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Canadian Electrical Code
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The Canadian Electrical Code, CE code, or CSA C22.1 is a standard published by the Canadian Standards Association for addressing the installation and maintenance of electrical equipment in Canada.
The first edition of the Canadian Electrical Code was published in 1927. The current (21st) edition was published in 2009. Code revisions are now scheduled on a three-year cycle. The Code is produced by a large body of volunteers from industry and various levels of government.
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Encyclopedia
The Canadian Electrical Code, CE code, or CSA C22.1 is a standard published by the Canadian Standards Association for addressing the installation and maintenance of electrical equipment in Canada.
The first edition of the Canadian Electrical Code was published in 1927. The current (21st) edition was published in 2009. Code revisions are now scheduled on a three-year cycle. The Code is produced by a large body of volunteers from industry and various levels of government. The code uses a prescriptive model, outlining in detail what wiring methods are acceptable. In the current edition, the Code recognizes that other methods can be used to assure safe installations, but these methods must be acceptable to the authority enforcing the Code in a particular jurisdiction.
The Canadian Electrical Code serves as the basis for wiring regulations across Canada. Generally legislation adopts the code by reference, usually with a schedule of changes that amends the code for local conditions. These amendments may be administrative in nature or may have technical content particular to the region. Since the Code is a copyrighted document produced by a private non-profit body, it may not be distributed without copyright clearance from the Canadian Standards Association.
The Code is divided into sections, covering topics such as conductors, service equipment, circuit loading factors, grounding and bonding, wiring methods, protection, low-voltage power circuits, hazardous locations, installation of electrical equipment, high-voltage installations. Additional sections give rules for special areas such as wet locations, patient care areas, emergency systems, temporary installations, and others.
The Canadian Electrical Code does not apply to vehicles, systems operated by an electrical or communications utility, railway systems, aircraft or ships.
The Canadian Electrical Code is published in three parts: Part I is the safety standard for electrical installations, Part II is a series of standards for the evaluation of electrical equipment or installations and Part III is a group of standards relating to power distribution and transmission circuits. Part I requires that electrical products be approved to a Part II standard.
Technical requirements of the Canadian Electrical Code are very similar to those of the US National Electrical Code. Specific differences still exist and installations acceptable under one Code may not entirely comply with the other. Correlation of technical requirements between the two Codes is ongoing.
Several CEC Part II electrical equipment standards have been harmonized with standards in the USA and Mexico through CANENA, The Council for the Harmonization of Electromechanical Standards of the Nations of the Americas (CANENA) is working to harmonize electrical codes in the western hemisphere.
Objective based code
In response to industry demand, CSA has developed Part IV of the Canadian Electrical Code, consisting of two standards CSA C22.4 No. 1 "Objective-based industrial electrical code" and CSA C22.4 No. 2 "Objective-based industrial electrical code - Safety management system requirements". These standards are intended for use only by authorized industrial users and would not apply, for example, to residential construction. These standards do not prescibe specific solutions for every case but instead give guidance to the user on achievement of the safety objectives of IEC 60364. Since it is less prescriptive, the OBEIC allows industrial users to use new technology not yet represented in the CEC Part II. Use of this OBEIC is restricted to industrial and institutional users who have a safety management program in place and the engineering resources to implement the regulations. It is intended by users to maintain safety while using methods that will reduce the installation cost of large industrial plants, for example, in the petrochemical business.
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