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What is the Ontario Electrical Safety Code?

The Ontario Electrical Safety Code (Code) - establishes standards and requirements for the safe installation and maintenance of electrical equipment. Consideration has been given to the impact that proper maintenance and operation can have on preventing fire and shock hazards. Compliance with the requirements of this Code and proper maintenance will ensure an essentially safe installation.

The Ontario Electrical Safety Code is Ontario Regulation 11/02 and requires that all electrical installations in Ontario conform to the requirements of this Code. Anyone performing electrical work in Ontario should have a current edition of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code (23 Edition/2002)

Decisions as to the content of the Code is reviewed by the Ontario Provincial Code Committee (OPCC) which acts as a advisory body in making recommendations, and for providing comment from the electrical industry on new proposals or revisions to the Code, and comprises Canadian Electrical Code Part I and appropriate amendments for Ontario.

The OPCC was consulted and changes, which had general agreement, were implemented. The membership included provincial government ministries staff, electrical contractors, consumers, manufacturers, electric utilities, certification organizations and, consulting engineers

The unique requirements for Ontario are necessary to meet the legal requirements for implementation in Ontario and special installation practices that are not covered in the Canadian Electrical Code Part I. In particular Rules 2-000 to 2-036 contain the legal provisions on which the Corporation's authority for administering inspection and approving electrical wiring installations and equipment is based. Changes are being made which recognize new products, harmonize with North American and world standards, improve safety and relax overly restrictive practices

The 2002 regulation will adopt both the Canadian Electrical Code Part I C22.1-2002 (a nationally recognized code prepared by the Canadian Standards Association) and requirements unique to Ontario in a document entitled "Ontario Amendments to the Canadian Electrical Code Part I ".


The Code applies to electrical work and electrical equipment, operating at all voltages, in electrical installations in Ontario, with the following exceptions:
· Electrical equipment and electrical installations used exclusively in the generation, transformation or transmission of electrical power or energy intended for sale or distribution to the public;
· Electrical equipment and electrical installations in communication systems from the transformer or other current limiting device used at the junction of the communication system with the electric circuit supplying the communication system;
· Electrical equipment and electrical installations in the cars, car-houses, passenger stations or freight stations used in the operation of an electric railway or electric street railway and supplied with electric current from the railway power-circuit;
· Electrical equipment and electrical installations in railway locomotives and railway cars and in signaling systems, communication systems, wayside train monitoring systems and track facilities including the branch circuit supplying such electrical equipment or electrical installations when such electrical equipment or electrical installation is used in the operation of a railway;
· Electrical equipment and electrical installations on an aircraft;
· Electrical equipment and electrical installations in a mine as defined in the Mining Act excepting any dwelling house or other building not connected with or required for mining operations or purposes or used for the treatment of ore or mineral;
· Electrical equipment and electrical installations on a vessel of non-Canadian registry or on a vessel that is required to be certified in accordance with the Canada Shipping Act except for such equipment and installations required to connect the electrical supply from the on shore electrical supply facility to the service box on the boat and including the service box;
· Electrical equipment forming an integral part of a self propelled vehicle that is required to be certified in accordance with the Motor Vehicle Safety Act except for such equipment supplying electrical power from an electrical installation to the vehicle and those portions of a vehicle capable of receiving electrical power from an electrical installation.
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