Objective based industrial electrical code

This paper describes the development of an objective based industrial electrical code (OBIEC) in Canada, which is intended for use by qualified industrial companies. The concept is to provide a "road map" for owners, engineers and system/equipment integrators for design, equipment selection, installation, operation and maintenance of electrical systems. At the request of a group of industrial users, the canadian standards association (CSA) has begun development of an objective based industrial electrical code (OBIEC) for industrial installations. This code will be in parallel to the existing prescriptive canadian electrical code (CEC) and will apply only to industrial corporations who are qualified to use it and have demonstrated those qualifications to the satisfaction of the authority having jurisdiction. It is a voluntary code, and industrial companies would apply to the regulatory authority for the right to use it. Inspection and audit requirements will continue to be set by the authority having jurisdiction.