Electrical Inspection Training Service | in Dammam - Riyadh - Jeddah - Makkah

1. Introduction to Electrical Inspection

• Electrical inspection purpose including (safety verification, code compliance, fire prevention, shock hazard elimination, property protection)

• Regulatory framework including (NFPA 70 NEC, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.303-335, NFPA 70E, local electrical codes, authorities having jurisdiction)

• Inspector qualifications including (electrical knowledge, NEC understanding, testing competency, safety awareness, certification requirements)

• Inspection types including (new installation, renovation, periodic inspection, after incident, maintenance inspection, compliance audit)

• Common electrical hazards including (shock, arc flash, fire, explosion, equipment damage, improper installation)

• Inspection authority and responsibility including (enforcement, violation documentation, correction verification, permit approval, rejection authority)

• Electrical safety fundamentals per NFPA 70E including (qualified person definition, PPE requirements, energized work restrictions, risk assessment)

2. National Electrical Code (NEC) Overview

2.1 NEC Structure and Organization

• NFPA 70 organization per 2023 NEC including (nine chapters, annexes, mandatory versus advisory, article structure)

• General requirements Chapter 1 including (scope, definitions, requirements for electrical installations, voltage classifications)

• Wiring and protection Chapter 2 including (branch circuits, feeders, services, overcurrent protection, grounding, surge protection)

• Wiring methods and materials Chapter 3 including (conductors, cables, raceways, boxes, enclosures, device boxes)

• Equipment for general use Chapter 4 including (cords, receptacles, switches, motors, transformers, appliances, HVAC)

2.2 Key NEC Requirements

• Working clearances per NEC 110.26 including (minimum distances, depth, width, height, access, dedicated space)

• Circuit identification and labeling per NEC 110.21 including (panel schedules, circuit directories, equipment marking, warning labels)

• GFCI protection requirements per NEC 210.8 including (dwelling locations, receptacle protection, temporary installations, personnel protection)

• AFCI protection per NEC 210.12 including (dwelling unit requirements, branch circuits, combination versus branch/feeder type)

• Grounding and bonding per NEC Article 250 including (grounding electrode system, equipment grounding, bonding requirements, grounding conductor sizing)

2.3 Special Occupancies and Equipment

• Hazardous locations per NEC Articles 500-517 including (Class I II III, Division 1 and 2, Zone classifications, equipment suitability)

• Emergency systems per NEC Article 700 including (legally required, optional standby, transfer switches, testing requirements)

• Swimming pools and spas per NEC Article 680 including (bonding, GFCI protection, clearances, underwater equipment)

• Commercial kitchens per NEC 422.16 including (GFCI protection, cord connections, receptacle locations)

3. Electrical Service and Distribution Inspection

3.1 Service Entrance Inspection

• Service conductor installation per NEC Article 230 including (overhead versus underground, clearances, support, weather protection, disconnecting means)

• Service equipment enclosures including (location, accessibility, working space per NEC 110.26, environmental suitability, grounding)

• Metering equipment including (meter socket installation, sealing, bonding, grounding, tamper protection)

• Service disconnecting means per NEC 230.70 including (location, grouping, marking, rating adequacy, emergency disconnect requirements)

• Overcurrent protection sizing per NEC 230.90 including (conductor protection, main breaker or fuses, accessibility, interrupting rating)

3.2 Panelboard and Loadcenter Inspection

• Panel installation per NEC Article 408 including (mounting, working clearances, identification, dedicated space, access)

• Circuit breaker inspection including (proper installation, terminal tightness, compatibility, arc fault and GFCI types, tandem breakers)

• Bus bar and connections including (proper alignment, torque specifications, evidence of overheating, corrosion, damage)

• Panel fill and capacity per NEC 408.54 including (42-circuit limitation, lighting and appliance panels, calculation methods)

• Circuit directory accuracy per NEC 408.4 including (complete identification, legibility, current information, proper labeling)

3.3 Feeder and Branch Circuit Inspection

• Conductor sizing per NEC 310.15 including (ampacity tables, temperature rating, derating factors, voltage drop considerations)

• Overcurrent protection coordination per NEC 240.4 including (conductor protection, tap rules, motor circuits, continuous loads)

• Circuit loading per NEC 210.19 and 215.2 including (continuous load calculations 125%, voltage drop limits, balanced loading)

• Multiwire branch circuits per NEC 210.4 including (simultaneous disconnect, neutral disconnect prohibition, GFCI compatibility, identification)

4. Grounding and Bonding System Inspection

4.1 Grounding Electrode System

• Grounding electrode requirements per NEC 250.50 including (metal water pipe, building steel, concrete-encased, ground rod, supplementary)

• Electrode installation per NEC 250.52 including (ground rod depth minimum 8 feet, rod spacing, concrete-encased electrode specifications)

