eye glasses @ Wallmart

[Hendrix]

Last year, I wired a retail eyeglasses outlet with its adjacent sub-let optometrist space. 517 areas were not indicated on the plans and the AHJ (who stuck it to me on other issues) did not require HGMC.

However,

I have read the debate in this thread and others. I have read the NEC. If I was the AHJ, I would rule that these eye exam rooms are patient care areas.

Then a shoe store would also qualify :grin:

 

[Twoskinsoneman]

I very much so consider my eye site care medical. I am now scared to get an exam before checking wiring . Seriously if nec did not have it in intent then they should. Your at just as much risk as if a doctor or dentist uses machines on you. The licensing has nothing to do with the risk.

If you are going in for eye surgery maybe you could be worried. If you're going into one of the eye exam places in spral-mart with only an optician who is going to flip a little switch (better or worse.... better or worse) and give you new glasses.....

The risk is about the same as looking through a Fisher Price View Master.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

I am not going back to read all of this again, but I cannot understand what is so difficult to understand here.


The large eye stores or the small ones where they just fit you to the glasses are not patient care areas.
If you go to an eye doctor and he/she exams you, then you are in a patient care area.

 

[Twoskinsoneman]

I am not going back to read all of this again, but I cannot understand what is so difficult to understand here.


The large eye stores or the small ones where they just fit you to the glasses are not patient care areas.
If you go to an eye doctor and he/she exams you, then you are in a patient care area.

Can we start a new rule that does not allow you to post in a thread if you refuse to read through the other posts?

 

[georgeswe]

Would a coffee maker receptacle in a Psychiatrist's office be concidered a "Patient Care Area"?

I think we have to use good judgement on this but would be nice to have a guideline on what would define a "Patient Care Area". What is the intent of this code. From Personal Experiance In the past we have just installed the redundant ground in areas where it really wasn't know.

I think that the guideline should be based on if the circuit would possibly be feeding a piece of equipment that would be used for a PROCEDURE.

 

[cowboyjwc]

If you are going in for eye surgery maybe you could be worried. If you're going into one of the eye exam places in spral-mart with only an optician who is going to flip a little switch (better or worse.... better or worse) and give you new glasses.....

The risk is about the same as looking through a Fisher Price View Master.

That's what I was getting at, most of the equipment used in an eye exam is not electrical.

On the other side of the coin, I have a large medical center going in now that provides other services such as counseling and what not. I asked them, "what if you decide you need more exam rooms? Why don't you wire them all with HGMC?" The response was "not our problem". Guess not, but I'll bet it's going to be somebodies.

 

[cowboyjwc]

the statement "and now this one everyone wants to wire that way when it probably doesn't really need to be.:smile:". bothers a little that certain portions of the nec are being applied that really don't need to be.

I guess the simple fact that people would rather just be told something and accept it without researching it. seems lazy...kudos to everyone on this forum trying to better educate themselves!

Still not sure if you and I are on the same page or not.:smile: