I’m sure you have heard the acronym CYA before. Cover your….

I mentioned CYA quite a bit in my 32-hour Power System Engineering class. We discuss many design concepts in the class and one involves conductor selection based on loading and the NEC requirements. Conductor selection is a simple concept but surrounded by many details such as whether the load is continuous vs. non-continuous, ambient temperature, device terminal temperature ratings, temperature correction factors, more than three current carrying conductors in a raceway and more.

During this segment, I make the statement that if you miss any of these important details, initially no one may know. It all works and everyone is happy. Then, years down the road, the first clue something was missed is after the fire trucks leave. That comment raises eyebrows.

There will be an investigation – what was the cause of the fire? Sometimes if a cause cannot immediately be determined, it may be listed as “suspected” electrical fire, stopping just short of definitively stating that it was. Once this statement is made, even if it is only preliminary, you and your company and anyone that can spell the word electricity will become quite busy as legal action becomes a possibility. Being sure you have “Covered Yourself” with proper design as well as the backup documentation will go a long way for the defense.

A small town a few hours south of me in Arizona had just such a fire earlier this year. The Fire Scene Examination Report (image on the left) created shortly after the incident has the words “were not able to locate any electrical source” followed by the cause being listed as “suspected electrical” and the Classification being “Undermined.”

Subsequent evaluation may determine this IS electrical in nature or it may indicate it is NOT. Either way, adhering to the strict letter of the NEC AND creating detailed documentation along the way is very important for times like this. – CYA!