All electrical equipment, components, and conductors shall be approved for their intended uses, as follows:

If equipment is of a kind that no nationally recognized testing laboratory (NRTL) accepts, certifies, lists, labels, or determines to be safe, it may be inspected or tested by another Federal agency or by a state, municipal, or other local authority responsible for enforcing the National Electrical Code (NEC), and found to comply with the provisions of the NEC. (See NEC Section 110-3.)

2. Equipment can be approved if it is built, designed, and tested according to specific nationally recognized standards such as UL 508 or one of the ANSI C series and is determined by the AHJ to be safe for its intended use.

3. If a particular piece of equipment is of a type not included in 1 or 2 above, the equipment shall be evaluated by the AHJ. If the equipment is approved by the AHJ, there shall be documentation of the evaluation and approval on file for this equipment.

Simply stated, if any electrical system component is of akind that any NRTL accepts, certifies, lists, or labels, then only NRTL accepted, certified, listed, or labeled components can be used. A nonlisted, nonlabeled, noncertified component may be used if it is of a kind that no NRTL covers, and then it shall be tested or inspected by the local authority responsible for enforcing the Code. For example, this would apply to custom made equipment. The custom made equipment should be built in accordance with a design approved by the AHJ.

4. Components or installations in aircraft, water craft, and railroads are exempt from the above approval requirements per 29 CFR 1910.302(a)(2)(i).

See 29 CFR 1910.399 for a detailed description of OSHA information for accepting electrical equipment and wiring methods that are not approved by an NRTL.

2.6 CODES, STANDARDS, AND REGULATIONS

Workers who perform electrical or electronic work, where applicable, shall comply with relevant DOE Orders and should comply with the current revision of the following codes and standards.

1. Standards published by the National Fire Protection. Association (NFPA)

a. National Electrical Code (NEC), NFPA 70

b. Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces, NFPA 70E.

2. National Electrical Safety Code, ANSI C2.

3. All relevent state and local requirements.

The standards and performance specifications from the following organizations are recommended and should be observed when applicable:

1. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

2. National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)

3. American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

4. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

5. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

6. Underwriters Laboratory, Inc. (UL)

7. Factory Mutual Engineering Corporation (FMEC)

8. Other Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories recognized by OSHA on a limited basis.

Where no clear applicable code or standard provides adequate guidance or when questions regarding workmanship, judgment, or conflicting criteria arise, personnel safety protection shall be the primary consideration. Therefore, where there are conflicts between the mandatory requirements of the above codes, standards, and regulations, the requirements that address the particular hazard and provide the greater safety shall govern.