Submitter: Gregory P. Johnston, Greg Johnston, Electrician
Recommendation: Add new text to read as follows:
No one can purchase electrical wiring material for residential or commercial
work unless they are, or are employed by, a licensed electrician. This is to
include, but not limited to wire, conduit electrical boxes, fittings, devices,
panels and load centers, circuit breakers and the like. Non-licensed people may
buy luminaires, lamps and cover plates only.
Substantiation: I just completed a course analysis of the changes in the 2008
code, which is about to be adopted locally. It prompted me to write this.
I have been in the electrical wiring trade since 1964 and completed an
apprenticeship and am now licensed in the City of Rochester, NY.
In the performance of most of my jobs, I am encountering more and more
electrical work that does not meet any code that has been in place during my
career. I see loose connections, improper grounding, short wires in boxes, overfill
of wires in boxes, incorrect connectors, missing covers, improperly
supported wiring means and so on. It is distressing.
Interfacing with poorly done electrical work makes my work harder. Much of
the poor electrical work is obviously done by homeowners, do-it-yourselfers,
or unqualified people in some other trade, who think that they are electricians.
If something like this could be in the NEC, it might be a small step in the
attempt to make our buildings and people safer from the hazards of improper
wiring.
Panel Meeting Action: Reject
Panel Statement: The Code governs the installation of electrical equipment,
not the commerce associated with electrical equipment. Regulations limiting
the sale of electrical equipment are outside the scope of the Code.
Number Eligible to Vote: 12
Ballot Results: Affirmative: 12
