rhe law
IS no excuse.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED
Following rhe discO\'ery of rhe mlsapplicarion of welding cable ar rhe 1984
Olympics, rhe ciry of Los Angeles
informed rhe morion picrure srudios rhar
a morarorium was being placed on rhe
use of welding cable. Over a five-year
period, all welding cable had ro be
replaced wirh an approved power
disrriburion cable. This morarorium
expired in Augusr 1990.
During rhe 1984 Olympics, rhe
SITT's 1987 Narional Elecrrical Code
Commirree was meering ro wrire
proposals ro rhe J987 National Electrical
Code. Afrer considerable invesrigarion by
rhe commirree, a new proposal was
wrirren again proposing rhe addirion of
Type \XI and Type G cable ro rhe lisr of
cable rypes permirred in Arricle 52053,(h).
Addirionallv, by rhis rime, several
cable manufacr~rers' had submirred rheir
Type \XI and G cables ro
L for evaluarion. sing rhe cirv of Los Angeles
inrerprerarion of rhe code as subsranriarion, rhe proposal was adopred inro rhe

1987 NEe
Arricle 520 covers "Thearres and
Similar Locarions." How does rhis apply
ro rhe morion picrure srudios' You have
ro read Arricle 520-1 Scope. This srarcs
rhar when a morion picrure srudio or
relevision srudio is used as a place of

assembly, and rhar rhere is an audience,
rhen rhe occupancy changes and falls
under rhe requiremenrs of Arricle 520,
nor Arricle 530.
For carnivals and circuses, depending
on local imerprerarion, rhey are eirher a
place of assembly and fall under Arricle
518 Places of Assembly or Anicle 305
Temporary Insrallarions. Anicle 518
refers ro Arricle 520 and Arricle 305 for
rhe rypes of cord and cables permirred.
Specifically, exhibir halls (rrade shows)
come under Arricle 518. In rurn, Arricle
305 which memions carnivals, references
ro Arricle 400-4 Flexible Cords and
Cables and requires rhe use of hard usage
and exrra hard usage cables. Types Wand
G are found in rhe accompanying rable as
exrra hard usage cable.
Furrher, as previously menrioned, rhe
use of welding cable was a misapplicarion
of rhe manufacrurer's producr and rhe
producr liabilir}' could reverr ro rhe remal
house/user, nor rhe manufacrurer.
Therefore, rhe insurance underwrirers
expressed concern and would have had ro
increase rhe premiums of rhe srudios and
remal houses.
As informarion on rhe imerprerarion
of welding cable and Type W cable
spread, rhe srares of California, Washingron, Oregon, and New York began ro
advise rheir inspecrion agencies rhar rhe
use of welding cable for rhearres,
relevision, morion picrure, concen rours,
carnivals, and circuses would no longer be
acceprable. A number of major renral
houses and morion picrure srudios
invesred in Type W cable and began rhe
process of replacing rheir welding cable.
Type \'\1 cable, however, presenred a
problem in irs use. Ir was heavy: abour
20-25 pounds more rhan welding cable in
a 100-foor lengrh, and inflexible so as nor
ro permir easy coiling. The diamerer of
rhe jacker was larger, so rhar ir rook up
more space in srorage boxes. Exisring
cable reel sysrems could nor hold rhe
same amounr of cable. The 2000 voir
insularion of rhe cable was unnecessary
for rhe indusrry's applicarion. A new cable
was desired.
In 1988, Coleman Cable Sysrems,
Inc., a wire and cable manufacrurer in
orrh Chicago, IL, and Professional
Design Producrs, an e1ecrrical producrs
disrriburor in Los Angeles, developed rhe
Enrerrainmenr Indusrry and Srage
Lighring Cable. This 600 voir Exrra Hard
sage cable was submirrcd ro UL for
lisring and following exrcnsive resring
barh by UL and rhe Ciry of Los Angeles
Elecrrical Tesring Laborarories, rhe new
producr was lisred. Ir posscssed rhe sam
srranding as welding cable (Class K). The

insularing jacker, a rhermo-plasric
elasromer, was lighrer and as flexible as
rhar used on welding cable, so rhar rhe
cable mer rhe indusrrv's desires for a
lighrweighr, easily srored·cable.
This cable has now been approved for
use in Los Angeles and New York and has
been accepred as a lisred rype in rhe J993
'ational Electrical Code. Ir will be now
idemified as Types SC, SCE, and SCT. A
new
L Srandard (Subjecr 1680) has
been proposed and will pro\'ide a new
lisring caregory in rhe UL Direcrory
under rhe heading "Flexible SrageLighring Cable (ILPH)."
Following rhe inrroducrion of rhis
cable rype ro rhe emerrainmem indusrry
by Coleman Cable, orher wire and cable
manufacrurers have inrroduced similar
producrs under rhe heading of "Enrerrainmenr Indusrry and Srage Lighring
Cable." They are, in addirion ro Coleman
Cable, Carol Cable, Royal Cable, and
Anlerican Insulared Wire and Cable, and
rwo orher manufacrurers have displayed
prororype sam pIes.
Table 400-4 furrher srares rhe
insularion rhickness of rhe rhree rypes,
T~'pe SC being a neoprene or rubberbased insularion. Type SCT is a rhermoser plasric (PVC) based insularion
marerial, and Type SCE is a rhermoplasric
elasromer or TPE based insularion. These
cables are idenrified for use as "Exrra
Hard Usage, and Arricles 520 and 530."

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO
While nor all elecrrical inspecrion
agencies are aware of rhe welding cable
issue and rhese changes, informarion is
being disseminared ro rhe elecrrical
inspecrors. Presenrly, Los Angeles, ew
York Ciry, and rhe Srare of Washingron
will nor permir welding cable on any
venue. Chicago and rhe srares of Oregon
and Michigan are reviewing rheir codes.
\X/irh rhe inclusion of Types SC, SCE,
and SCT cable in rhe 1993 National
Electrical Code, ir can be expecred rhar
orher jurisdicrions will begin ro adopr rhis
change and prohibir rhe use of welding
cable for feeder applicarions.
As ~'ou begin ro prep vour producrions, you should now be aware of
rhese changes. Ian)' of rhe major remal
houses around rhe counrry can now
supply eirher rhe Type \XI or rhe Emerrainmenr Indusrry and Srage Lighring
cable for your nexr producrion.
If you are a remal house or wish ro
purchase rhe cable, rhere are a number of
manufacrurers of rhis cable, and mosr of
rhe major wirc and cable disrriburors
carry rhe cable in srock.
TD&T

1992 SUMMER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1992