• Grounding electrode conductor per NEC 250.62-64 including (sizing per Table 250.66, protection requirements, connection methods, accessibility)

• Testing and verification including (ground resistance testing, continuity verification, connection integrity, corrosion assessment)

4.2 Equipment Grounding and Bonding

• Equipment grounding conductor sizing per NEC 250.122 including (based on overcurrent device, minimum size, parallel conductors, adjustment factors)

• Equipment grounding methods per NEC 250.118 including (conductor, raceway, cable armor, listed fittings, effectiveness verification)

• Bonding requirements per NEC 250.90-102 including (service bonding, equipment bonding, metal piping, structural steel, swimming pools)

• Bonding jumper installation including (proper sizing, termination methods, listed connectors, accessibility, corrosion resistance)

4.3 Grounding and Bonding Deficiencies

• Missing or inadequate grounding including (no equipment ground, undersized conductor, improper connections, missing electrode)

• Bonding violations including (unbonded metal parts, missing bonding jumpers, improper water pipe bonding, gas pipe bonding errors)

• Connection defects including (loose connections, corrosion, improper lugs, dissimilar metals, lack of anti-oxidant compound)

• System impedance issues including (high ground resistance, poor continuity, parallel path problems, neutral-ground bonds)

5. Wiring Methods and Installation Inspection

5.1 Raceway Systems Inspection

• Rigid metal conduit (RMC) per NEC Article 344 including (support spacing, bending radius, fittings, sealing, grounding continuity)

• Electrical metallic tubing (EMT) per NEC Article 358 including (supports every 10 feet, compression versus setscrew, wet locations)

• PVC conduit per NEC Article 352 including (expansion fittings, support spacing, temperature rating, burial depth, sealing)

• Flexible conduit per NEC Article 348, 350, 356 including (length limitations, support requirements, grounding requirements, wet locations)

5.2 Cable System Inspection

• Non-metallic sheathed cable (NM) per NEC Article 334 including (support spacing 4.5 feet, protection requirements, prohibited locations, stapling)

• Armored cable (AC) and metal-clad cable (MC) per NEC Article 320, 330 including (support, fittings, bending radius, grounding, bushings)

• Underground feeder cable (UF) per NEC Article 340 including (burial depth per NEC 300.5, wet location rating, protection)

• Cable tray systems per NEC Article 392 including (support, fill calculation, grounding, cable securing, ampacity adjustment)

5.3 Conductor Installation Deficiencies

• Improper support and securing including (excessive spacing, inadequate support, cable damage, sagging, improper stapling)

• Physical protection violations including (exposed to damage, no bushing, sharp edges, through framing, improper penetrations)

• Fill and jamming per NEC Chapter 9 including (conduit fill percentages, wire gauge combinations, excessive cables, installation damage)

• Termination defects including (exposed conductors, improper splicing, no wire nuts, tape-only connections, burned connections)

6. Electrical Equipment and Device Inspection

6.1 Receptacle and Switch Inspection

• Receptacle installation per NEC Article 406 including (grounding type, proper orientation, ground pin integrity, tamper-resistant where required)

• GFCI receptacle testing including (test button function, trip time, reset capability, proper wiring, downstream protection verification)

• Outlet spacing per NEC 210.52 including (dwelling wall spacing 12 feet, countertop spacing 4 feet, GFCI locations, outdoor requirements)

• Switch installation per NEC Article 404 including (proper control, accessibility, wet location covers, neutral conductor requirements)

6.2 Lighting and Fixture Inspection

• Luminaire installation per NEC Article 410 including (support methods, thermal insulation clearance, wet location rating, grounding)

• Recessed lighting per NEC 410.116 including (IC versus non-IC rating, insulation contact, clearances, thermal protection, box connections)

• Outdoor lighting including (wet location rating, GFCI protection where required, post mounting, underground wiring, bonding)

• Emergency lighting per NFPA 101 including (required locations, testing requirements, battery backup, illumination levels, exit signs)

6.3 Appliance and Equipment Connections

• Fixed appliance connections per NEC Article 422 including (disconnect requirements, GFCI protection, grounding, overcurrent protection)

• Motor installations per NEC Article 430 including (overload protection, disconnect location and visibility, controller, conductor sizing)

• HVAC equipment per NEC Article 440 including (disconnecting means, overcurrent protection, nameplate data, refrigeration circuits)

• Water heater connections per NEC 422.13 including (branch circuit sizing, disconnect, overcurrent protection, bonding)

7. Electrical Safety and Hazard Identification

7.1 Shock and Electrocution Hazards

• Energized parts exposure per OSHA 1910.303(g)(2) including (guarding requirements, working space, covers, openings, access prevention)

• Missing or damaged covers including (panel covers, junction boxes, device covers, knockout fillers, enclosure integrity)

• Improper grounding including (ungrounded equipment, missing ground pin, two-prong adapters, bootleg grounds, reversed polarity)

