NFPA Journal - May/June 2019 - 49

CODES, STANDARDS
AND COMPLIANCE

I have included only the new requirements and a few of the new additions
to the Annex A of the chapter. Chapter
7 intends to improve the operational
reliability of fire alarm systems by
ensuring that designers and installers understand the requirements they
must meet.
Remember, until the designers and
installers provide complete documentation, we cannot consider the project
complete.
Wayne D. Moore is vice president at Jensen
Hughes. NFPA members and AHJs can use the
Technical Questions tab to post queries on NFPA 72
at nfpa.org/72.

NFPA 70 + 70E

Electrical Safety

Labeling
electrical equipment:
What, why, and where
to turn for guidance
By Derek Vigstol
hese days, every time

T

we turn around it seems
there's another label
applied to electrical
equipment-warning
labels, information labels, manufacturer's labels, and more. The front of
switchgear is starting to look like grandma's refrigerator, plastered with school
pictures of the grandkids. No wonder
there is growing confusion among facility managers as to what labels they
need, which labels must be regularly
updated, and why the labels are there in
the first place.
Some labels are required by the installation code. The 2017 edition of NFPA
70®, National Electrical Code®, requires
a few different labels to be applied to
certain equipment. (For the purposes
of this discussion, I'm not including
the required manufacturer labels or
equipment required to be "labelled" as
defined in Article 100.) For starters, arc

flash hazard warning labels are required
by 110.16. For most equipment, this is
simply a label warning qualified persons
that there is a potential arc flash hazard
present. This applies to equipment such
as switchgear, switchboards, panelboards, motor control centers, industrial
control panels, disconnects, and meter
sockets in other than dwelling units
that are likely to require servicing while
energized. While this means you don't
need a large orange WARNING sticker
on your panel at home, there might be
multifamily dwelling equipment that
this does apply to. This marking is
permitted to be field or factory marked.
This requirement is modified slightly
when the equipment in question is
service equipment. All service equipment in other than dwelling units is
required to be field marked with the
available fault current and the date that
the calculation was made per 110.24.
For larger service equipment, 1200A
and over, 110.16(B) requires, in addition to the arc flash warning, that
equipment be marked with nominal
system voltage, available fault current,
the clearing time of the service OCPD
based upon the available fault current
at the equipment, and the date the
label was applied.
If this information looks familiar,
it might be because much of it is also
used in helping determine certain levels
of protection in NFPA 70E®, Standard
for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®.
For that reason, there is an exception
to 110.16(B) that allows for other warning labels applied in accordance with
another acceptable industry practice,
such as NFPA 70E.
Speaking of NFPA 70E, equipment
that is likely to require servicing or
examination while energized is also
required by 130.5(H) to be marked with
a label. Since NFPA 70E is a voluntary
standard that can be used to comply
with the requirements of OSHA, this
label isn't necessarily required at the
time of installation, unless the intent
is to follow the exception mentioned
above. However, the information
required by this label is invaluable in

protecting employees who could be
exposed to electrical hazards. Regardless
if your electrical safety program is based
on NFPA 70E, equipment labeled with
essential information to keep workers
safe just makes sense.
Similar to the label required for
large service equipment in the NEC®,
the information required by the label
in NFPA 70E is intended to provide
information aimed at protecting workers. At a minimum, these labels must
contain the nominal system voltage,
the arc flash boundary, and at least one
of the following: the available incident
energy and the corresponding working
distance or the arc flash PPE category
found in the PPE category tables, the
minimum arc rating of clothing, or the
site-specific level of PPE.
While the NEC is not retroactive and doesn't require labels to be
updated, there is a requirement to
put the date that the available fault
current was calculated on the label so
that if changes have been made in the
system, the calculation can be updated
as well. There is also an exception to
the requirement in NFPA 70E that says
this label does not have to be updated
unless something has changed that
would render the label inaccurate. The
data contained on the label must be
reviewed at least every five years to
verify its accuracy.
No matter which label we're talking
about or the document that requires
it, the common denominator is that
labels are required because they
enhance the safety in our facilities
and for our employees by communicating much-needed information.
They are an integral part of an electrical safety program and must be
treated accordingly. Having a plan on
what information they must contain
and when they must be reviewed for
accuracy can help ease the pain of
information overload and confusion
within the electrical industry.
Derek Vigstol is an NFPA technical lead, Electrical
Tech Services. NFPA members and AHJs can use the
Technical Questions tab to post queries on NFPA 70
at nfpa.org/70next.

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