Code Change Summary: An important clarification was made about which electrical systems in a health care facility must comply with Article 700.

Article 700 in the NEC^® is all about emergency systems. Those systems consist of circuits and equipment intended to supply, distribute, and control electricity for illumination, power, or both, to required facilities when the normal electrical supply or system is interrupted.

Emergency systems include things like emergency egress lighting, exit signs, some elevators, fire protection and alarms, public safety communication systems and the like in the event of failure of the normal power supply or in the event of accident to elements of a system intended to supply, distribute, and control power and illumination essential for safety to human life.

In the 2011 NEC^®, section 517.26 required the entire essential electrical system in a health care facility to comply with the rules in Article 700 for emergency systems. This did not make sense because the essential electrical system includes the equipment system which does not generally supply life safety loads.

In the 2014 NEC^®, the revised text makes it clear that only the life safety branch of the essential electrical system must comply with Article 700 which makes more sense because the life safety branch supplies all of the life safety systems needed for safely egressing the building.

Below is a preview of the NEC^®.  See the actual NEC^® text at NFPA.ORG for the complete code section. Once there, click on the “free access” tab and select the applicable year of NFPA 70 (National Electrical code).