• Wet location hazards including (outdoor receptacles, bathrooms, near water, improper weatherproof covers, GFCI absence)

7.2 Arc Flash and Fire Hazards

• Arc flash hazard identification per NFPA 70E including (available fault current, clearing time, incident energy, arc flash boundaries)

• Arc flash labeling per NFPA 70E 130.5 including (equipment requiring labels, label content, incident energy or PPE category, working distance)

• Overheating indicators including (discolored breakers, melted insulation, burned connections, thermal damage, scorching)

• Fire hazards including (overloaded circuits, improper overcurrent protection, combustible storage in electrical rooms, extension cord abuse)

7.3 Code Violations and Installation Defects

• Double tapping including (two conductors on one terminal, breaker limitations, improper connections, listed compatibility)

• Improper use of equipment including (panelboards as junction boxes, recessed lights as junction boxes, unapproved modifications)

• Missing required protection including (GFCI, AFCI, surge protection, disconnect, overcurrent device, grounding)

• Workspace violations per NEC 110.26 including (blocked access, insufficient clearances, storage in electrical space, locked rooms)

8. Testing and Measurement Procedures

8.1 Electrical Testing Equipment

• Multimeters including (voltage measurement, continuity testing, resistance measurement, proper use, safety ratings CAT III/IV)

• Clamp meters including (current measurement, non-contact, AC/DC, inrush current, power quality)

• Circuit analyzers including (receptacle testers, polarity verification, GFCI testing, voltage drop, wiring errors)

• Insulation resistance testers (meggers) including (insulation testing, test voltages, interpretation, safety precautions)

8.2 Electrical System Testing

• Voltage verification including (nominal voltage, voltage drop, phase balance, overvoltage, undervoltage conditions)

• Continuity testing including (grounding conductor continuity, bonding verification, equipment ground path, low resistance)

• Ground resistance testing including (fall-of-potential method, clamp-on method, soil resistivity, electrode effectiveness, maximum 25 ohms)

• Circuit loading measurement including (current measurement, load balance, overloading detection, neutral current, power factor)

8.3 Safety During Testing

• Lockout/tagout per OSHA 1910.147 including (energy isolation, verification, de-energization procedures, authorized work)

• Energized work restrictions per NFPA 70E including (justification, risk assessment, PPE requirements, limited approach boundary)

• Test equipment safety ratings including (CAT ratings, voltage ratings, proper selection, equipment inspection, lead condition)

• Personal protective equipment including (voltage-rated gloves, face shields, arc-rated clothing, safety glasses, insulated tools)

9. Inspection Documentation and Reporting

• Inspection checklist development including (code-based criteria, systematic coverage, deficiency categories, pass/fail criteria)

• Deficiency classification including (critical immediate hazard, major code violation, minor deficiency, recommendation, observation)

• Inspection report format including (summary, location details, observations, deficiencies, recommendations, photos, code references)

• Code violation documentation including (NEC article citation, description, location, safety impact, required correction)

• Corrective action recommendations including (specific corrections, code compliance method, timeline, reinspection requirements)

• Photographic documentation including (overview shots, deficiency close-ups, labeling, measurements, before/after comparisons)

• Follow-up inspection including (correction verification, compliance confirmation, final approval, permit closure, record retention)

10. Special Inspection Considerations

10.1 Temporary Electrical Installations

• Temporary wiring per NEC Article 590 including (GFCI protection, support, removal timeline, permitted uses, inspection requirements)

• Construction site electrical per OSHA 1926 Subpart K including (assured equipment grounding, GFCI requirements, extension cords, temporary lighting)

• Temporary power services including (adequate capacity, overcurrent protection, disconnecting means, weatherproof enclosures)

• Extension cord usage including (outdoor rated, condition, proper gauge, length limitations, daisy-chaining prohibition)

10.2 Commercial and Industrial Facilities

• Commercial occupancies including (exit lighting, emergency systems, fire alarm integration, commercial kitchen requirements)

• Industrial equipment including (motor controls, machinery disconnects, lockout provisions, machine guarding coordination)

• High voltage systems over 600V including (specialized equipment, qualified personnel, barriers, warning signs per NFPA 70 Article 490)

• Preventive maintenance inspection including (infrared scanning, connection torque, breaker testing, ground testing, trending)

10.3 Residential Inspections

• Dwelling unit requirements per NEC Article 210 including (small appliance circuits, laundry circuit, bathroom circuits, kitchen requirements)

• GFCI and AFCI requirements including (kitchen, bathroom, garage, outdoor, laundry, basements, AFCI all bedrooms and most areas)

• Smoke detector wiring per NFPA 72 including (interconnection, power source, location requirements, testing)

• Service upgrade evaluation including (panel capacity, main disconnect size, conductor ampacity, grounding adequacy, load calculation)