Is imported machinery subject to NEC, and/or any safety standards?

[VinceS]

I have been tasked to install some new equipment made in China. I have noticed that many of the standards that I would normally find in US made or European imported machinery are sorely lacking.

No grounding on entire machine using 3 phase 4 wire power. To include no grounds on all VDF's or motors.

The machine used 240v rated switches relays and contractors with 277v control voltage, the original voltage specified for the machine 380v.

No E-Stops, or master control relay to stop the entire machine's operation.

The every part of the entire machine is not UL approved, nor does it have any listed standard.

Now am I simply over thinking the issue. The NEC states that all electrical equipment must be installed as listed or labeled (110.2(B)). Is the installation machinery or its import to the USA legal providing it lacks such listing or labeling?

Is there some great loophole that covers substandard crap imported?

I know, I'm whining like a spoiled little American, but I use various imported and USA made electrical control components (getting harder to find), and they are all listed, or have some identified standard. Sometimes the safety standards are even higher such as in Omron or ABB.

In the end it's my job to ensure its safe to run. I will ensure it, even if I have to rebuild the entire machine. Time to use my NFPA 79...

 

[renosteinke]

Specific equipment is generally well outside the scope of the NEC, and evenUL standards don't address the vast majority of production equipment that is used. You'll have to find your crutch elsewhere.

First off, for you to deliberately take part in installing equipment you consider to be unsafe is on your head, and no one else's. There are some things where conscience demands you refuse your labor. Whether this is such an instance is for you to decide.

Otherwise, it is possible to apply some of the more general OSHA rules. The employer has a general duty to provide a safe workplace - and inadequate equipment would be a violation of that rule.

What about your modification of the equipment - say, by re-wiring it? Well, that's your call. How far are you willing to stick your neck out?

 

[augie47]

In our State (TN) all installed equipment must bear the label of an accepted NRTL such as UL before we are allowed to energize.
I would imagine there is a similar requirement in your State.
I am presently inspecting a job with tons of European equipment and the
owner is obtaining NRTL certification on all (in his case mostly TUV Company)

 

[petersonra]

generally production type machienry is not subject to much of anything, as far as listing goes.

it may turn out that the control panel itself has to be UL listed, but generally not so with the machine.

I'd be inclined to install it, unless there is some clear danger and just produce a list of issues with the machine to the owner at the time of handover. It's really the owner's problem, not yours.

presumably when you said grounding you really meant bonding. It is pretty common to use the structure of the machine for bonding for some things, so it may not be necessary to have a green wire for that purpose in all cases.

take a close look at NFPA79 for the way the machinery probably should be done electrically. It's not anywhere near as stringent as the NEC in some areas.

 

[cowboyjwc]

Yes...........

 

[petersonra]

In the end it's my job to ensure its safe to run. I will ensure it, even if I have to rebuild the entire machine.

I saw this before and was not going to comment on this part of your post, but I changed my mind.

First off, unless you are the employer, you are not responsible for making it safe to run. The employer is.

Rebuilding the machine is really about money and I think it would be best if you mentioned your intentions up front to the owner, before spending a bunch of his money.

I would point out that just because something looks cheap does not mean it is unsafe, or even that it is not adequate to the task at hand. Rebuilding it to your standards may not be required to merely make it safe.

The worst parts of Chinese machines tend to be the motors and electrical equipment. If you are going to do any extensive rebuilding, new motors would probably be a good choice. However, a lot of Chinese motors are not built to the same mechanical standards so the couplings and such may require some machining.

The Chinese machines I have seen are usually very solid mechanically, but have mediocre at best electrical equipment. I would dare say that many of them are built more solidly than similar US machines.

 

[iwire]

It's really the owner's problem, not yours.

Passing inspection is often a prerequisite of getting paid, that makes it problem for the EC.

 

[VinceS]

equipment grounds or bonding

equipment grounds or bonding

You are correct in identifying the possible flaw in my post. Yes, I meant the equipment grounds or the ground bond or the grounding conductor. The clarity of what I described still fits the article 100 def of what a ground is described as. In the four wire system you have the 3 hots, a neutral, and a ground. The machine did not arrive with any provision for any grounding conductor. All drives and motors had no grounding conductors. I would point out that the Drives had provisions for grounding conductor, but none were utilized.

I normally may not have noticed this but for the simple fact that the machine floated 80ish volts to grounding conductor that I puled. Any metal portion of the machine caused my Fluke VoltAlert to glow a pretty red color.

Now you might ask, Hay that means the thing is broken some ware. I would agree, and say its poorly designed. I wont even head into the objectionable ground current realm.

 

[jim dungar]

I would point out that the Drives had provisions for grounding conductor, but none were utilized.

This is not unusual when the drives are solidly mounted to a metallic backplate.

Where did you connect your grounding wire if the were no provisions for it?

What voltage was the machine designed for, in your OP, you mention 480V and 380V?
It is very common for a 380V machine to be wired with L-N (which is about 220V) control wiring. This almost always needs to be modified before it can be used on a 480Y/277 supply (i.e. adding a 480-240V CPT).

 

[StephenSDH]

Passing inspection is often a prerequisite of getting paid, that makes it problem for the EC.

Machinary almost never gets inspected.