myspark you state your a retired EE, in California surely your familiar withThat's one reason the NEC is not a FEDERAL LAW
OSHA CFR, Title 29, which includes Part 1910 Subpart S, and Part 1926 Subpart K for electrical safety no?
While there is no blanket federal law, its a little misleading to neglect to mention OSHA.
I have encountered OSHA inspectors using a copy of the NEC citing safety concerns in workplaces.
These resulted in fines of many thousands to the owners.
But we're off topic.