I like the ground up for safety, but the customer wins because of the "Golden Rule".
He who has the Gold, makes the Rule.
I will relay a story about receptacles, and the direction they face. I was working in a building in the City of Houston as an apprentice, and the "building standards" required that all receptacles be placed in the "baseboards" horizontally (back before ADA). So, I was going to install a receptacle with the "grounded" conductor (neutral) in the up position. The journeyman that I was working with at the time stopped me, and had me install it with the hot in the up position. Naturally, I said, "Why?" He responded, "We install, and remove lots of plugs around here, and when I remove one from a "J" box, I want to be able to see the "hot" as it is coming out of the box. "Good point," I thought. He was looking out for his own safety, and the safety of the other electricians in the building. Was it bad for the customer? I would say, "Maybe, maybe not."
HMEL #688
