JJWalecka
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
What is the job description of an NEC Consultant?
NEC Consultant?
- Thread starter JJWalecka
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
I would guess that anyone can call themselves a consultant. The more stuff you can put after your name on a resume the better your chances are of convincing someone that you are a qualified one. 
weressl
Esteemed Member
Legally, you may want to check with NFPA if you can use their registered trademark name without their consent.
PEDRO ESCOVILLA
Senior Member
- Location
- south texas
it might be better to call oneself an electrical consultant. that way, theres no nfpa /NEC trademark dispute stuff happening
JJWalecka
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
I would guess that anyone can call themselves a consultant. The more stuff you can put after your name on a resume the better your chances are of convincing someone that you are a qualified one.
What would be the prerequisites? Is there a certification that you are aware of?
I would consider Mike Holt an NEC consultant
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
I don't know of any standard. Much of it is based on actual code knowledge and someone's perception of what that knowledge is worth. IMO that pretty much sums up Mike's qualifications as you have used him as an example. I don't see how my definition would fit a first year apprentice.
If you check, wouldn't that be with their consent... because, legally, you cannot without their consent.
weressl
Esteemed Member
NEC is a registered trademark of the NFPA, so it can only be used with their consent.
The question is: would NEC consider it so? (See above.)
The NFPA would certainly not question if anybody has the right to voice an opinion on the content of the NEC. That is a Constitutional right. The opinion however would be the personal opinion of the individual without any authoritative consent from the NEC.
weressl
Esteemed Member
No Sir, checking with NFPA about the restriction or liberty of the use would establish the boundary limits. The answer could be either the standard limitations of the use of registered trademarks, or special provisions on the use. As an example, according to the basic law, anytime when NEC is mentioned in writing it should appear as so: NEC(R).
Yes, but then it would be with their permission, to the extent permitted, and otherwise without their consent... the latter constituting infringement.
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
Has anyone read inside the back cover of a recent NEC?
It states that the document is made available for both public and private uses, but does not waive any copyright protection by doing so.
I would read that to mean that a person does not need the NFPA's permission to be a consultant for the NEC, but would need their permission to actually copy it or parts of it.
So long as all the copy written material is copacetic, I think anyone could call their self a consultant and not be an issue with the NEC.
The states may have an issue, though. A person may need some sort of a license to do any consultation related to certain professions.
It states that the document is made available for both public and private uses, but does not waive any copyright protection by doing so.
I would read that to mean that a person does not need the NFPA's permission to be a consultant for the NEC, but would need their permission to actually copy it or parts of it.
So long as all the copy written material is copacetic, I think anyone could call their self a consultant and not be an issue with the NEC.
The states may have an issue, though. A person may need some sort of a license to do any consultation related to certain professions.
weressl
Esteemed Member
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
iceworm
Curmudgeon still using printed IEEE Color Books
- Location
- North of the 65 parallel
- Occupation
- EE (Field - as little design as possible)
I don't know anything about the legal issues of using the term NEC in one's advertising - so I have nothing to say about that.
However, having dealt extensivly with two nationally recoganized code expert consultants, I can say for certanty: a clear knowledge of exactly what the code is trying to accomplish - is not a requirement.
The most important thing is to publish. The only important thing is to publish. The more one publishes the more one can charge.
No, niether of the two were MH.
ice
However, having dealt extensivly with two nationally recoganized code expert consultants, I can say for certanty: a clear knowledge of exactly what the code is trying to accomplish - is not a requirement.
The most important thing is to publish. The only important thing is to publish. The more one publishes the more one can charge.
No, niether of the two were MH.
ice
weressl
Esteemed Member
This is why in academia and in ISA or IEEE, peer reviewed publication is the norm. You have to have a certain number of your peers in good academic standing, or in equivalent membership position of a scientific organization yo review your paper, concur or request changes and then the University or Scientific body will publish your paper. Publishing companies will publish anything IF it can be proven to them that it will sell. There is a lot of technical material published that is rubbish, but peer reviewed material can provide assurance that at least a group of people with some standing in the field had agreed with the published material.
Another example is the NEC Handbook, which clearly states that the explanations have not the same authority as the 'body' of the material, but it can be relied upon as a professional interpretation of the intent. (The body of the NEC is arrived at through a deliberative process of consensus, that can not necessarily be considered an absolute scientific truth, but a consensus among people with various vested interest in the subject.)
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