NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 22

Safety Policy by Meghan Housewright

THE VIEW FROM
THE NFPA FIRE & LIFE
SAFETY POLICY
INSTITUTE

Safety Delayed
WHY IT'S TIME FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO TAKE THE PLEAS OF SPECIAL
INTERESTS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT AND TRUST IN THE CODE ADOPTION PROCESS

n an independent survey

prioritize adoption of the NEC, and wait
of more than 1,000 U.S.
to adopt it as a package with other codes,
residents recently comlag roughly 14 to 18 months behind states
missioned by the NFPA
that adopt the NEC directly.
Fire & Life Safety Policy
All of this means that states can vary
Institute, 86 percent of respondents
widely in whether they are using the most
reported that they felt confident that if
up-to-date electrical safety knowledge
they bought a newly constructed home, it
available. Massachusetts, for instance, reliwould meet the most up-to-date fire and
ably adopts each new edition of the NEC
electrical safety codes.
six months after the code is published;
The fact is, though, if you live in Pennsome states, such as Wyoming, do so in
sylvania and many other places in the
12 months. But other states wait much
U.S., your new house may be built to eleclonger. Utah took 36 months to adopt the
trical codes 10 years out of date.
2014 NEC; Virginia took 56 months; and
States can vary widely
There are a few reasons for that, includPennsylvania took 65 months to adopt the
in whether they are
ing the politicization of code adoption and
2008 NEC, with no updates since.
using the most up-toreliance on less efficient mechanisms for
These delays in code adoption have
date electrical safety
adoption, which have resulted in a number
real-world consequences for citizens.
knowledge available.
of states being years behind current codes.
The NEC is a central component of the
States that fall behind are delaying safety
electrical safety ecosystem; thanks in
advances for their citizens.
part to advances facilitated by the code,
In today's contentious political envithe number of U.S. home fires involving
ronment, it perhaps comes as no surprise
electrical malfunction or failure fell from
that even electrical code adoption isn't above the fray. Concerns 75,000 in 1980 to 48,100 in 2014, according to NFPA fire analysis
about politicization of the code adoption process were raised statistics. Despite this success, from 2010 to 2014 there were still
repeatedly in surveys and interviews recently conducted with an annual average of 45,120 electrical-related home fires in the
individuals who have electrical code adoption responsibilities U.S., resulting in an average of 420 deaths and 1,370 injuries.
in their states or counties. These conversations, conducted on States that neglect prompt adoption of the NEC will stymie progbehalf of the Policy Institute, were used to gain insights into the ress in bringing the number of fires, deaths, and injuries to zero.
code adoption process and to better understand its challenges.
Most elected officials are naturally concerned with acting in
Many of the professionals interviewed told us that they worried the best interest of citizens. As the product of a national-level
that their independence and expertise were under heavy scru- consensus process, codes like the NEC reflect extensive delibtiny by elected officials who, often beset by special interests, erations from varied stakeholders on the minimum level of
equate cutting regulatory burdens with slowing code adoption. safety for electrical installations. Politicians need to trust the
The mechanisms used by states to adopt codes can also experts who participate in the NEC development and electrical
impact the amount of time it takes, or whether entire code boards or others appointed to oversee adoption in their states
cycles are skipped. Looking at adoption trends for the 2008, and point special interests toward the national process rather
2011, and 2014 editions of NFPA 70®, National Electrical Code® than retread the ground that's already been plowed. Not only
(NEC®), we found that states that entrust the adoption to a does this bring the safety and innovation supported by the NEC
panel of experts like an electrical board, for example, tend to to citizens faster, it is indeed what they expect.
adopt updates to the NEC in roughly half the time it takes
states without electrical boards. Additionally, states that do not Meghan Housewright is director of the NFPA Fire & Life Safety Policy Institute.

22 | NFPA JOURNAL * J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8

MICHAEL HOEWELER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - January/February 2018