Big changes come with new Canadian Electrical Code

The Canadian Standards Association is launching a new version of the Canadian Electrical Code Part I in January. It contains some of the most significant changes ever, incorporating 108 revisions and 14 new interpretations. The provinces and territories, as well as the federal government, refer to the electrical code in their building codes, so changes will have a wide impact.

At a press preview, Stephen Brown, Director of Electrotechnical at CSA, cited areas where important changes have been made in the 2009 code.

– a rewrite of Section 46 to recognize that non-life safety equipment may be connected to an emergency power system, and to allow it to be connected without compromising life safety system performance.

Another major change in 2009 is the addition of Part IV, an objective based electrical code. It was an initiative started by the oil and gas industry in Alberta, Brown explained, and is intended for industrial users that have large installations and require flexibility in their equipment. Approvals under the objective based code will require sign-off by a professional engineer.

Other changes include:

– new requirements for additional seals for electrical equipment mechanically connected to piping containing flammable liquids or gases;

– consolidation of equipment requirements for Class 1 Zone 2 hazardous locations;

– recognition of new cable types such as communication under carpet and cross-connect wires and cables;

– updates to motor overload protection requirements related to motors installed in hazardous locations;

For the first time the code is being issued in a handheld mobile device format as well as on CD and in print form. CSA is the first code organization worldwide to move to this mobile format.