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NFPA
70, “National Electric Code“,
establish the minimum requirements for the safe installation of
electrical wire and equipment. Also known as “NEC”, this code was
published originally in 1897 and is updated each 3 years (2008 the
latest); “NEC” is approved as a standard by the “The American National
Standards Institute” (ANSI).
“NEC” is composed by nine chapters that includes purpose, scope,
enforcement, rules and information in regards installation; it’s first
four chapters includes voltage, connections, brands, circuits,
protection and wire materials as well as equipment; the following
three chapters cover special high risk occupations and multi-persons,
special equipment as signals and machinery as well as special
conditions of emergency equipment, alarms, etc.; Chapter eight is
focus on telephone communication systems, radio, TV, etc.; finally, on
chapter nine is presented all the information from conductors tables,
wire, properties of conduit, etc.
Several “NEC” requirements referred to materials "listed" or "labeled",
which means that they are designed, manufactured, tested inspected and
marked according to requirements of the agency who listed them. To be
listed the material has to fulfill with testing and requirements such
as the ones defined by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and FM (Factory Mutual), which
are laboratories approved for this purposes.
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